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║          Terminal Multiplexer for Windows                 ║
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psmux

A terminal multiplexer for Windows — the tmux alternative you've been waiting for.

psmux brings tmux-style terminal multiplexing to Windows natively. No WSL, no Cygwin, no compromises. Built in Rust for Windows Terminal, PowerShell, and cmd.exe.

💡 Tip: psmux includes tmux and pmux aliases, so you can use your muscle memory!

Why psmux?

If you've used tmux on Linux/macOS and wished you had something similar on Windows — this is it.

• Windows-native — Built specifically for Windows 10/11
• Works everywhere — Windows Terminal, PowerShell, cmd.exe, ConEmu, etc.
• No dependencies — Single binary, just works
• tmux-compatible — Same commands, same keybindings, zero learning curve
• Aliases included — Use psmux, pmux, or tmux command, your choice

Features

• Split panes horizontally and vertically
• Multiple windows with tabs
• Session management (attach/detach)
• Mouse support for resizing panes and clicking tabs
• Copy mode with vim-like keybindings
• Scrollback history (configurable, default 2000 lines)
• Synchronized input to multiple panes
• Automatic window rename from foreground process (like tmux)
• Status bar with full tmux format variable support
• Theming — full style customization (fg, bg, bold, dim, italics, etc.)
• Hooks — run commands on events (after-new-window, etc.)
• Monitor activity/silence — flag windows with new output
• Layouts — even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-vertical, tiled
• Format engine — 100+ tmux-compatible variables and modifiers
• Config file — drop-in compatible with .tmux.conf

Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• PowerShell 7+ (recommended) or cmd.exe
  • Download PowerShell: winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell
  • Or visit: https://aka.ms/powershell

Installation

Using Cargo (Recommended)

cargo install psmux

This installs psmux, pmux, and tmux binaries to your Cargo bin directory.

Using Scoop

scoop install https://raw.githubusercontent.com/marlocarlo/psmux/master/scoop/psmux.json

Using Chocolatey

choco install psmux

From GitHub Releases

Download the latest .zip from GitHub Releases and add to your PATH.

From Source

git clone https://github.com/marlocarlo/psmux.git
cd psmux
cargo build --release

Built binaries:

target\release\psmux.exe
target\release\pmux.exe
target\release\tmux.exe

Optional (install from local source into Cargo bin path):

cargo install --path .

Usage

Use psmux, pmux, or tmux — they're identical:

# Start a new session
psmux
pmux
tmux

# Start a named session
psmux new-session -s work
tmux new-session -s work

# List sessions
psmux ls
tmux ls

# Attach to a session
psmux attach -t work
tmux attach -t work

# Show help
psmux --help
tmux --help

Key Bindings

Default prefix: Ctrl+b (same as tmux)

Key	Action
Prefix + c	Create new window
Prefix + %	Split pane left/right
Prefix + "	Split pane top/bottom
Prefix + x	Kill current pane
Prefix + &	Kill current window
Prefix + z	Toggle pane zoom
Prefix + n	Next window
Prefix + p	Previous window
Prefix + 0-9	Select window by number
Prefix + d	Detach from session
Prefix + ,	Rename current window
Prefix + t	Show clock
Prefix + s	Session chooser/switcher
Prefix + o	Select next pane
Prefix + w	Window/pane chooser
Prefix + [	Enter copy/scroll mode
Prefix + {	Swap pane up
Prefix + ]	Paste from buffer
Prefix + q	Display pane numbers
Prefix + Arrow	Navigate between panes
Ctrl+q	Quit

Copy/Scroll Mode

Enter copy mode with Prefix + [ or Prefix + { to scroll through terminal history:

Key	Action
↑ / k	Scroll up 1 line
↓ / j	Scroll down 1 line
PageUp / b	Scroll up 10 lines
PageDown / f	Scroll down 10 lines
g	Jump to top of scrollback
G	Jump to bottom
← / h	Move cursor left
→ / l	Move cursor right
v	Start selection
y	Yank (copy) selection
Mouse drag + release	Select text and copy to clipboard
Esc / q	Exit copy mode

When in copy mode:

• The pane border turns yellow
• [copy mode] appears in the title
• A scroll position indicator shows in the top-right corner
• Mouse selection in copy mode is copied to the Windows clipboard on release

Scripting & Automation

psmux supports tmux-compatible commands for scripting and automation:

Window & Pane Control

# Create a new window
psmux new-window

# Split panes
psmux split-window -v          # Split vertically (top/bottom)
psmux split-window -h          # Split horizontally (side by side)

# Navigate panes
psmux select-pane -U           # Select pane above
psmux select-pane -D           # Select pane below
psmux select-pane -L           # Select pane to the left
psmux select-pane -R           # Select pane to the right

# Navigate windows
psmux select-window -t 1       # Select window by index (default base-index is 1)
psmux next-window              # Go to next window
psmux previous-window          # Go to previous window
psmux last-window              # Go to last active window

# Kill panes and windows
psmux kill-pane
psmux kill-window
psmux kill-session

Sending Keys

# Send text directly
psmux send-keys "ls -la" Enter

# Send keys literally (no parsing)
psmux send-keys -l "literal text"

# Special keys supported:
# Enter, Tab, Escape, Space, Backspace
# Up, Down, Left, Right, Home, End
# PageUp, PageDown, Delete, Insert
# F1-F12, C-a through C-z (Ctrl+key)

Pane Information

# List all panes in current window
psmux list-panes

# List all windows
psmux list-windows

# Capture pane content
psmux capture-pane

# Display formatted message with variables
psmux display-message "#S:#I:#W"   # Session:Window Index:Window Name

Paste Buffers

# Set paste buffer content
psmux set-buffer "text to paste"

# Paste buffer to active pane
psmux paste-buffer

# List all buffers
psmux list-buffers

# Show buffer content
psmux show-buffer

# Delete buffer
psmux delete-buffer

Pane Layout

# Resize panes
psmux resize-pane -U 5         # Resize up by 5
psmux resize-pane -D 5         # Resize down by 5
psmux resize-pane -L 10        # Resize left by 10
psmux resize-pane -R 10        # Resize right by 10

# Swap panes
psmux swap-pane -U             # Swap with pane above
psmux swap-pane -D             # Swap with pane below

# Rotate panes in window
psmux rotate-window

# Toggle pane zoom
psmux zoom-pane

Session Management

# Check if session exists (exit code 0 = exists)
psmux has-session -t mysession

# Rename session
psmux rename-session newname

# Respawn pane (restart shell)
psmux respawn-pane

Format Variables

The display-message command supports these variables:

Variable	Description
#S	Session name
#I	Window index
#W	Window name
#P	Pane ID
#T	Pane title
#H	Hostname

Advanced Commands

# Discover supported commands
psmux list-commands

# Server/session management
psmux kill-server
psmux list-clients
psmux switch-client -t other-session

# Config at runtime
psmux source-file ~/.psmux.conf
psmux show-options
psmux set-option -g status-left "[#S]"

# Layout/history/stream control
psmux next-layout
psmux previous-layout
psmux clear-history
psmux pipe-pane -o "cat > pane.log"

# Hooks
psmux set-hook -g after-new-window "display-message created"
psmux show-hooks

Target Syntax (-t)

psmux supports tmux-style targets:

# window by index in session
psmux select-window -t work:2

# specific pane by index
psmux send-keys -t work:2.1 "echo hi" Enter

# pane by pane id
psmux send-keys -t %3 "pwd" Enter

# window by window id
psmux select-window -t @4

Configuration

psmux reads its config on startup from the first file found (in order):

1. ~/.psmux.conf
2. ~/.psmuxrc
3. ~/.tmux.conf
4. ~/.config/psmux/psmux.conf

Config syntax is tmux-compatible — most .tmux.conf lines work as-is.

Basic Config Example

Create ~/.psmux.conf:

# Change prefix key to Ctrl+a
set -g prefix C-a

# Enable mouse
set -g mouse on

# Window numbering base (default is 1)
set -g base-index 1

# Customize status bar
set -g status-left "[#S] "
set -g status-right "%H:%M %d-%b-%y"
set -g status-style "bg=green,fg=black"

# Cursor style: block, underline, or bar
set -g cursor-style bar
set -g cursor-blink on

# Scrollback history
set -g history-limit 5000

# Prediction dimming (disable for apps like Neovim)
set -g prediction-dimming off

# Key bindings
bind-key -T prefix h split-window -h
bind-key -T prefix v split-window -v

Choosing a Shell

psmux launches PowerShell 7 (pwsh) by default. You can change this:

# Use cmd.exe
set -g default-shell cmd

# Use PowerShell 5 (Windows built-in)
set -g default-shell powershell

# Use PowerShell 7 (explicit path)
set -g default-shell "C:/Program Files/PowerShell/7/pwsh.exe"

# Use Git Bash
set -g default-shell "C:/Program Files/Git/bin/bash.exe"

# Use Nushell
set -g default-shell nu

# Use Windows Subsystem for Linux (via wsl.exe)
set -g default-shell wsl

You can also launch a window with a specific command without changing the default:

psmux new-window -- cmd /K echo hello
psmux new-session -s py -- python
psmux split-window -- "C:/Program Files/Git/bin/bash.exe"

All Set Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
prefix	Key	C-b	Prefix key
base-index	Int	1	First window number
pane-base-index	Int	0	First pane number
escape-time	Int	500	Escape delay (ms)
repeat-time	Int	500	Repeat key timeout (ms)
history-limit	Int	2000	Scrollback lines per pane
display-time	Int	750	Message display time (ms)
display-panes-time	Int	1000	Pane overlay time (ms)
status-interval	Int	15	Status refresh (seconds)
mouse	Bool	on	Mouse support
status	Bool	on	Show status bar
status-position	Str	bottom	top or bottom
focus-events	Bool	off	Pass focus events to apps
mode-keys	Str	emacs	vi or emacs
renumber-windows	Bool	off	Auto-renumber windows on close
automatic-rename	Bool	on	Rename windows from foreground process
monitor-activity	Bool	off	Flag windows with new output
monitor-silence	Int	0	Seconds before silence flag (0=off)
synchronize-panes	Bool	off	Send input to all panes
remain-on-exit	Bool	off	Keep panes after process exits
aggressive-resize	Bool	off	Resize to smallest client
set-titles	Bool	off	Update terminal title
set-titles-string	Str		Terminal title format
default-shell	Str	pwsh	Shell to launch
default-command	Str		Alias for default-shell
word-separators	Str	" -_@"	Copy-mode word delimiters
prediction-dimming	Bool	on	Dim predictive text
cursor-style	Str		block, underline, or bar
cursor-blink	Bool	off	Cursor blinking
bell-action	Str	any	any, none, current, other
visual-bell	Bool	off	Visual bell indicator
status-left	Str	[#S]	Left status bar content
status-right	Str		Right status bar content
status-style	Str	bg=green,fg=black	Status bar style
status-left-style	Str		Left status style
status-right-style	Str		Right status style
status-justify	Str	left	Tab alignment: left, centre, right
message-style	Str	bg=yellow,fg=black	Message style
message-command-style	Str	bg=black,fg=yellow	Command prompt style
mode-style	Str	bg=yellow,fg=black	Copy-mode highlight
pane-border-style	Str		Inactive border style
pane-active-border-style	Str	fg=green	Active border style
window-status-format	Str	#I:#W#F	Inactive tab format
window-status-current-format	Str	#I:#W#F	Active tab format
window-status-separator	Str	" "	Tab separator
window-status-style	Str		Inactive tab style
window-status-current-style	Str		Active tab style
window-status-activity-style	Str	reverse	Activity tab style
window-status-bell-style	Str	reverse	Bell tab style
window-status-last-style	Str		Last-active tab style

Style format: "fg=colour,bg=colour,bold,dim,underscore,italics,reverse"

Colours: default, black, red, green, yellow, blue, magenta, cyan, white, colour0–colour255, #RRGGBB

Environment Variables

# Default session name used when not explicitly provided
$env:PSMUX_DEFAULT_SESSION = "work"

# Disable prediction dimming (useful for apps like Neovim)
$env:PSMUX_DIM_PREDICTIONS = "0"

# These are set INSIDE psmux panes (tmux-compatible):
# TMUX       — socket path and server info
# TMUX_PANE  — current pane ID (%0, %1, etc.)

Neovim Rendering Workaround

If Neovim looks slow inside psmux or shows a "shadow" effect until you move the cursor, disable psmux prediction dimming in ~/.psmux.conf:

set -g prediction-dimming off

You can also disable it for the current shell only:

$env:PSMUX_DIM_PREDICTIONS = "0"
psmux

To make it persistent for new shells:

setx PSMUX_DIM_PREDICTIONS 0

License

MIT

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About psmux

psmux (PowerShell Multiplexer) is a terminal multiplexer built specifically for Windows. It is an alternative to tmux for Windows users who want terminal multiplexing without WSL or Cygwin.

Keywords

terminal multiplexer, tmux for windows, tmux alternative, tmux windows, windows terminal multiplexer, powershell multiplexer, split terminal windows, multiple terminals, terminal tabs, pane splitting, session management, windows terminal, powershell terminal, cmd terminal, rust terminal, console multiplexer, terminal emulator, windows console, cli tool, command line, devtools, developer tools, productivity, windows 10, windows 11, psmux, pmux

Related Projects

• tmux — The original terminal multiplexer for Unix/Linux/macOS
• Windows Terminal — Microsoft's modern terminal for Windows
• PowerShell — Cross-platform PowerShell

FAQ

Q: Is psmux cross-platform?
A: No. psmux is built exclusively for Windows. For Linux/macOS, use tmux.

Q: Does psmux work with Windows Terminal?
A: Yes! psmux works great with Windows Terminal, PowerShell, cmd.exe, ConEmu, and other Windows terminal emulators.

Q: Why use psmux instead of Windows Terminal tabs?
A: psmux offers session persistence (detach/reattach), synchronized input to multiple panes, and tmux-compatible keybindings.

Q: Can I use tmux commands with psmux?
A: Yes! psmux includes tmux and pmux aliases. Commands like tmux new-session, tmux attach, tmux ls all work.