In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Tmux Terminal Multiplexer on Linux. For those of you who didn’t know, Tmux is a terminal multiplexer that lets you switch easily between several programs in one terminal, detach them (they keep running in the background), and reattach them to a different terminal. Tmux provides a number of advanced features, such as the ability to split the terminal into multiple panes, the ability to create and manage multiple windows, and the ability to synchronize input and output between different panes and windows. Additionally, Tmux provides a number of ways to customize its behavior and appearance, such as through the use of configuration files and environment variables.
This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo
‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the Tmux Terminal Multiplexer on Linux.
Prerequisites
- A server running one of the following operating systems: Ubuntu Debian-based, or CentOS RHEL-based.
- It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
- A
non-root sudo user
or access to theroot user
. We recommend acting as anon-root sudo user
, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.
Install Tmux Terminal Multiplexer on Linux
Step 1. First, make sure that all your system packages are up-to-date by running the following apt-get
commands in the terminal.
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade
Step 2. Installing Tmux on Linux.
Installation is pretty straightforward if you have Ubuntu, Arch, OpenSUSE, or CentOS distribution you can install Tmux using the following command below:
### Debian / Ubuntu-based ### sudo apt install tmux### Arch Linux based ### sudo pacman -S tmux### OpenSUSE based ### sudo zypper install tmux### macOS based ### brew install tmux### RedHat / CentOS-based ### sudo dnf install tmux
After the installation is finished, then type Tmux on your console to run Tmux:
tmux
Step 3. Using Tmux.
Here’s a table summarizing the basic commands for using Tmux on Linux:
Command | Description |
---|---|
tmux | Start a new Tmux session |
tmux attach | Reattach to a detached Tmux session |
tmux new-session | Start a new Tmux session in a detached state |
tmux list-sessions | List all Tmux sessions |
tmux switch-session | Switch to a different Tmux session |
tmux kill-session | Kill a Tmux session |
And here’s an example of using Tmux on Linux:
- Start a new Tmux session:
tmux
- Create a new window:
Ctrl + b
followed byc
- Split the current window into two panes vertically:
Ctrl + b
followed by%
- Split the current window into two panes horizontally:
Ctrl + b
followed by"
- Navigate between windows:
Ctrl + b
followed byn
(next) orp
(Previous) - Navigate between panes:
Ctrl + b
followed byUp arrow
(up) orDown arrow
(down) orLeft arrow
(left) orRight arrow
(right) - Detach from the Tmux session:
Ctrl + b
followed byd
Note: The above example uses the default Tmux key bindings. If you’ve changed your key bindings, the commands may be different.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Tmux. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the Tmux terminal multiplexer tool on the Linux server. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Tmux website.