How to discover and search tmux key bindings?
Every key binding, with a note, from Ctrl-A ? or from the shell with list-keys; list-commands gives the syntax and flags of every command.
Tips
Short, self-contained notes. One idea each, written down after looking it up more than once.
10 articles in this category
2026
How to run a tmux command from inside a session?
Open the command prompt with Ctrl-A : and type any tmux command without the leading tmux word: the interactive twin of the CLI, on the server you are attached to.
How to reload your tmux config without restarting?
source-file re-reads ~/.tmux.conf into the running server, so a changed setting takes effect without killing tmux. Bind it to a key to reload after every edit.
How to reorganize a tmux layout?
tmux ships five preset layouts. Cycle them with Ctrl-A Space, or name one to select-layout, tiled included for an even grid in one step.
How to swap two tmux panes?
swap-pane exchanges two panes without touching the layout: the cells stay put, the panes trade places. Use Ctrl-A { or Ctrl-A } for the neighbours.
How to move a tmux pane to another session without restarting its process?
join-pane and move-window accept a source in another session of the same server, and the process running in the pane is re-parented, not restarted. A server started in a throwaway session lands in your main workspace without going down.
How to move a tmux pane with relative targets?
Relative targets like down-of name a pane by its position, no index lookup. join-pane -h -s picks the pane below the active one and re-attaches it to the right: a stacked pair becomes side by side in one command.
How to move a pane from one tmux window to another?
join-pane detaches a pane from wherever it lives and re-attaches it as a split in the current window, processes included. break-pane does the exact opposite: it sends a pane off to its own window.
How to mark a tmux pane and target it from anywhere?
Mark a pane with Ctrl-A m and the {marked} target resolves to it from any window or session, so a swap or a join needs no index juggling.
How to target tmux windows with special tokens?
tmux window targets accept special tokens for the first, last, previously active, next and previous windows, with one-character aliases. They keep scripts independent of actual index numbers.