Key Bindings

tmux key bindings follow a simple pattern: prefix + command.

The prefix key (default Ctrl-b) tells tmux "the next key is for tmux, not the shell". After pressing prefix, you have about 1 second to press the command key.

NOTE:

Think of prefix like Alt or Ctrl in other apps — it modifies the meaning of the next keypress.

The prefix key

Default: Ctrl-b

Press and hold Ctrl
Press b
Release both
Press the command key

Example: Ctrl-b d (detach)

NOTE:

Ctrl-b is awkward for many — it requires reaching. We'll remap it in Step 7.

Why Ctrl-b?

GNU screen (tmux's predecessor) uses Ctrl-a. tmux chose Ctrl-b because:

Ctrl-a is commonly used for "beginning of line" in shell readline
Ctrl-b is "backward one character" (less common)

Many users remap to Ctrl-a anyway (or Ctrl-space, Ctrl-q).

Listing all key bindings

Show every key binding:

This opens a scrollable list. Use arrow keys or page up/down to browse.

NOTE:

Press q or Esc to exit the help list.

From command line

List all bindings:

List bindings containing a specific key:

Command mode

Enter command mode:

You can type any tmux command by name. Tab-completion works!

Examples:

new-session -s mysession
split-window -v
rename-window tests

NOTE:

Command mode is powerful. If there's no key binding for something, there's probably a command for it.

Common prefix commands

Key	Action
`d`	Detach from session
`?`	List key bindings
`:`	Command prompt
`[`	Enter copy mode (scroll)
`]`	Paste from buffer
`=`	Choose buffer to paste
`~`	Show paste buffers

Session commands

Key	Action
`s`	List sessions
`$`	Rename session
`(`	Switch to previous session
`)`	Switch to next session
`L`	Switch to last session

Window commands

Key	Action
`c`	Create new window
`w`	Choose window
`n`	Next window
`p`	Previous window
`0-9`	Jump to window number
`,`	Rename window
`&`	Kill window
`f`	Find window
`F`	Find window by name

Pane commands

Key	Action
`%`	Split vertical (left/right)
`"`	Split horizontal (top/bottom)
`o`	Cycle panes
`q`	Show pane numbers
`x`	Kill pane
`z`	Zoom pane
`!`	Break pane to window
`{`	Swap pane with previous
`}`	Swap pane with next
`;`	Last active pane
`o`	Rotate panes forward

Copy mode commands

Enter copy mode with Ctrl-b [, then:

Key	Action
`↑↓`	Scroll line by line
`Ctrl-b` / `Ctrl-f`	Scroll page up/down
`g`	Go to top
`G`	Go to bottom
`/`	Search forward
`?`	Search backward
`Space`	Start selection
`Enter`	Copy selection
`q` / `Esc`	Exit copy mode

NOTE:

Copy mode uses vi keys by default. Emacs mode is available (we'll cover in Step 7).

Nested tmux

When you attach to a tmux inside tmux (common with SSH), you need to send prefix to the inner session:

This sends Ctrl-b to the inner tmux.

NOTE:

Nested tmux can be confusing. Consider using Ctrl-a for local, Ctrl-b for remote.

Key binding modes

tmux has two modes for key bindings:

emacs (default): emacs-style movement
vi: vi-style movement

Check current mode:

Listing options

Show all options:

Show specific option:

Key binding table

Key bindings are organized into key tables:

root: Default prefix bindings
copy-mode: Bindings in copy mode
choice-mode: Interactive selection bindings
edit-mode: Command line editing

View bindings in a specific table:

Custom key bindings

Create temporary binding:

Type: bind-key X kill-session

Now Ctrl-b X kills the current session.

NOTE:

Temporary bindings are lost when tmux exits. For permanent bindings, use .tmux.conf (Step 7).

Unbinding keys

Remove a key binding:

Type: unbind-key %

Now Ctrl-b % (split vertical) does nothing.

Viewing bound command

Find what a key does:

Output: bind-key -T root % split-window -h

Next steps

Now that you understand key bindings, you can customize them. In Step 7, we'll create a .tmux.conf file to:

Remap prefix to Ctrl-a
Add sensible key bindings
Enable vi mode
Customize the status bar

NOTE:

Memorize 5-10 key bindings you use daily. Look up the rest as needed.

Next: Step 6 → Copy Mode — Scroll, search, and copy without a mouse