Tmux Easy Cheat Sheet

Productivity Guide for the Terminal Multiplexer

How to trigger shortcuts inside Tmux:

Most commands won't work unless you "wake up" Tmux first using the Prefix. It's a two-step sequence:

Step 1: The Wake Up Press Ctrl + b then release.
→
Step 2: The Action Tap the Command Key (e.g., % or c).

1. Start-up Commands (In your normal terminal)

tmux Open a new unnamed session
tmux new -s [name] Start a named session
tmux ls Show all active sessions
tmux a Attach to the last used session
tmux a -t [name] Attach to a specific session
tmux kill-session -t [name] Delete a specific session
tmux kill-server Kill all sessions and stop tmux

2. Managing Panes (Inside Tmux)

Ctrl+b → % Split Vertically (side-by-side)
Ctrl+b → " Split Horizontally (top/bottom)
Ctrl+b → Arrows Move between panes
Ctrl+b → z Zoom: Toggle full screen for one pane
Ctrl+b → q Show pane numbers (type number to jump)
Ctrl+b → o Rotate through all panes
Ctrl+b → x Close current pane

3. Windows & Sessions (Inside Tmux)

Ctrl+b → c Create a New Window (Tab)
Ctrl+b → n / p Next or Previous window
Ctrl+b → , Rename current window
Ctrl+b → d Detach (Leave Tmux running in background)
Ctrl+b → s List all sessions (Interactive menu)
Ctrl+b → $ Rename current session

4. Utilities & Help

Ctrl+b → [ Scroll / Copy Mode (Press q to exit)
Ctrl+b → ? Show all shortcut keybindings
Ctrl+b → t Display a digital clock