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Asked: 2024-09-25T05:02:00+05:30 In:

How can I copy and paste the entire output of a terminal session or multiple pages of output in Tmux on Ubuntu?

I’ve been struggling with this issue in Tmux on my Ubuntu setup, and I could really use some help. So, picture this: I’m deep into coding and running some long scripts in the terminal. Everything is going smoothly until I realize that the output I’ve generated is extensive—like, multiple pages of text. And of course, I want to save this output for documentation or to analyze it later.

I know Tmux can do a lot, but I’m just not getting how to efficiently copy and paste the entire output from a session without going through the headache of selecting line by line. It seems so tedious! I’ve tried using the mouse, but that often goes haywire with Tmux, and I’m stuck figuring it all out manually. Sometimes I even end up losing the session due to accidental keystrokes, which is super frustrating.

I’ve heard about different methods involving buffers and paste commands inside Tmux, but honestly, it all just feels overwhelming. I’ve also read about using `tmux copy-mode`, but I’m not entirely sure what commands to use to get everything I need in one go. Is it possible to copy everything at once without my arms falling off from all this selecting?

And then there’s the question of pasting that output somewhere afterward. Does anyone have a smooth workflow or tips for managing this printout? Maybe some keyboard shortcuts that could help? Really, any advice or tricks would be appreciated. Not only do I want to figure out how to get the output, but I also want to make sure it’s easy to manage later on when I want to check back on things.

So, if anybody has been through this before and has some clear instructions, I’d love to hear about it. What’s the best way to copy and paste all this output in Tmux without losing my mind? Thanks!

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    2 Answers


    1. It sounds like you’re really diving into Tmux, and I totally get how frustrating that can be when you just want to grab your terminal output without the hassle!

      So, here’s a simple way to copy everything from the output in Tmux:

      1. First, start by entering copy-mode. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + b (this is the default prefix) followed by [. You’ll see that your cursor can now move around the output.
      2. Once in copy-mode, you can scroll through the output using the arrow keys or Page Up/Page Down keys.
      3. If you want to select everything, you can press Space to start selecting, and then just move to the very end of the output. If you want to copy everything, it’s usually enough to scroll all the way up and then all the way down while holding Shift to grab it all.
      4. After you’ve selected everything you want, press Enter to copy it to the buffer. Now it’s all saved in Tmux’s memory!
      5. You can paste it wherever you want by just pressing Ctrl + b followed by ]. This will insert the copied text at the current cursor location in a Tmux pane or window.

      As for keeping things organized later, it could be handy to paste your output into a text file. You could do something like this:

      tmux capture-pane -pS -32768 > output.txt

      This command grabs everything in the pane and saves it straight to a file named output.txt in your current working directory. Now you won’t have to worry about losing any output!

      And don’t forget, you can always adjust your Tmux configuration to make shortcuts easier to remember or use. It really can smooth out your workflow once you get the hang of it!

      Hope that helps! Just take it one step at a time, and before you know it, you’ll be a Tmux pro!


    2. In Tmux, you can efficiently copy the entire output from your session by using `tmux copy-mode`. To enter copy-mode, press `` followed by `[`. This will allow you to navigate through your session using your arrow keys. To start selecting text, move your cursor to the beginning of the text you want to copy, press the space bar to start the selection, and then continue moving the cursor until you’ve highlighted all the desired output. Once you’ve selected the text, press ``, which will copy the selected output into Tmux’s buffer. You won’t have to worry about manually selecting line by line, and you can easily combine this with shortcuts to navigate quickly.

      After you’ve copied your desired output, you can paste it into any text editor or terminal by using the `` then `]` paste command in Tmux. If you need to save the output directly to a file, you can also redirect your command’s output when you run it by using `command > output.txt`. This way, you avoid the hassle of copying manually altogether. For an even smoother workflow, consider using the `capture-pane` command to save specific sections of your terminal output. You can do this with the command `tmux capture-pane -S -1000` to capture the last 1000 lines and then save it to a file with `tmux save-buffer output.txt`. With these methods, managing your output should be streamlined and much less overwhelming.

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