tmux Tutorial for Beginners: Persistent Terminal Sessions and Split Panes

Overview

tmux (terminal multiplexer) lets you run multiple terminal sessions inside one window, split the screen into panes, and keep long-running processes alive after you disconnect. It is essential for anyone working on remote servers.

Why Use tmux?

Feature	Benefit
Session persistence	Processes keep running after SSH disconnects
Split panes	Monitor logs and edit code side by side
Multiple windows	Organize work by project or task
Detach and reattach	Resume exactly where you left off

Install tmux

# macOS
brew install tmux

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install tmux

# CentOS / RHEL
sudo yum install tmux

Starting and Detaching

tmux              start a new session
tmux new -s work  start a named session
tmux ls           list sessions
tmux attach -t work   reattach to a session
tmux kill-session -t work   kill a session

Inside tmux, the default prefix key is Ctrl+b. Every shortcut below starts with the prefix.

Session Management

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+b d`	Detach from session
`Ctrl+b s`	List and switch sessions
`Ctrl+b $`	Rename current session
`Ctrl+b ?`	Show all key bindings

Windows

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+b c`	Create a new window
`Ctrl+b n` / `p`	Next / previous window
`Ctrl+b 0-9`	Switch to window by number
`Ctrl+b ,`	Rename current window
`Ctrl+b &`	Close current window

Panes

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+b %`	Split vertically
`Ctrl+b "`	Split horizontally
`Ctrl+b arrow key`	Move between panes
`Ctrl+b o`	Cycle through panes
`Ctrl+b z`	Toggle pane zoom
`Ctrl+b x`	Close current pane
`Ctrl+b space`	Cycle pane layouts

Copy Mode

Ctrl+b [        enter copy mode
Space           start selection
Enter           copy selection
Ctrl+b ]        paste

In copy mode, use arrow keys or hjkl to navigate.

Sample .tmux.conf

# Use Ctrl+a as prefix (screen-style)
set -g prefix C-a
unbind C-b
bind C-a send-prefix

# Enable mouse support
set -g mouse on

# Start window numbering at 1
set -g base-index 1
setw -g pane-base-index 1

# Faster key repeat
set -sg escape-time 10

# Reload config
bind r source-file ~/.tmux.conf \; display "Config reloaded"

Reload the config inside tmux with Ctrl+b :source-file ~/.tmux.conf.

Typical Server Workflow

ssh user@server
tmux new -s deploy
# run a long build or deployment
# press Ctrl+b d to detach
# reconnect later
ssh user@server
tmux attach -t deploy