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tmux-shortcuts.md

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Tmux Shortcuts Reference Guide

Prefix Key: Ctrl+a (configured in your setup)

📋 Copy Mode & Pagination

Entering and Navigating Copy Mode

  • Ctrl+a [ or Ctrl+a Enter - Enter copy mode (scroll/search mode)
  • q or Esc - Exit copy mode
  • g - Go to top of history
  • G - Go to bottom of history
  • Ctrl+u - Page up (half page)
  • Ctrl+d - Page down (half page)
  • Ctrl+b - Page up (full page)
  • Ctrl+f - Page down (full page)

Searching in Copy Mode

  • / - Search forward
  • ? - Search backward
  • n - Next match
  • N - Previous match

Selecting and Copying Text

  • v - Start selection (visual mode)
  • Ctrl+v - Toggle rectangle selection
  • y - Copy selection and exit copy mode
  • H - Move to start of line
  • L - Move to end of line
  • Ctrl+a p - Paste from tmux buffer

Buffer Management

  • Ctrl+a b - List all paste buffers
  • Ctrl+a P (capital P) - Choose which buffer to paste from

🪟 Window Management

Creating and Closing

  • Ctrl+a c - Create new window
  • Ctrl+a & - Kill current window (no confirmation prompt)
  • Ctrl+a , - Rename current window

Navigation

  • Ctrl+a n or Ctrl+a Ctrl+l - Next window
  • Ctrl+a p or Ctrl+a Ctrl+h - Previous window
  • Ctrl+a 0-9 - Switch to window by number
  • Ctrl+a Tab - Switch to last active window
  • Ctrl+a w - Choose window from list

📐 Pane Management

Splitting Panes

  • Ctrl+a - - Split horizontally (new pane below)
  • Ctrl+a _ - Split vertically (new pane to the right)

Navigation Between Panes

  • Ctrl+a h - Move to left pane
  • Ctrl+a j - Move to down pane
  • Ctrl+a k - Move to up pane
  • Ctrl+a l - Move to right pane
  • Ctrl+a q - Show pane numbers (then press number to jump)
  • Ctrl+a o - Cycle through panes

Resizing Panes

  • Ctrl+a H - Resize pane left by 2 units
  • Ctrl+a J - Resize pane down by 2 units
  • Ctrl+a K - Resize pane up by 2 units
  • Ctrl+a L - Resize pane right by 2 units (Hold prefix and repeat direction key for continuous resizing)

Managing Panes

  • Ctrl+a x - Kill current pane (no confirmation prompt)
  • Ctrl+a z - Toggle pane zoom (fullscreen)
  • Ctrl+a + - Maximize current pane
  • Ctrl+a ! - Break pane into new window
  • Ctrl+a > - Swap with next pane
  • Ctrl+a < - Swap with previous pane
  • Ctrl+a Space - Toggle between layouts

🎯 Session Management

Session Operations

  • Ctrl+a d - Detach from session
  • Ctrl+a $ - Rename current session
  • Ctrl+a s - List all sessions (interactive)
  • Ctrl+a ( - Switch to previous session
  • Ctrl+a ) - Switch to next session
  • Ctrl+a Shift+Tab - Switch to last session

Creating Sessions

  • Ctrl+a Ctrl+c - Create new session
  • tmux new -s <name> - Create named session (from terminal)
  • tmux attach -t <name> - Attach to session (from terminal)

Finding Sessions

  • Ctrl+a Ctrl+f - Find and switch to session by name

⚙️ Configuration & System

Tmux Commands

  • Ctrl+a : - Enter command mode
  • Ctrl+a r - Reload tmux configuration
  • Ctrl+a e - Edit tmux local configuration
  • Ctrl+a ? - Show all key bindings
  • Ctrl+a t - Show clock

Mouse Support

  • Ctrl+a m - Toggle mouse mode on/off
  • When mouse is enabled:
    • Click to select pane
    • Drag pane borders to resize
    • Scroll to enter copy mode and navigate
    • Double-click to select word
    • Triple-click to select line

Display and Information

  • Ctrl+a i - Display pane info
  • Ctrl+a Ctrl+l - Clear screen and history

🔌 Plugin Management (TPM)

  • Ctrl+a I (capital I) - Install plugins
  • Ctrl+a u - Update plugins
  • Ctrl+a Alt+u - Uninstall/clean plugins

💡 Pro Tips

History & Performance

  • Your history limit: 10,000 lines
  • Use copy mode to search through scrollback efficiently
  • Clear history when needed: Ctrl+a Ctrl+l

Copy/Paste Workflow

  1. Enter copy mode: Ctrl+a [
  2. Navigate to text (use / to search)
  3. Start selection: v
  4. Move cursor to select text
  5. Copy: y (automatically exits copy mode)
  6. Paste: Ctrl+a p

Quick Pane Layout

  • Create 3-pane development setup:
    1. Ctrl+a - (split horizontal)
    2. Ctrl+a _ (split vertical on bottom)
    3. Ctrl+a k (move to top pane)

Session Management Best Practices

  • Name sessions by project: tmux new -s myproject
  • Use Ctrl+a s to see all sessions at a glance
  • Detach instead of closing when switching context

🎨 Visual Indicators

Your tmux shows these indicators in the status bar:

  • ⌨ - Prefix key is active
  • ↗ - Mouse mode enabled
  • ⚇ - Multiple clients attached
  • ⚏ - Panes synchronized
  • ! - Running as root (bold/blinking)

🖱️ Mouse Mode Features

With mouse mode enabled (default in your config):

  • Select text - Click and drag to select (auto-enters copy mode)
  • Copy text - After selecting, release mouse to copy
  • Paste - Middle-click or Ctrl+a p
  • Switch panes - Click on any pane
  • Resize panes - Click and drag pane borders
  • Switch windows - Click window names in status bar
  • Scroll history - Use mouse wheel (auto-enters copy mode)

⌨️ Keyboard Navigation Tips

Fast Window Switching

Instead of cycling through windows, jump directly:

  • Ctrl+a 1, Ctrl+a 2, etc. for direct access
  • Ctrl+a ' then type window number for windows > 9

Efficient Pane Navigation

  • Use Ctrl+a q + number for instant pane jumping
  • Set up vi-mode keys for even faster navigation (optional)

Command History

In command mode (Ctrl+a :):

  • ↑/↓ - Navigate through command history
  • Tab - Auto-complete commands

Quick Reference Card:

PREFIX = Ctrl+a

Copy Mode:  [        Search:  / ?     Panes:  - _ hjkl    Windows:  c n p
Exit Copy:  q Esc    Select:  v y     Zoom:   z           Sessions: d s
Navigate:   hjkl     Paste:   p       Kill:   x &         Config:   r e

Remember: Most commands require pressing the prefix (Ctrl+a) first, then the command key!