Installing tmux

Install tmux on Linux, macOS, BSD, or build from source with detailed platform-specific instructions.

Dependencies

Before installing tmux, ensure you have the required dependencies:

libevent 2.x

Event notification library required for tmux operation. Available at: https://github.com/libevent/libevent/releases/latest

ncurses

Terminal control library for managing screen output. Available at: https://invisible-mirror.net/archives/ncurses/

To build tmux from source, you’ll also need: a C compiler (gcc or clang), make, pkg-config, and yacc (or bison).

Package Manager Installation

The easiest way to install tmux is through your system’s package manager.

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install tmux

sudo dnf install tmux

# On older systems use yum:
sudo yum install tmux

sudo pacman -S tmux

brew install tmux

sudo port install tmux

pkg install tmux

pkg_add tmux

pkgin install tmux

pkg install terminal/tmux

After installation, verify tmux is installed correctly by running tmux -V to check the version.

Building from Source (Release)

To build and install tmux from a release tarball:

1. Download the release

   Download the latest release tarball from the official repository:

   wget https://github.com/tmux/tmux/releases/download/VERSION/tmux-VERSION.tar.gz
   tar -xzf tmux-VERSION.tar.gz
   cd tmux-VERSION
   

   Replace VERSION with the desired version number.

2. Configure and build

   Run the configure script and build tmux:

   ./configure && make
   

   The configure script will check for required dependencies and configure the build for your system.

3. Install

   Install tmux system-wide (requires root privileges):

   sudo make install
   

Optional: Enable utempter support

tmux can use the utempter library to update utmp(5), if it is installed. This allows tmux to properly register terminal sessions.

To enable this feature, run configure with the --enable-utempter flag:

./configure --enable-utempter && make
sudo make install

Building from Git (Development)

To get and build the latest development version from version control:

Building from Git requires additional tools: autoconf, automake, and pkg-config. The development version may contain unstable features.

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/tmux/tmux.git
   cd tmux
   
2. Generate configure script

   Run the autogen script to generate the configure script:

   sh autogen.sh
   
3. Configure and build

   ./configure && make
   
4. Install

   sudo make install
   

Platform-Specific Notes

Linux

On most Linux distributions, both libevent and ncurses are available through the package manager:

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install libevent-dev libncurses-dev

Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install libevent-devel ncurses-devel

macOS

On macOS, use Homebrew or MacPorts to install dependencies:

Homebrew:

brew install libevent ncurses

MacPorts:

sudo port install libevent ncurses

Xcode Command Line Tools provide the C compiler and other build tools:

xcode-select --install

BSD Systems

On FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD, tmux is available in the base system or ports:

FreeBSD:

# Binary package
pkg install tmux

# Or from ports
cd /usr/ports/sysutils/tmux && make install clean

OpenBSD: tmux is included in the base system on recent OpenBSD versions.

Solaris

On Solaris 11 and later:

pkg install terminal/tmux

For older versions, you may need to build from source after installing dependencies.

Verify Installation

After installation, verify that tmux is working correctly:

1. Check version

   tmux -V
   

   This should display the tmux version number.

2. Start tmux

   tmux
   

   This should start a new tmux session with a command prompt and a status bar at the bottom.

3. Exit tmux

   Type exit or press Ctrl-d to close the pane and exit tmux.

Troubleshooting

configure: error: libevent not found

Install libevent development files:

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install libevent-dev

Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install libevent-devel

macOS:

brew install libevent

configure: error: curses not found

Install ncurses development files:

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install libncurses-dev

Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install ncurses-devel

macOS:

brew install ncurses

yacc: command not found

Install bison or yacc:

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install bison

Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install bison

macOS:

brew install bison

Permission denied when installing

Ensure you’re using sudo for the install step:

sudo make install

Or install to a user directory:

./configure --prefix=$HOME/.local
make
make install

Then add $HOME/.local/bin to your PATH.

Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Now that tmux is installed, learn how to use it with our quick start guide.