Hello everyone! Working with Tmux can truly change the game when it comes to managing multiple terminal sessions. But with great power comes the need for great navigation. And that’s precisely where pane-switching in Tmux comes into play. You see, knowing how to swiftly switch between different panes in Tmux can drastically enhance your productivity. So, in this blog post, I’ll be guiding you on how to navigate the world of Tmux panes effectively. Let’s dive in!
Newcomers, gear up with the basic knowledge of Tmux. Seasoned users, let’s not wait anymore and jump right in!
Let’s say you have already created one or more tmux sessions, with several windows and panes. We will discuss how you can switch to other tmux panes.
Switch Tmux Panes using Keyboard Shortcuts
Let’s consider the case where you are inside your tmux pane i.e., your cursor is active in a pane.
You can use the following keyboard shortcut to switch to another pane-
Prefix + ArrowKeyBy default the prefix is Ctrl-B, so to switch tmux panes you can run the following command-
Ctrl-B + ArrowKeySwitch to right pane using Right Arrow Key
If you want to switch to the right pane, you can use the following keyboard shortcut-
Prefix + RightArrow (→)or
Ctrl-B + RightArrow (→)Switch to left pane using Left Arrow Key
If you want to switch to the left pane, you can use the following keyboard shortcut-
Prefix + LeftArrow (←)or
Ctrl-B + LeftArrow (←)Switch to up/above pane using Up Arrow Key
If you want to switch to the top or above pane, you can use the following keyboard shortcut-
Prefix + UpArrow (↑)or
Ctrl-B + UpArrow (↑)Switch to down/below pane using Down Arrow Key
If you want to switch to the left pane, you can use the following keyboard shortcut-
Prefix + DownArrow (↓)or
Ctrl-B + DownArrow (↓)You can also switch session, switch window or move panes to left or right to organize the way you want.
I hope you found this article useful, glad that you found it easy to switch active panes in Tmux. Well, there you have it! Now you know how to effortlessly switch panes in Tmux, turning your terminal into a well-organized workbench. Remember, the more comfortably you navigate through your panes, the more efficient your workflow will be. So go ahead, practice these techniques, and take your Tmux skills to the next level. As always, stay tuned for more tips and tricks in future posts!
You can also check out the complete tmux cheatsheet of keyboard shortcuts and mouse shortcuts.
