tmux/Tutorial/Use tmux on Mac

• Tutorial: Use tmux on Mac

  • What You'll Create

    • A named tmux session with multiple windows and panes
    • A workflow for detaching, reattaching, and navigating quickly

  • Prerequisites

    • macOS with Terminal (or iTerm2)
    • Homebrew installed

  • Learning Goals

    • Start and attach to sessions
    • Create, rename, and close windows
    • Split panes, move between them, and resize
    • Use copy mode and scrollback
    • Save basic settings in a tmux config

  • Steps

    • 1. Install tmux with Homebrew

      • Run:

        brew install tmux

      • You should see Homebrew install tmux successfully, along with a message about a default configuration

      • Example configuration has been installed to:
          /opt/homebrew/opt/tmux/share/tmux

    • 2. Start your first session

      • Create a session named "work":

        tmux new -s work

      • Notice the status bar at the bottom showing the session name.

    • 3. Detach and reattach

      • Detach with the tmux prefix, then d:
        • Press Ctrl-b, then d
      • Reattach later:

        tmux attach -t work

      • You should return to the same terminal state.

    • 4. Create and manage windows

      • Create a new window:
        • Press Ctrl-b, then c
      • Rename the current window:
        • Press Ctrl-b, then ,
      • Move between windows:
        • Press Ctrl-b, then n for next or p for previous
        • Press Ctrl-b, then a number 0-9 to jump
      • Close a window when done:
        • Press Ctrl-b, then &
      • You should see window names update in the status bar.

    • 5. Split panes and navigate

      • Split vertically (left/right):
        • Press Ctrl-b, then %
      • Split horizontally (top/bottom):
        • Press Ctrl-b, then "
      • Move between panes:
        • Press Ctrl-b, then arrow keys
      • Resize panes:
        • Press Ctrl-b, then hold Option and press arrow keys
      • You should have multiple shells visible at once.

    • 6. Use copy mode and scrollback

      • Enter copy mode:
        • Press Ctrl-b, then [
      • Scroll with arrow keys or Page Up/Page Down
      • Start selection with Space, then move the cursor
      • Copy selection with Enter
      • Paste in tmux with:
        • Press Ctrl-b, then ]
      • You should be able to scroll and paste text without leaving tmux.

    • 7. Save a minimal config

      • Create or edit ~/.tmux.conf:

        set -g mouse on
        setw -g mode-keys vi
        set -g history-limit 50000

      • Reload the config:

        tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf

      • You should now be able to scroll with the mouse and use vi keys in copy mode.

  • What You've Learned

    • How to start, detach, and reattach tmux sessions
    • How to manage windows and panes
    • How to use copy mode and paste buffer
    • How to add a basic tmux configuration on macOS

  • Related

    • tmux/Cheat Sheet
    • tmux/setw
    • tmux/Tutorial/Kanban for Agentic Coding