Tmux

How to scroll up in tmux?

Quick Answer

To scroll up in tmux, first enter copy mode by pressing Ctrl+b followed by [, then use arrow keys, Page Up/Down, or vi/emacs navigation keys.

Ctrl+b+[

Detailed Explanation

Scrolling up in tmux requires entering "copy mode" first, which allows you to navigate through your terminal history. Copy mode also lets you select and copy text from your terminal.

Steps to scroll up in tmux:

Ctrl+b [ - Enter copy mode
Use navigation keys to scroll:

Navigation in copy mode:

↑/↓ - Move up/down one line
Page Up/Page Down - Scroll up/down one page
Home/End - Jump to top/bottom of buffer
With vi mode (default): k (up), j (down)
With emacs mode: Ctrl+p (up), Ctrl+n (down)

Exiting copy mode:

q or Esc - Exit copy mode and return to normal mode
Enter - In vi mode, this copies selected text and exits copy mode

Pro Tip

You can increase the scroll history with set-option -g history-limit 5000 in your .tmux.conf file. The default is usually 2000 lines.

Alternative Method

If you're using tmux with mouse support enabled (set -g mouse on), you can simply use your mouse wheel to scroll up and down.

←Back to FAQ Index