tmux The Ultimate Terminal Multiplexer (Complete, Skimmable Guide)

tmux is a terminal multiplexer: one terminal window that holds many shells, split into panes, grouped into windows, and kept alive on the server when your SSH connection drops. It is the simplest way to run a long job on a remote server without losing it. This guide covers the commands you use every day, a clean config file, and a few server workflows.

1. Sessions, windows and panes

Almost every shortcut starts with the prefix, Ctrl+b by default: press and release it, then press the key.

2. Install and start

sudo apt install tmux        # Debian, Ubuntu
sudo dnf install tmux        # AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Fedora
brew install tmux            # macOS with Homebrew
tmux -V                      # check the version

On Windows, use tmux inside WSL. Then start a named session:

tmux new -s work       # new session called "work"
tmux ls                # list sessions
tmux a -t work         # attach to "work"
tmux new -As main      # attach to "main", or create it if it doesn't exist

3. Everyday keys

In copy mode, use the arrow keys or Page Up and Page Down to scroll, and / to search (with vi keys enabled as below). Paste the last copied text with Ctrl+b ].

4. A clean ~/.tmux.conf

This config works on tmux 3.x on Linux, macOS and WSL. Save it as ~/.tmux.conf, then reload it from inside tmux with Ctrl+b : followed by source-file ~/.tmux.conf.

# Behaviour
set -g mouse on                 # click panes, drag borders, scroll with the wheel
set -g history-limit 50000      # longer scrollback
set -sg escape-time 10          # no lag after Esc in vim
set -g focus-events on
set -g base-index 1             # windows start at 1
setw -g pane-base-index 1
set -g renumber-windows on

# Easier splits that open in the current folder
bind | split-window -h -c "#{pane_current_path}"
bind - split-window -v -c "#{pane_current_path}"
bind c new-window -c "#{pane_current_path}"

# Copy mode with vi keys; copy to the system clipboard where the terminal allows it
setw -g mode-keys vi
set -g set-clipboard on
bind -T copy-mode-vi v send-keys -X begin-selection
bind -T copy-mode-vi y send-keys -X copy-selection-and-cancel

# Status line
set -g status-left "#[bold]#S "
set -g status-right "%d %b %H:%M | #H"

set-clipboard on copies through your terminal (OSC 52), which works in most modern terminals, including over SSH. If yours doesn't support it, replace the y binding with copy-pipe-and-cancel and the right command for your system: pbcopy on macOS, wl-copy on Wayland, xclip -selection clipboard -i on X11, or clip.exe in WSL.

Prefer Ctrl+a, like GNU Screen? Add these three lines:

unbind C-b
set -g prefix C-a
bind C-a send-prefix

5. Server workflows

6. Sharing a session safely

Two people logged in as the same user can simply attach to the same session: tmux a -t pair. Add -r for a read-only viewer, which is safer for demos. Sharing between different users means opening up tmux's socket with custom permissions, which gives the other user control of your shell; on a server, avoid it and never share a root session.

7. Plugins and saved layouts

The tmux plugin manager, TPM, installs plugins from ~/.tmux.conf:

git clone https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm ~/.tmux/plugins/tpm

set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tpm'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-sensible'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect'   # save and restore sessions
run '~/.tmux/plugins/tpm/tpm'

Reload the config, then press Ctrl+b I (capital i) to install. tmux-resurrect saves your windows and panes with Ctrl+b Ctrl+s and restores them after a reboot with Ctrl+b Ctrl+r. To start the same layout for a project every time, tools such as tmuxp or tmuxinator describe it in a YAML file.

8. Troubleshooting

• Mouse scroll doesn't work: check set -g mouse on and reload. Some terminals need Shift held to select text with the mouse.
• Delay after pressing Esc in vim: lower escape-time, as in the config above.
• Broken lines or odd characters: set a UTF-8 locale on the server, such as export LANG=C.UTF-8, and use a font with box-drawing characters.
• Colours look wrong: add set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color", and make sure your terminal advertises 256 colours or true colour.

9. Using tmux with Domain India

tmux and GNU Screen are not installed on Domain India cPanel or DirectAdmin shared hosting, including inside the jailed SSH shell (checked on our servers in September 2026), and Windows (Plesk) hosting has no SSH. On shared hosting, keep long jobs off the command line: use cron jobs in the control panel, or split large imports into smaller pieces. SSH on shared hosting is jailed and off by default; see enabling and accessing jailed SSH.

On a Domain India VPS you have full root access, so install tmux with your distribution's package manager as shown above. The VPS is self-managed, and tmux is exactly the tool for running updates and deploys over SSH safely. New to your server? See how to access your VPS after purchase.

Prices on the cards exclude 18% GST.

Ready to work on a server where long jobs survive a dropped connection? Look at VPS plans with full root access, or open a support ticket to ask which plan suits your workload.