[tmux] Copy and paste text from a tmux session

Posted 2020-09-09 Answer1215

One non-obvious, but extremely useful, feature in tmux is copy-pasting text between panes. This also allows you to scroll back in a tmux sessoin. We‘ll cover how to use copy and paste in tmux using C-b [ and C-b ], for both emacs- and vim-style keybindings.

 

Get into the command mode:

C-b :

 

Type:

set-window-option mode-keys emacs

 

Copy & paste:

#enter copy mode:
C-b [

# select text:
C + space

# copy
C-w

# paste:
C-b ]