SOP-004: Pane Management

Fresh

Field	Value
Document ID	SOP-004
Version	1.1
Status	Active
tmux Version	3.6b
Last Updated	2026-05-26

Purpose

Split windows into multiple panes for simultaneous viewing and working.

Prerequisites

• tmux installed (SOP-001)
• Active tmux session with at least one window

Pane Layouts

Procedure

Splitting Panes

Shortcut	Command	Result
Ctrl+b %	:split-window -h	Split left/right
Ctrl+b "	:split-window -v	Split top/bottom

Memory Aid

• % looks like two circles side by side (horizontal split)
• " looks like two lines stacked (vertical split)

Navigating Panes

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+b arrow	Move to pane in direction
Ctrl+b o	Next pane (cycle)
Ctrl+b ;	Toggle last active pane
Ctrl+b q	Show pane numbers
Ctrl+b q 0-9	Switch to pane number

Resizing Panes

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+b Ctrl+arrow	Resize in direction (1 cell)
Ctrl+b Alt+arrow	Resize in direction (5 cells)

Or use resize commands:

:resize-pane -D 10    # Down 10 cells
:resize-pane -U 10    # Up 10 cells
:resize-pane -L 10    # Left 10 cells
:resize-pane -R 10    # Right 10 cells

Pane Layouts

Cycle through preset layouts with Ctrl+b Space:

Layout	Description
even-horizontal	Panes arranged left to right, equal width
even-vertical	Panes arranged top to bottom, equal height
main-horizontal	Large pane on top, others below
main-vertical	Large pane on left, others right
tiled	Panes in grid pattern

Limit Tiled Columns New in 3.6

Cap how wide the tiled layout grows before stacking panes into extra rows:

# Never use more than 3 columns; extra panes stack in new rows
setw -g tiled-layout-max-columns 3

# 0 (the default) means no limit
setw -g tiled-layout-max-columns 0

Pane Scrollbars New in 3.6

tmux 3.6 adds a character based scrollbar per pane, with a draggable slider that reflects scroll position and content size.

# Always visible (pane is narrowed and text reflowed)
set -g pane-scrollbars on

# Visible only in copy mode or view mode
set -g pane-scrollbars modal

# Off (default)
set -g pane-scrollbars off

# Which side to show the scrollbar on
set -g pane-scrollbars-position right    # or left

# Colours and sizing: fg = slider, bg = track; width and pad attributes
set -g pane-scrollbars-style 'fg=#89b4fa,bg=#313244,width=1,pad=0'

Value	Behavior
off	No scrollbar (default)
on	Visible all the time
modal	Appears only in copy or view mode

TIP

modal is the least intrusive choice: scrollbars only show up when you scroll back, so your normal pane width is unchanged.

Zoom Pane

Toggle fullscreen for current pane:

Ctrl+b z    # Toggle zoom

INFO

When zoomed, the pane indicator shows [Z] in the status bar. Press Ctrl+b z again to unzoom.

Moving Panes

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+b {	Move pane left
Ctrl+b }	Move pane right
Ctrl+b !	Convert pane to window

Joining Panes

Merge panes from different windows:

# Join window 2 into window 1 as panes
:join-pane -s 2 -t 1

# Move specific pane between windows
:join-pane -s 2.1 -t 1.0

Synchronize Panes

Send the same command to all panes:

:setw synchronize-panes on    # Enable
:setw synchronize-panes off   # Disable
:setw synchronize-panes       # Toggle

WARNING

Be careful with synchronized panes - every keystroke goes to ALL panes!

Closing Panes

Method	Action
Ctrl+b x	Close pane (with confirmation)
exit or Ctrl+d	Close pane (no confirmation)

Pane Workflow Example

Practical Layout Example

Create an IDE-like layout:

# Start in a window
# Split for file explorer (left narrow)
Ctrl+b %
:resize-pane -L 30

# In right pane, split for terminal (bottom)
Ctrl+b "
:resize-pane -D 10

# Result:
# +--------+------------------+
# |        |                  |
# | Files  |     Editor       |
# |        |                  |
# |        +------------------+
# |        |    Terminal      |
# +--------+------------------+

Verification

Show current pane arrangement:

# Display pane numbers briefly
Ctrl+b q

# List panes in window
tmux list-panes
# Output: 0: [80x24] [active]
#         1: [80x24]

Troubleshooting

Pane too small to split

Solution

The pane needs minimum dimensions. Try:

• Zooming out of the terminal
• Closing other panes first
• Using a larger terminal window

Lost track of which pane is active

Solution

Press Ctrl+b q to display pane numbers. The active pane number is highlighted.

Want to swap two panes

Solution

# Swap current pane with previous
:swap-pane -U

# Swap current pane with next
:swap-pane -D

# Swap pane 0 with pane 1
:swap-pane -s 0 -t 1

See Also

• SOP-003: Window Operations
• SOP-005: Copy Mode
• Quick Reference: Shortcuts