Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/tmux/tmux/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

tmux configuration allows you to customize sessions, windows, panes, key bindings, and visual appearance. Configuration is loaded from files at startup and can be modified at runtime.

​
Configuration Files

tmux searches for and loads configuration files in the following order:
  1. System-wide configuration: /etc/tmux.conf
  2. User configuration: ~/.tmux.conf or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux/tmux.conf
  3. Command-line specified: Files passed with -f flag
The configuration file locations are checked by the load_cfg() function in cfg.c:108. If a file is not found and the -q (quiet) flag is not set, tmux will report an error.
If you have both ~/.tmux.conf and $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux/tmux.conf, tmux will use ~/.tmux.conf as it’s checked first.

​
Configuration Syntax

Configuration files use tmux’s command syntax. Each line contains a command that would normally be entered at the tmux command prompt.

​
Basic Commands

# Set server options
set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color"

# Set session options
set -g status-position top

# Set window options
set -g monitor-activity on

# Bind keys
bind C-a send-prefix

​
Comments

Lines beginning with # are comments: 
# This is a comment
set -g status-bg red  # This is also valid

​
Conditional Configuration

tmux supports conditional blocks using %if, %elif, %else, and %endif: 
# If running inside tmux ($TMUX is set), change status line to red
%if #{TMUX}
set -g status-bg red
%endif
From example_tmux.conf:11-14, this shows how to apply different settings based on environment variables or format variables.

​
Loading Configuration

Configuration files are processed by the cmd_parse_from_file() function. The loading process:
  1. Parsing: Each line is parsed according to tmux command syntax
  2. Validation: Commands are validated for correct syntax and arguments
  3. Execution: Valid commands are added to a queue and executed
  4. Error Handling: Parse errors are collected and displayed after loading

​
Loading at Startup

The start_cfg() function (cfg.c:64-93) manages configuration loading at startup:
  • Runs in the global command queue with no client attached
  • Blocks the initial client until configuration completes
  • Shows any errors or warnings after loading

​
Runtime Configuration

You can load additional configuration files while tmux is running: 
# Load a configuration file
tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf

# Load with quiet flag (suppress errors)
tmux source-file -q ~/optional-config.conf

​
Example Configuration

Here’s an example from example_tmux.conf showing common configuration patterns: 
# Status line customization
set -g status-right "%H:%M"
set -g window-status-current-style "underscore"

# Enable RGB colour if running in xterm
set-option -sa terminal-features ",xterm*:RGB"

# Change the default $TERM to tmux-256color
set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color"

# No bells at all
set -g bell-action none

# Keep windows around after they exit
set -g remain-on-exit on

# Change the prefix key to C-a
set -g prefix C-a
unbind C-b
bind C-a send-prefix

# Turn the mouse on, but without copy mode dragging
set -g mouse on
unbind -n MouseDrag1Pane
unbind -Tcopy-mode MouseDrag1Pane

​
Configuration Errors

When configuration files contain errors, tmux collects them via cfg_add_cause() (cfg.c:206-219) and displays them:
  • Control mode clients: Receive errors via %config-error messages
  • Normal clients: Errors are shown in a view mode window
  • No attached sessions: Errors are queued until a session is attached
Configuration errors don’t prevent tmux from starting, but affected commands won’t execute. Always check for error messages after loading configuration.

​
Loading Order and Precedence

  1. Built-in defaults: tmux has default values for all options
  2. System configuration: /etc/tmux.conf (if it exists)
  3. User configuration: ~/.tmux.conf or XDG config
  4. Command-line options: Options set via -f flag
  5. Runtime commands: Commands executed in tmux prompt or via source-file
Later settings override earlier ones. For example, a set -g prefix C-b in your user config will override any prefix setting from the system config.

​
Configuration Best Practices

1

Start with the example

Copy example_tmux.conf as a starting point and modify to your needs
2

Organize by sections

Group related settings together (colors, bindings, options)
3

Comment your config

Document why you made specific choices
4

Test incrementally

Load config changes with source-file to test before restarting
5

Handle errors gracefully

Use -q flag for optional configuration files

​
Reloading Configuration

To reload your configuration file without restarting tmux: 
# Reload configuration file
bind r source-file ~/.tmux.conf \; display-message "Config reloaded!"
This binding allows you to reload configuration with prefix + r.
Some changes (like default-terminal) only apply to new sessions or windows. You may need to restart tmux or create new windows to see these changes take effect.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us