learntmux.dev
Task 7 of 12
Level 1 · BasicsOverview
  1. 1Start your first session
  2. 2The prefix key and new windows
  3. 3Find any key with the help list
  4. 4Run commands from the command prompt
  5. 5Detach and come back
  6. 6Read the session list and juggle sessions
  7. 7Split the window into panes
  8. 8Split with flags
  9. 9Move between panes
  10. 10Kill the server
  11. 11Challenge: morning on the build boxchallenge
Level 2 · IntermediateOverview
  1. 1Change the current window
  2. 2Rename the session and a window
  3. 3Kill a pane, a window and a session
  4. 4Zoom a pane
  5. 5Resize panes
  6. 6Apply window layouts
  7. 7Mark and swap panes
  8. 8Move and renumber windows
  9. 9Browse in tree mode
  10. 10Tag and kill from the tree
  11. 11Kick out a stale client
  12. 12Challenge: tidy a messy sessionchallenge
Level 3 · AdvancedOverview
  1. 1Copy text in copy mode
  2. 2Scroll, search the scrollback and paste
  3. 3Choose and delete buffers in buffer mode
  4. 4Name, save and load buffers
  5. 5Find a window by its content or name
  6. 6Use the mouse
  7. 7Break out, join and send keys
  8. 8Challenge: recover the secret from the logschallenge
Level 4 · ConfigureOverview
  1. 1Show, set and unset options
  2. 2Write the configuration file
  3. 3Add and remove key bindings
  4. 4Change the prefix key
  5. 5Customize the status line
  6. 6Formats and embedded styles
  7. 7Embedded shell commands
  8. 8Configure the pane border
  9. 9Use vi keys in copy mode
  10. 10Mouse copying behaviour
  11. 11Challenge: write your own tmux.confchallenge
Cheat sheet

Mark and swap panes

Goal

Panes read C, A, B from left to right and no pane is marked.

Neighbours swap with one key. Any two panes need a mark:

C-b } / C-b {
swap the active pane with the next or previous one
C-b m
mark the active pane (C-b M clears the mark)
swap-pane at C-b :
swap the marked pane with the active one, wherever either sits

Swapping moves what is in a pane, not the pane’s slot. Sizes and positions stay exactly as they are; programs and titles trade places. Pane numbers belong to positions, so a number never travels with a program.

Only one pane on the whole server can be marked at a time. Its border turns green and its window gets an M flag.

Do this

Left to right the panes are titled A, B, C; A is active.

Press C-b Right twice to reach C, then C-b m.

Its border turns green and the list shows M.

Press C-b Left twice to reach A, then C-b :, type swap-pane, Enter.

The order is now C, B, A.

The swap carried you along, so A is active on the right. Press C-b Left to reach B, then C-b }.

The order is C, A, B.

Press C-b M.

The mark and the M flag go.

Swapping without a marked pane

Run swap-pane with nothing marked and it behaves like C-b }, swapping with the next pane.

Stuck on this one?

This is a live terminal. Typing goes to the machine, including Tab. Press Shift and Tab together to move focus back out to the page.

A real terminal, in this tab

about 15 MB, once

session learn

Done when

not started
  1. Window 0 of session learn holds panes titled C, A, B in that order— not done yet
  2. No pane is marked once the rearrange is done— not done yet