Byobu Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Byobu is a GPLv3 open source text-based window manager and terminal multiplexer that provides elegant enhancements to GNU Screen and Tmux. Originally designed for Ubuntu server distribution, byobu now works across most Linux, BSD, and Mac distributions, offering system status notifications, convenient keybindings, and configuration utilities.

Why Choose Byobu?

Over Standard Terminal/SSH:

• Multiple sessions in one terminal - Run multiple commands simultaneously without opening new terminal windows
• Persistent sessions - Sessions survive network disconnections and can be reattached later
• System monitoring - Built-in status bars showing CPU, memory, network, and system information
• Enhanced productivity - Quick window/pane switching, copy/paste functionality, and session management

Over Plain Screen/Tmux:

• Pre-configured - Works out of the box with sensible defaults and attractive status bars
• User-friendly - F-key shortcuts instead of complex key combinations
• Status notifications - Real-time system information without additional configuration
• Modern interface - Clean, informative display with customisable colours and layouts

Installation

Byobu is available in most major Linux distributions:

Distribution	Install Command
Debian/Ubuntu	sudo apt-get install byobu
Fedora/RHEL	sudo dnf install byobu
Arch Linux	sudo pacman -S byobu
Alpine Linux	apk add byobu
macOS	brew install byobu
FreeBSD	sudo pkg install byobu

Basic usage:

Command	Description
byobu	Launch byobu manually
byobu-enable	Enable byobu by default for SSH sessions (adds byobu to .bashrc)

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Byobu’s default escape sequence is Ctrl+a. If you’ve customised yours, replace Ctrl+a throughout this guide. Check current setting: F9 → ‘Change escape sequence’.

Help & Information

Shortcut	Action	Notes
Shift+F1	Display help	Show most common keyboard shortcuts

Window Management

Shortcut	Action	Notes
F2	Create new window	Opens a new terminal window/tab
F8	Rename current window	Change the window title
Ctrl+Shift+F3 / Ctrl+Shift+F4	Move a window	Reorder windows left/right
Ctrl+a k	Kill current window	Closes the active window
Alt+F11	Expand split to full window	Convert pane to separate window

Window Navigation

Shortcut	Action	Notes
F3 / F4	Move focus among windows	Cycle through windows
Ctrl+a 0-9	Switch to window N	Direct window access by number
Ctrl+a "	List all windows	Interactive window selection menu

Session Management

Shortcut	Action	Notes
Ctrl+Shift+F2	Create new session	Start a new byobu session
Ctrl+F8	Rename current session	Change the session name
Alt+Up / Alt+Down	Move focus among sessions	Switch between byobu sessions
F6	Detach session and logout	Leave session running, exit shell
Shift+F6	Detach session, don’t logout	Leave session running, keep shell

Split Management (Panes)

Shortcut	Action	Notes
Shift+F2	Create horizontal split	Create pane below current pane
Ctrl+F2	Create vertical split	Create pane beside current pane
Ctrl+F6	Kill split in focus	Close the active pane
Ctrl+F11	Join window into vertical split	Convert window to split
Ctrl+F3 / Ctrl+F4	Move a split	Reposition current pane
Shift+Alt+Left/Right/Up/Down	Resize a split	Adjust pane boundaries
Shift+F8	Toggle through split arrangements	Cycle through layout presets
Ctrl+Shift+F8	Save current split-pane layout	Store layout for later
Alt+Shift+F8	Restore a split-pane layout	Load previously saved layout

Split Navigation

Shortcut	Action	Notes
Shift+F3 / Shift+F4	Move focus among splits	Navigate between panes
Shift+Left/Right/Up/Down	Move focus among splits	Arrow key navigation between panes
Shift+F11	Zoom into/out of split	Toggle pane maximisation
Ctrl+a Tab	Focus next split	Alternative pane switching
Ctrl+a o	Focus next split	Screen-style pane switching
Ctrl+a z	Toggle pane zoom	Alternative zoom (tmux backend)

Profile & Status Management

Shortcut	Action	Notes
F5	Reload profile, refresh status	Update configuration and display
Shift+F5	Toggle through status lines	Cycle status bar visibility
Ctrl+F5	Reconnect SSH/GPG/D-Bus sockets	Refresh authentication
Ctrl+Shift+F5	Change status bar colour randomly	Randomise status bar appearance

Copy & Paste Mode (Scrollback)

Shortcut	Action	Notes
F7	Enter scrollback history	Navigate terminal history
Alt+PgUp / Alt+PgDn	Enter and move through scrollback	Alternative scrollback access
Shift+F7	Save history to file	Export scrollback to $BYOBU_RUN_DIR/printscreen
Space	Start text selection	Begin highlighting text (in copy mode)
Enter	Copy selected text	Copy highlighted text to buffer
Alt+Insert	Paste copied text	Insert previously copied text
Ctrl+a ]	Paste copied text	Alternative paste method

Configuration & Advanced Commands

Shortcut	Action	Notes
F9	Launch byobu-config	Access settings and options
Ctrl+F9	Run command in all windows	Execute command across all windows and last focused split per window
Shift+F9	Run command in all splits	Execute command across all panes on current window
Alt+F9	Toggle input to all splits	Send keystrokes to all panes on current window simultaneously

Legacy Screen-Style Commands

Shortcut	Action	Notes
Ctrl+a c	Create new window	Screen-style window creation
Ctrl+a n	Next window	Screen-style navigation
Ctrl+a p	Previous window	Screen-style navigation
Ctrl+a A	Rename window	Alternative rename method

Workflow Tips

Efficient Split Management

1. Create your layout: Use Shift+F2 and Ctrl+F2 to create your desired pane layout
2. Focus navigation: Use Shift+F3/Shift+F4 to move between panes quickly
3. Zoom when needed: Press Shift+F11 to focus on one pane, then Shift+F11 again to return to splits
4. Clean up: Use Ctrl+F6 to remove unwanted panes or Shift+F11 to combine all

Session Persistence

1. Detach safely: Use F6 to detach while keeping everything running
2. Reattach later: Run byobu to reconnect to your session
3. Multiple sessions: Use byobu -S session_name to create named sessions

Copy/Paste Workflow

1. Enter copy mode: Press F7 or Alt+PgUp
2. Navigate: Use arrow keys or Page Up/Down to find content
3. Select text: Press Space, highlight with arrows, press Enter
4. Paste: Use Alt+Insert or Ctrl+a ]

Customisation

Byobu configuration files are stored in ~/.byobu/:

• keybindings.tmux - Custom key mappings for tmux backend
• statusrc - Status bar configuration
• color.tmux - Colour scheme customisation

Access the configuration menu with F9 for guided setup options.

References

• Byobu Official Website
• Byobu Downloads & Installation
• Byobu Source Code
• Screen Documentation
• Tmux Documentation