Pane Management
Panes split a window into multiple independent terminals. This lets you view your editor, logs, and shell simultaneously without switching windows.
Core Idea
Think of panes as the "split view" inside a single window tab. Each pane runs its own shell.
Splitting Panes
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b % | `Ctrl+Space | ` |
Ctrl+b " | Ctrl+Space - | Horizontal split (top and bottom) |
From command line:
# vertical split
tmux split-window -h -t work:0
# horizontal split
tmux split-window -v -t work:0
# split with a start command
tmux split-window -h "tail -f /var/log/app.log"
Custom Keybindings — Defaults Preserved
The added prefix-free shortcuts produce the same results as their default counterparts:
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b ←/→/↑/↓ | Alt+←/→/↑/↓ | select-pane -L/R/U/D |
Ctrl+b ←/→/↑/↓ | Alt+h/j/k/l | select-pane -L/D/U/R (vim-style) |
Ctrl+b z | Alt+z | resize-pane -Z (toggle zoom) |
Navigating Between Panes
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b ←/↑/→/↓ | Alt+←/↑/→/↓ or Alt+h/j/k/l | Move focus by arrow key |
Ctrl+b o | Ctrl+Space o | Cycle through panes |
Ctrl+b ; | Ctrl+Space ; | Last active pane |
Ctrl+b q | Ctrl+Space q | Show pane numbers briefly (press number to jump) |
Resizing Panes
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b Alt+arrows | Ctrl+Space Alt+arrows | Resize by 5 cells |
Ctrl+b Ctrl+arrows | Ctrl+Space Ctrl+arrows | Resize by 1 cell |
Or use the command prompt:
:resize-pane -L 10 # left
:resize-pane -R 10 # right
:resize-pane -U 5 # up
:resize-pane -D 5 # down
Zoom (Full-Screen a Pane)
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b z | Ctrl+Space z or Alt+z | Toggle zoom on current pane |
One pane fills the whole window. Press again to return to split view.
tip
Use zoom when you need to focus on one task, then unzoom to return to your multi-pane layout.
Closing Panes
# inside the pane
exit
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b x | Ctrl+Space x | Kill current pane (confirm with y) |
# kill specific pane from outside
tmux kill-pane -t work:0.1 # session:window.pane
Moving and Swapping Panes
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b { | Prefix S Left/h | Move current pane left |
Ctrl+b } | Prefix S Right/l | Move current pane right |
Or:
# swap pane 1 and pane 2 in current window
tmux swap-pane -s 1 -t 2
Breaking a Pane into Its Own Window
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b ! | Ctrl+Space ! | Break current pane into a new window |
Useful when a pane grows too important for the split view.
Pane Targeting Syntax
When addressing panes from the command line: session:window.pane
# send a command to a specific pane
tmux send-keys -t work:editor.0 "ls -la" Enter
# work → session name
# editor → window name (or index)
# 0 → pane index (0-based)
Common Pane Layouts
Side-by-Side (Editor + Shell)
┌─────────────┬─────────────┐
│ │ │
│ vim │ shell │
│ │ │
└─────────────┴─────────────┘
tmux split-window -h
Editor + Logs Below
┌──────────────────────────┐
│ vim │
├──────────────────────────┤
│ tail -f │
└──────────────────────────┘
tmux split-window -v
Three-Pane Dashboard
┌─────────────┬─────────────┐
│ │ top │
│ vim ├─────────────┤
│ │ logs │
└─────────────┴─────────────┘
tmux split-window -h
tmux split-window -v
tmux select-pane -t 0
Common Pitfalls
| Pitfall | Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Pressing Ctrl+b x accidentally | Wrong pane killed | Learn the shortcut; press n when prompted |
| Too many panes in one window | Cramped view | Use multiple windows instead |
| Losing track of pane boundaries | Confusion about where to type | Use Ctrl+b q to confirm pane numbers |