Core Shortcuts Cheatsheet
All shortcuts use the default prefix Ctrl+b. Press and release the prefix, then press the command key. On this server the prefix is Ctrl+Space with additional prefix-free alternatives.
Session Shortcuts
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b d | Ctrl+Space d | Detach from session (session stays alive) |
Ctrl+b s | Ctrl+Space s | List and switch sessions |
Ctrl+b $ | Prefix e s | Rename current session |
Ctrl+b ( | Alt+Home | Previous session |
Ctrl+b ) | Alt+End | Next session |
Window Shortcuts
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b c | Ctrl+Space W | Create new window |
Ctrl+b , | Prefix e w | Rename current window |
Ctrl+b n | Alt+PageDown | Next window |
Ctrl+b p | Alt+PageUp | Previous window |
Ctrl+b 0-9 | Alt+1/2/3 or Ctrl+Space 0-9 | Switch to window by number |
Ctrl+b w | Ctrl+Space w | Searchable session/window/pane tree |
Ctrl+b l | Ctrl+Space l | Last used window |
Ctrl+b & | Ctrl+Space X | Kill current window (prompts) |
Pane Shortcuts
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b % | `Ctrl+Space | ` |
Ctrl+b " | Ctrl+Space - | Split pane horizontally (top/bottom) |
Ctrl+b arrow | Alt+arrows or Alt+h/j/k/l | Move focus between panes |
Ctrl+b o | Ctrl+Space o | Cycle through panes |
Ctrl+b q | Ctrl+Space q | Show pane numbers |
Ctrl+b z | Ctrl+Space z | Zoom / unzoom pane (with prefix) |
Alt+z | Alt+z | Zoom / unzoom pane (no prefix) |
Ctrl+b ! | Ctrl+Space ! | Break pane into new window |
Ctrl+b x | Ctrl+Space x | Kill current pane (prompts) |
Ctrl+b { | Prefix S Left/h | Move pane left |
Ctrl+b } | Prefix S Right/l | Move pane right |
Ctrl+b Space | Ctrl+Space Space | Cycle through layout presets |
Ctrl+b Alt+arrow | Ctrl+Space Alt+arrow | Resize pane (5 cells) |
Copy Mode Shortcuts
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b [ | Ctrl+Space [ | Enter copy/scroll mode |
Ctrl+b ] | Ctrl+Space ] | Paste from tmux buffer |
Ctrl+b PgUp | Ctrl+Space PgUp | Enter copy mode, scroll up |
Ctrl+b = | Ctrl+Space = | Choose from paste buffers (interactive) |
Inside copy mode (vi mode):
h/j/k/l Move cursor
v Begin selection
y Copy selection and exit
/ Search forward
? Search backward
n / N Next / previous match
q Exit copy mode
g / G Top / bottom of scrollback
Ctrl+u / Ctrl+d Scroll half page up / down
Fast Navigation Habit
Use Ctrl+b w as the main tmux navigator. It opens the interactive tree for sessions, windows, and panes, and / can search/filter the list quickly.
Keep Ctrl+b s for a simple session overview; most daily switching is faster through Ctrl+b w.
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b w | Ctrl+Space w | Open searchable tree |
/ Search/filter inside the tree
Enter Switch to highlighted item
q / Esc Close chooser
Miscellaneous
| Default Shortcut | Modification Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl+b : | Ctrl+Space : | Open command prompt |
Ctrl+b ? | Ctrl+Space ? | Show all key bindings |
Ctrl+b t | Ctrl+Space t | Show clock |
Ctrl+b r | Ctrl+Space r | Reload config (if bound) |
Ctrl+b m | Ctrl+Space a | Toggle mouse (if bound) |
Common Gotchas
| Gotcha | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Shortcuts do nothing | Holding all keys at once | Press and RELEASE prefix first |
| Session killed on logout | User lingering disabled | sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER |
| Config changes not applied | Not reloaded | tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf |
| Wrong session attached | Typo in session name | Check tmux ls first |