Turbo-charge your command-line workflow with Tmux
Tutorials – Tmux
Operate multiple terminal sessions in a single window.
Unless you're some kind of hard-core raw X Window System user who doesn't need to resize or move around any of your applications, chances are that you're running a window manager of some sort. This may be a standalone window manager like Fluxbox, a tiling variant like i3, or perhaps one that's part of a larger desktop environment, such as Xfce, KDE, or Gnome. Window managers are one of the most essential tools for our work – but can they actually be used in text mode?
Well, yes. It might sound a bit weird at first, given that the command line is all about typing and viewing text and doesn't have the same requirements as a pointy-clicky, frill-laden desktop environment. But consider the typical work you do at a Bash prompt: Do you have a single terminal running at maximum screen resolution? Unless you're still rocking a netbook, chances are you have multiple terminals in action at any one point, using your window manager to organize them.
Now, imagine you could leave your window manager out of this and do the work of organizing different sessions inside a single terminal window. This is what Tmux, the "terminal multiplexer" does – and it does it very well [1]. With Tmux, you effectively have a text-mode window manager available at the command line, so you can create different views (e.g., with a big main command-line view for your day-to-day work and smaller views next to it for monitoring logs or IRC channels).
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Now Runs Most Windows Games
The latest data shows that nearly 90 percent of Windows games can be played on Linux.
-
Fedora 43 Has Finally Landed
The Fedora Linux developers have announced their latest release, Fedora 43.
-
KDE Unleashes Plasma 6.5
The Plasma 6.5 desktop environment is now available with new features, improvements, and the usual bug fixes.
-
Xubuntu Site Possibly Hacked
It appears that the Xubuntu site was hacked and briefly served up a malicious ZIP file from its download page.
-
LMDE 7 Now Available
Linux Mint Debian Edition, version 7, has been officially released and is based on upstream Debian.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Reaches EOL
Linux kernel 6.16 has reached its end of life, which means you'll need to upgrade to the next stable release, Linux kernel 6.17.
-
Amazon Ditches Android for a Linux-Based OS
Amazon has migrated from Android to the Linux-based Vega OS for its Fire TV.
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.

