tmux for Mere Mortals
tmux is a terminal multiplexer: it keeps your terminal sessions alive on the server side, so a dropped SSH connection, a closed laptop, or a dead Wi-Fi never kills your work. This guide teaches you to use it confidently: sessions, windows, panes, the prefix key, a sane config file, and scripting it for real jobs.
No CS degree required. Ideas first, then real commands against a real tmux.
What this guide covers
- What tmux is — the client/server idea,
and how it differs from
screen - Your first session — create, detach, reattach, list, and kill sessions
- Windows and panes — splitting your screen and organizing work
- The prefix key — why
Ctrl-bexists and the keys worth memorizing - Configuring tmux —
~/.tmux.conf, mouse support, and sane defaults - Scripting tmux — launching whole
layouts from a script (better than
nohup) - tmux over SSH — the fleet workflow: sessions that survive disconnects
- Troubleshooting — symptom → fix, seven ways
What it doesn't cover
Plugins (TPM and the plugin ecosystem), deep copy-mode customization, and status-bar theming beyond the basics — this guide is about using tmux well, not decorating it. The Bash guide covers the shell side; the SSH guide covers the connection side.
How to use this guide
Every command was checked against the real tmux 3.4 before
shipping — flags verified, key bindings read from
tmux list-keys, config examples loaded with -f and confirmed
with show-options. Check: blocks show verified output.
Anything labeled illustrative says so.