tmux Keyboard Shortcuts
We collected 208 keyboard shortcuts for tmux so you can multiplex terminal sessions faster
tmux is a terminal & CLI application developed by tmux Contributors. It lets users multiplex terminal sessions with a professional-grade toolset.
For tmux users, mastering keyboard shortcuts is one of the fastest ways to boost productivity. Quick access to tools and commands keeps the creative flow unbroken.
Since tmux supports macOS and Linux, this shortcuts reference is designed to help users on every supported operating system get up to speed quickly.
macOS
Linux
208 shortcuts
19 categories
Show shortcuts for:
Jump to Section (19 sections)
Key Bindings 66 shortcuts
Send the prefix key (C-b) through to the application.
Ctrl +B Ctrl +B Ctrl +B
Rotate the panes in the current window forwards.
Ctrl +O Ctrl +O Ctrl +O
Suspend the tmux client.
Ctrl +Z Ctrl +Z Ctrl +Z
Break the current pane out of the window.
Ctrl +B +! Ctrl +B +! Ctrl +B +!
Split the current pane into two, top and bottom.
Ctrl +B +" Ctrl +B +" Ctrl +B +"
List all paste buffers.
Ctrl +B +# Ctrl +B +# Ctrl +B +#
Rename the current session.
Ctrl +B +$ Ctrl +B +$ Ctrl +B +$
Split the current pane into two, left and right.
Ctrl +B +% Ctrl +B +% Ctrl +B +%
Kill the current window.
Ctrl +B +& Ctrl +B +& Ctrl +B +&
Prompt for a window index to select.
Ctrl +B +' Ctrl +B +' Ctrl +B +'
Switch the attached client to the previous session.
Ctrl +B +( Ctrl +B +( Ctrl +B +(
Switch the attached client to the next session.
Ctrl +B +) Ctrl +B +) Ctrl +B +)
Rename the current window.
Ctrl +B +, Ctrl +B +, Ctrl +B +,
Delete the most recently copied buffer of text.
Ctrl +B +- Ctrl +B +- Ctrl +B +-
Prompt for an index to move the current window.
Ctrl +B +. Ctrl +B +. Ctrl +B +.
Select windows 0 to 9.
Ctrl +B +0-9 Ctrl +B +0-9 Ctrl +B +0-9
Enter the tmux command prompt.
Ctrl +B +: Ctrl +B +: Ctrl +B +:
Move to the previously active pane.
Ctrl +B +; Ctrl +B +; Ctrl +B +;
Choose which buffer to paste interactively from a list.
Ctrl +B += Ctrl +B += Ctrl +B +=
List all key bindings.
Ctrl +B +? Ctrl +B +? Ctrl +B +?
Choose a client to detach. / Detach the current client.
Ctrl +B +D Ctrl +B +D Ctrl +B +D
Switch the attached client back to the last session. / Move to the previously selected window.
Ctrl +B +L Ctrl +B +L Ctrl +B +L
Enter copy mode to copy text or view the history.
Ctrl +B +[ Ctrl +B +[ Ctrl +B +[
Paste the most recently copied buffer of text.
Ctrl +B +] Ctrl +B +] Ctrl +B +]
Create a new window.
Ctrl +B +C Ctrl +B +C Ctrl +B +C
Prompt to search for text in open windows.
Ctrl +B +F Ctrl +B +F Ctrl +B +F
Display some information about the current window.
Ctrl +B +I Ctrl +B +I Ctrl +B +I
Mark the current pane (see select-pane -m). / Clear the marked pane.
Ctrl +B +M Ctrl +B +M Ctrl +B +M
Change to the next window.
Ctrl +B +N Ctrl +B +N Ctrl +B +N
Select the next pane in the current window.
Ctrl +B +O Ctrl +B +O Ctrl +B +O
Change to the previous window.
Ctrl +B +P Ctrl +B +P Ctrl +B +P
Briefly display pane indexes.
Ctrl +B +Q Ctrl +B +Q Ctrl +B +Q
Force redraw of the attached client.
Ctrl +B +R Ctrl +B +R Ctrl +B +R
Select a new session for the attached client interactively.
Ctrl +B +S Ctrl +B +S Ctrl +B +S
Show the time.
Ctrl +B +T Ctrl +B +T Ctrl +B +T
Choose the current window interactively.
Ctrl +B +W Ctrl +B +W Ctrl +B +W
Kill the current pane.
Ctrl +B +X Ctrl +B +X Ctrl +B +X
Toggle zoom state of the current pane.
Ctrl +B +Z Ctrl +B +Z Ctrl +B +Z
Swap the current pane with the previous pane.
Ctrl +B +{ Ctrl +B +{ Ctrl +B +{
Swap the current pane with the next pane.
Ctrl +B +} Ctrl +B +} Ctrl +B +}
Show previous messages from tmux, if any.
Ctrl +B +~ Ctrl +B +~ Ctrl +B +~
Enter copy mode and scroll one page up.
Ctrl +B +PageUp Ctrl +B +PageUp Ctrl +B +PageUp
Change to the pane above, below, to the left, or to the right of the current pane.
Ctrl +B +Up Ctrl +B +Up Ctrl +B +Up
Change to the pane above, below, to the left, or to the right of the current pane.
Ctrl +B +Down Ctrl +B +Down Ctrl +B +Down
Change to the pane above, below, to the left, or to the right of the current pane.
Ctrl +B +Left Ctrl +B +Left Ctrl +B +Left
Change to the pane above, below, to the left, or to the right of the current pane.
Ctrl +B +Right Ctrl +B +Right Ctrl +B +Right
Arrange panes in one of the seven preset layouts: even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-horizontal-mirrored, main-vertical, main-vertical-mirrored, or tiled.
Ctrl +B +M-1 Ctrl +B +M-1 Ctrl +B +M-1
Arrange panes in one of the seven preset layouts: even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-horizontal-mirrored, main-vertical, main-vertical-mirrored, or tiled.
Ctrl +B +M-2 Ctrl +B +M-2 Ctrl +B +M-2
Arrange panes in one of the seven preset layouts: even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-horizontal-mirrored, main-vertical, main-vertical-mirrored, or tiled.
Ctrl +B +M-3 Ctrl +B +M-3 Ctrl +B +M-3
Arrange panes in one of the seven preset layouts: even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-horizontal-mirrored, main-vertical, main-vertical-mirrored, or tiled.
Ctrl +B +M-4 Ctrl +B +M-4 Ctrl +B +M-4
Arrange panes in one of the seven preset layouts: even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-horizontal-mirrored, main-vertical, main-vertical-mirrored, or tiled.
Ctrl +B +M-5 Ctrl +B +M-5 Ctrl +B +M-5
Arrange panes in one of the seven preset layouts: even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-horizontal-mirrored, main-vertical, main-vertical-mirrored, or tiled.
Ctrl +B +M-6 Ctrl +B +M-6 Ctrl +B +M-6
Arrange panes in one of the seven preset layouts: even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-horizontal-mirrored, main-vertical, main-vertical-mirrored, or tiled.
Ctrl +B +M-7 Ctrl +B +M-7 Ctrl +B +M-7
Arrange the current window in the next preset layout.
Ctrl +B +Space Ctrl +B +Space Ctrl +B +Space
Move to the next window with a bell or activity marker.
Ctrl +B +M-n Ctrl +B +M-n Ctrl +B +M-n
Rotate the panes in the current window backwards.
Ctrl +B +M-o Ctrl +B +M-o Ctrl +B +M-o
Move to the previous window with a bell or activity marker.
Ctrl +B +M-p Ctrl +B +M-p Ctrl +B +M-p
Resize the current pane in steps of one cell.
Ctrl +B +C-Up Ctrl +B +C-Up Ctrl +B +C-Up
Resize the current pane in steps of one cell.
Ctrl +B +C-Down Ctrl +B +C-Down Ctrl +B +C-Down
Resize the current pane in steps of one cell.
Ctrl +B +C-Left Ctrl +B +C-Left Ctrl +B +C-Left
Resize the current pane in steps of one cell.
Ctrl +B +C-Right Ctrl +B +C-Right Ctrl +B +C-Right
Resize the current pane in steps of five cells.
Ctrl +B +M-Up Ctrl +B +M-Up Ctrl +B +M-Up
Resize the current pane in steps of five cells.
Ctrl +B +M-Down Ctrl +B +M-Down Ctrl +B +M-Down
Resize the current pane in steps of five cells.
Ctrl +B +M-Left Ctrl +B +M-Left Ctrl +B +M-Left
Resize the current pane in steps of five cells.
Ctrl +B +M-Right Ctrl +B +M-Right Ctrl +B +M-Right
Pipe to pane
Ctrl +P Ctrl +P
General 1 shortcut
Terminate command sequence
; ;
Basic Commands 2 shortcuts
New session, detach, split window and attach
; ;
Source file
R R
Pane Navigation 4 shortcuts
Resize pane up
Ctrl +Up Ctrl +Up Ctrl +Up
Resize pane down
Ctrl +Down Ctrl +Down Ctrl +Down
Resize pane left
Ctrl +Left Ctrl +Left Ctrl +Left
Resize pane right
Ctrl +Right Ctrl +Right Ctrl +Right
Copy Mode 4 shortcuts
Enter copy mode
[ [ [
Paste buffer
] ] ]
Enter copy mode and scroll up one page
PageUp PageUp
Enter copy mode and scroll down one page
PageDown PageDown
Copy Mode - Emacs 32 shortcuts
Move the cursor back to the indentation
Opt +M Ctrl +X Alt +M
Begin selection
Ctrl +Space Ctrl +Space Ctrl +Space
Cancel copy mode
Esc Esc Esc
Clear the current selection
Ctrl +G Ctrl +G Ctrl +G
Move the cursor down
Down Down Down
Move the cursor left
Left Left Left
Move the cursor right
Right Right Right
Move the cursor up
Up Up Up
Moves the cursor to the vertical centre of the pane
Ctrl +L Ctrl +L Ctrl +L
Moves the cursor to the horizontal centre of the pane
Opt +L Alt +L Alt +L
Move the cursor to the end of the line
Ctrl +E Ctrl +E Ctrl +E
Scroll down by half a page
Opt +Down Alt +Down Alt +Down
Scroll up by half a page
Opt +Up Alt +Up Alt +Up
Scroll to the bottom of the history
Opt +> Alt +> Alt +>
Scroll to the top of the history
Opt +< Alt +< Alt +<
Move to the next word
Opt +F Alt +F Alt +F
Move to the previous word
Opt +B Alt +B Alt +B
Repeat the last jump
; ; ;
Jump backwards to the specified text / Jump forward to the specified text
F F F
Repeat the last jump in the reverse direction (forward becomes backward and backward becomes forward).
, , ,
Move to the next matching bracket
Ctrl +Opt +F Ctrl +Alt +F Ctrl +Alt +F
Move to the previous matching bracket
Ctrl +Opt +B Ctrl +Alt +B Ctrl +Alt +B
Move to the next paragraph
Opt +} Alt +} Alt +}
Move to the previous paragraph
Opt +{ Alt +{ Alt +{
Move to the middle line
Opt +R Alt +R Alt +R
Scroll down by one page
PageDown PageDown PageDown
Scroll up by one page
PageUp PageUp PageUp
Refresh the content from the pane
R R R
Repeat the last search
N N N
Search backwards incrementally for the specified text.
Ctrl +R Ctrl +R Ctrl +R
Scroll up
Ctrl +Up Ctrl +Up Ctrl +Up
Scroll down
Ctrl +Down Ctrl +Down Ctrl +Down
Copy Mode - Vi 34 shortcuts
Append the selection to the top paste buffer and exit copy mode
A A A
Move the cursor back to the indentation
^ ^ ^
Begin selection
Space Space Space
Move to the bottom line / Move the cursor right
L L L
Cancel copy mode
Q Q Q
Clear the current selection
Esc Esc Esc
Move the cursor down
J J J
Move the cursor left
H H H
Move the cursor up
K K K
Moves the cursor to the end of the line
$ $ $
Move to a specific line
: : :
Scroll down by half a page
Ctrl +D Ctrl +D Ctrl +D
Scroll up by half a page
Ctrl +U Ctrl +U Ctrl +U
Scroll to the bottom of the history / Scroll to the top of the history
G G G
Jump again
; ; ;
Jump backwards to the specified text / Jump forward to the specified text
F F F
Repeat the last jump in the reverse direction (forward becomes backward and backward becomes forward).
, , ,
Jump backwards, but one character less, placing the cursor on the character after the target
T T T
Jump to the last mark
M +X M +X M +X
Move to the middle line
M M M
Move to the next matching bracket
% % %
Move to the next paragraph
} } }
Move to the previous paragraph
{ { {
Move to the previous word
B B B
Move to the next word
W W W
Move to the end of the next word
E E E
Repeat the last search
N N N
Search backwards for the specified text
? ? ?
Scroll down by one page
Ctrl +F Ctrl +F Ctrl +F
Scroll up by one page
Ctrl +B Ctrl +B Ctrl +B
Refresh the content from the pane
R R R
Toggle rectangle selection mode
V V V
Scroll down
Ctrl +E Ctrl +E Ctrl +E
Scroll up
Ctrl +Y Ctrl +Y Ctrl +Y
Copy Mode - Selection 1 shortcut
Copy the current selection and exit copy mode
Enter ; Enter
Text Search (vi) 2 shortcuts
Search forward for the specified text
/ /
Repeat the previous search in the reverse direction
N N
Text Search (emacs) 3 shortcuts
Search forward incrementally for the specified text
Ctrl +S Ctrl +S
Repeat the previous search in the reverse direction
N N
Repeat the previous search in the reverse direction
Ctrl +R Ctrl +R
Selection (vi) 1 shortcut
Select the current line
V V
Mark Line (vi/emacs) 1 shortcut
Mark the current line
X X
Cursor Movement (vi/emacs) 1 shortcut
Move the cursor to the start of the line
0 0
Indicator Toggle (vi/emacs) 1 shortcut
Toggle the visibility of the position indicator in the top right
P P
Move to top line (vi/emacs) 1 shortcut
Move to the top line
H H
Choose Client - Client Mode 17 shortcuts
Choose selected client
Enter Enter
Select previous client
Up Up
Select next client
Down Down
Search by name
Ctrl +S Ctrl +S
Repeat last search forwards / Repeat last search backwards
N N
Toggle if client is tagged / Tag no clients
T T
Tag all clients
Ctrl +T Ctrl +T
Detach selected client / Detach tagged clients
D D
Detach and HUP selected client / Detach and HUP tagged clients
X X
Suspend selected client / Suspend tagged clients
Z Z
Enter a format to filter items
F F
Change sort order
O O
Reverse sort order
R R
Toggle preview
V V
Display help
F1 F1
Display help
Ctrl +H Ctrl +H
Exit mode
Q Q
Choose Tree - Tree Mode 19 shortcuts
Choose selected item
Enter Enter
Select previous item
Up Up
Select next item
Down Down
Collapse item
Left Left
Expand item
Right Right
Open selected item
Space Space
Copy item
C C
Paste
P P
Delete item / Detach client
D D
Detach and HUP client
X X
Swap the selected item with the one above
S +Up S +Up
Swap the selected item with the one below
S +Down S +Down
Enter a format to filter items
F F
Change sort order
O O
Reverse sort order
R R
Toggle preview
V V
Display help
F1 F1
Display help
Ctrl +H Ctrl +H
Exit mode
Q Q
Buffer Mode 11 shortcuts
Repeat last search forwards / Repeat last search backwards
N/A N
Toggle if buffer is tagged / Tag no buffers
N/A T
Paste selected buffer / Paste tagged buffers
N/A P
Paste tagged buffers / Delete selected buffer
N/A D
Delete tagged buffers / Open the buffer in an editor
N/A E
Enter a format to filter items
N/A F
Change sort order
N/A O
Reverse sort order
N/A R
Toggle preview
N/A V
Display help
N/A Ctrl +H
Exit mode
N/A Q
Session Management and Navigation 7 shortcuts
Create a new window
Ctrl +B +C Ctrl +B +C
Select window 0
Ctrl +B +0 Ctrl +B +0
Select window 1
Ctrl +B +1 Ctrl +B +1
Select the next window
Ctrl +B +N Ctrl +B +N
Select the previous window
Ctrl +B +P Ctrl +B +P
Detach the session
Ctrl +B +D Ctrl +B +D
List the current key bindings
Ctrl +B +? Ctrl +B +?
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