How to close panes in tmux?
Quick Answer
To close a tmux pane, press Ctrl+b followed by x. This will prompt for confirmation. Alternatively, you can type exit or press Ctrl+d in the pane you want to close.
Ctrl+b+x
Detailed Explanation
There are multiple ways to close panes in tmux, depending on your preference and whether you want to be prompted for confirmation. When the last pane in a window is closed, the window will also close. Similarly, when the last window in a session is closed, the session will end.
Using tmux commands:
Ctrl+b x- Kill the current pane with confirmationCtrl+b :then typekill-pane- Kill current pane without confirmationCtrl+b :then typekill-pane -t 2- Kill pane number 2
Using shell commands within the pane:
exit- Type this command to close the current paneCtrl+d- Send EOF (end-of-file), which typically closes the shell and the pane
Closing multiple panes:
Ctrl+b !- Break pane into a new window (removes it from current window)Ctrl+b :then typekill-pane -a- Kill all panes except current oneCtrl+b &- Kill the entire window (and all its panes) with confirmation
Respawn Pane
If you accidentally closed a pane, you can respawn it with: Ctrl+b : then type respawn-pane -k
Pro Tip: Skip Confirmation
To create a key binding that kills panes without confirmation, add this to your ~/.tmux.conf:
bind-key X kill-pane
Then you can use Ctrl+b X (capital X) to kill panes instantly.