How to move to the next pane in tmux?

Detailed Explanation

Navigating between panes is a core part of the tmux workflow. There are several methods to move between panes, each suitable for different situations.

Method 1: Cycle through panes sequentially

# Move to the next pane in sequence
Ctrl+b o

# Move to the previous pane in sequence
Ctrl+b ;

This method cycles through panes in the order they were created. It's useful when you have multiple panes and want to visit each one in turn.

Method 2: Directional navigation with arrow keys

# Move to the pane above
Ctrl+b Up

# Move to the pane below
Ctrl+b Down

# Move to the pane on the left
Ctrl+b Left

# Move to the pane on the right
Ctrl+b Right

Directional navigation is intuitive when you have a visual layout of panes and want to move to a specific adjacent pane.

Method 3: Using pane numbers

Each pane has a number that appears temporarily when you press:

# Display pane numbers
Ctrl+b q

# Then quickly press the number key to switch to that pane
# For example, press '0' to jump to pane 0

This method is especially useful when you have many panes and want to jump directly to a specific one.

Method 4: Select-pane command

# Using tmux command prompt
Ctrl+b :select-pane -t 2  # Select pane number 2

# Directional selection with the command
Ctrl+b :select-pane -U  # Up
Ctrl+b :select-pane -D  # Down
Ctrl+b :select-pane -L  # Left
Ctrl+b :select-pane -R  # Right

The command-based approach is useful for scripting or when creating custom key bindings for more complex navigation.

Creating custom key bindings for faster navigation:

Add these to your ~/.tmux.conf file:

# Use Alt+arrow keys to switch panes without prefix
bind -n M-Left select-pane -L
bind -n M-Right select-pane -R
bind -n M-Up select-pane -U
bind -n M-Down select-pane -D

# Use Vim-like keys for navigation
bind h select-pane -L
bind j select-pane -D
bind k select-pane -U
bind l select-pane -R

Mouse navigation:

If you prefer using a mouse, you can enable mouse mode in tmux:

# Enable mouse support
set -g mouse on

With mouse mode enabled, you can simply click on a pane to select it.

# Set active pane border style
set -g pane-active-border-style "fg=green,bg=default"
set -g pane-border-style "fg=brightblack,bg=default"

# Smart pane switching with awareness of Vim splits
is_vim="ps -o state= -o comm= -t '#{pane_tty}' \
    | grep -iqE '^[^TXZ ]+ +(\\S+\\/)?g?(view|n?vim?x?)(diff)?$'"
bind -n 'C-h' if-shell "$is_vim" 'send-keys C-h'  'select-pane -L'
bind -n 'C-j' if-shell "$is_vim" 'send-keys C-j'  'select-pane -D'
bind -n 'C-k' if-shell "$is_vim" 'send-keys C-k'  'select-pane -U'
bind -n 'C-l' if-shell "$is_vim" 'send-keys C-l'  'select-pane -R'