Moving tmux Panes to Different Windows

Table of Contents

• Moving Panes
  • Moving a Pane to a Different Window
  • Moving a Pane Around Within the Same Window
  • Example
  • Detailed Steps with Tmux Prefix
  • Summary (TL;DR)

NOTE: My personal tmux prefix is Ctrl-a. The default prefix is Ctrl-b.

Moving Panes

• Identify the Target Pane and Window:
  • Get the index of the pane you want to move.
    • prefix+q
  • Identify the target window AND pane you want to attach the pane to.

Moving a Pane into a New Window

• prefix+!: This will run the break-pane command on the current pane.
  or
• Navigate to the pane you want to move.
• With your cursor in the pane, enter command mode with prefix+:
• Use the break-pane command.
  • This will detach the pane from the current window and put it into a new one.

Moving a Pane to a Different Window

• Move the Pane to a Different Window:
  • Use the join-pane command to move the pane.
  • Syntax:

    join-pane -s src-pane -t dst-window
    # e.g.,
    join-pane -s 1.1 -t 2.1
    

  • src-pane will be x.x; like 1.1, for "Window 1, Pane 1".
  • dst-window will be the same: 2.1, for "Window 2, Pane 1".

Moving a Pane Around Within the Same Window

• OR, if you want to keep the pane in the same window, but attach it to a different pane:
  • bash join-pane -s src-pane -t dst-pane # e.g., join-pane -s 1.1 -t 3
  • This will attach pane 1 in window 1 to pane 3 in window 1.

Example

Assuming you want to move pane 1 from window 1 to window 2, here’s how you can do it:

• Move the Pane from Window 1 to Window 2:
  • Use the following command:

    tmux join-pane -s 1.1 -t 2.1
    

  • Here, 1.1 represents the first pane in window 1, and 2 represents window 2.
• Attach pane 1 in window 1 to pane 3 in window 1:
  • bash :join-pane -s 1.1 -t 2

Summary (TL;DR)

• Determine the source pane and target window.

• Attach the pane to another pane in the same window:

  • Use the join-pane command, e.g., tmux join-pane -s 1.1 -t 2.

    tmux join-pane -s 1.1 -t 2
    

• Move the pane to another pane in a different window:

  • Use the join-pane command, e.g., tmux join-pane -s 1.1 -t 2.1.

    tmux join-pane -s 1.1 -t 2.1
    

    Joins the pane from the source 1.1 (window 1, pane 1) to the target pane 2.1 (window 2, pane 1).

• Use prefix, then : to enter command mode and type join-pane -s 1.1 -t 2.

  [prefix]:join-pane -s 1.1 -t 2
  

  Moves the pane from the source 1.1 (window 1, pane 1) to the target window 2 (window 2).