How to resize panes in tmux?
Quick Answer
To resize a pane in tmux, press Ctrl+b followed by Ctrl+arrow keys to adjust in that direction by one cell. Use Alt+arrow keys after the prefix for larger (5-cell) adjustments.
Ctrl+b+Ctrl+↑/↓/←/→(small resize)
Ctrl+b+Alt+↑/↓/←/→(resize by 5)
Detailed Explanation
Tmux allows you to resize panes to optimize your workspace layout. You can resize panes using keyboard shortcuts, mouse interactions (if enabled), or tmux commands. Here's how to adjust pane sizes to fit your needs.
Resize using keyboard shortcuts:
Ctrl+b Ctrl+↑- Resize pane upward by 1 cell (make current pane taller)Ctrl+b Ctrl+↓- Resize pane downward by 1 cell (make current pane shorter)Ctrl+b Ctrl+←- Resize pane left by 1 cell (make current pane narrower)Ctrl+b Ctrl+→- Resize pane right by 1 cell (make current pane wider)
Resize with larger increments:
Ctrl+b Alt+↑- Resize pane upward by 5 cellsCtrl+b Alt+↓- Resize pane downward by 5 cellsCtrl+b Alt+←- Resize pane left by 5 cellsCtrl+b Alt+→- Resize pane right by 5 cells
Resize with precise commands:
Ctrl+b :then typeresize-pane -U 10- Resize up by 10 cellsCtrl+b :then typeresize-pane -D 10- Resize down by 10 cellsCtrl+b :then typeresize-pane -L 10- Resize left by 10 cellsCtrl+b :then typeresize-pane -R 10- Resize right by 10 cells
Special resize options:
Ctrl+b :then typeresize-pane -t 1 -U 10- Resize pane 1 up by 10 cellsCtrl+b :then typeresize-pane -Z- Toggle zoom (maximize/restore) current paneCtrl+b z- Shortcut to toggle zoom on current pane
Mouse Mode
If mouse mode is enabled (set -g mouse on in your .tmux.conf), you can resize panes by clicking and dragging the pane border.
Pro Tip
Use Ctrl+b Alt+1 through Ctrl+b Alt+5 to quickly switch between preset layouts like even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-vertical, and tiled.