Useful Tmux Session, Window, and Pane Management

Navigating Panes

• Switch to pane: Ctrl-b + arrow keys
• Switch to pane by number: Ctrl-b + q then number
• Switch to last pane: Ctrl-b + ;
• Show pane numbers: Ctrl-b + q

Combining/Moving Windows & Panes

• Move current pane to another window: Ctrl-b + :move-pane -t 2
• Move current pane to new window: Ctrl-b + !
• Join pane from another window: Ctrl-b + :join-pane -s 2.1
• Join entire window: Ctrl-b + :join-pane -s 2

Swapping Pane Positions

• Swap with next pane: Ctrl-b + }
• Swap with previous pane: Ctrl-b + {
• Swap with specific pane: Ctrl-b + :swap-pane -t 2
• Rotate all panes forward: Ctrl-b + Ctrl-o
• Rotate all panes backward: Ctrl-b + Alt-o
• Move current pane up: Ctrl-b + :swap-pane -U
• Move current pane down: Ctrl-b + :swap-pane -D

Resizing Panes

• Resize by 1 cell: Ctrl-b + Ctrl-arrow keys
• Resize by 5 cells: Ctrl-b + Alt-arrow keys
• Maximize/restore pane: Ctrl-b + z

Layouts & Even Spacing

• Cycle through all layouts: Ctrl-b + Spacebar
• Even horizontal (side by side): Ctrl-b + Alt-1
• Even vertical (stacked): Ctrl-b + Alt-2
• Main horizontal: Ctrl-b + Alt-3
• Main vertical: Ctrl-b + Alt-4
• Tiled: Ctrl-b + Alt-5

The Alt-1 through Alt-5 shortcuts are the fastest way to manage layouts and get even spacing between panes.