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Install Byobu on Ubuntu with sudo apt install byobu, launch it with byobu, and detach with F6 whenever you need to leave a shell, job, or SSH connection running. Reconnect later by starting Byobu again and selecting the existing session. Byobu adds function-key controls, split panes, status information, and a simpler interface on top of either tmux or GNU Screen.
This guide covers installation, backend selection, sessions, windows, panes, scrollback, configuration, keyboard conflicts, and the recovery steps that matter when a shortcut or reattachment does not behave as expected.
What Byobu does on Ubuntu
Byobu is a text-based window manager and terminal multiplexer. It runs shell programs inside a persistent session, then lets you detach from that session without stopping the programs inside it. This is particularly useful over SSH: a dropped network connection closes your terminal client, but a detached Byobu session remains available on the Ubuntu host.
Byobu is a user interface layer rather than a separate terminal engine. It wraps tmux or GNU Screen, supplies profiles and status notifications, and maps common actions to function keys. The Ubuntu manpage describes it as a script that launches a text-based window manager in the Byobu configuration. When tmux is available, Byobu normally uses it; you can explicitly choose the backend with byobu-select-backend.
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A Byobu session contains one or more windows. Each window can contain one shell or several split panes. The status area at the bottom can show system information and notifications, while the F9 menu exposes configuration options without requiring you to remember a long command sequence.
Before you install
- An Ubuntu system with a working terminal and an account allowed to run
sudo. - Network access to the configured Ubuntu package repositories, unless the package is already cached locally.
- A terminal emulator, SSH client, or console that can send the function-key combinations used by Byobu. Some environments intercept those keys; a workaround is covered below.
Byobu is software, so no special monitor, keyboard, or other hardware is required. Package contents and profile files can differ between Ubuntu releases. Ubuntu Noble (24.04) includes the main Byobu commands, tmux and Screen profiles, and status files, but do not assume that a file path from one release exists unchanged on another.
Install Byobu from Ubuntu packages
Use the normal Ubuntu package manager. If package metadata is stale, refresh it first.
- Open a terminal.
- Optionally update package metadata:
sudo apt update - Install Byobu:
sudo apt install byobu - Start a Byobu session:
byobu
The install command brings in the Byobu scripts and the files needed to run the selected backend. If apt reports that the package cannot be found, check the Ubuntu release and repository configuration before trying to download an unrelated package. Do not copy profile files from a different release merely to work around a package-manager error.
Choose the terminal backend
Byobu can run over tmux or GNU Screen. It normally selects tmux when tmux is present, but the choice is configurable.
- Start Byobu with
byobu. - Run the backend selector:
byobu-select-backend - Choose tmux or Screen when prompted, then start a new Byobu session.
The backend matters when you already have a preferred configuration, when a script expects tmux or Screen behavior, or when a key binding works differently than expected. Byobu’s higher-level F-key controls remain the same in normal use, but backend-specific profiles and customized bindings can alter details. If you need to invoke one backend directly, Ubuntu packages provide byobu-tmux and byobu-screen.
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| Choice | What it means | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| tmux | Byobu runs on the tmux multiplexer and its profile. | Use the default when you want current tmux behavior or already maintain tmux settings. |
| GNU Screen | Byobu runs on the Screen multiplexer and its profile. | Choose it for compatibility with an existing Screen workflow or configuration. |
Understand sessions, windows, and panes
Sessions are the persistence boundary
A session is the container holding your shells, windows, panes, and foreground programs. Start Byobu before launching a long-running command that you may need to leave unattended. Detaching removes your terminal from the session; it does not close the session or its windows.
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Each window is a separate workspace inside the session. You can keep an editor in one, a service or build command in another, and an administrative shell in a third. Moving between windows is faster than opening multiple SSH connections and keeps related work under one session.
Panes share a window
A pane is a split region inside the current window. Splits are useful when you need simultaneous visibility—for example, a live log beside the command that is producing it. A pane has its own shell process, so closing that pane can terminate the foreground process running there.
Detach and reattach without losing work
- Launch Byobu with
byobu. - Start the command, shell, editor, or monitoring process you want to keep alive.
- Press F6 to detach. You should return to the underlying terminal or SSH client prompt.
- Close the terminal or disconnect SSH if you need to.
- Later, run
byobuagain. If more than one session exists, use the session-selection flow to choose the one you want.
Ubuntu also provides byobu-select-session, which presents existing sessions for selection. Use it when you want to attach deliberately rather than accepting the default session choice.
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Byobu’s essential keyboard controls
The following bindings are the standard Byobu controls documented by Ubuntu. A customized profile, a different backend, or a terminal that captures function keys can change the result.
| Action | Key | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Create a window | F2 | Open a fresh shell workspace. |
| Previous window | F3 | Move to the tab before the current one. |
| Next window | F4 | Move to the tab after the current one. |
| Refresh or reload the profile | F5 | Refresh the display and reload profile information. |
| Detach | F6 | Leave the session running in the background. |
| Enter scrollback/copy mode | F7 | Review output that has moved above the visible terminal. |
| Rename the current window | F8 | Give a tab a meaningful name such as “logs” or “deploy”. |
| Open configuration | F9 | Change notifications, escape settings, and startup behavior. |
| Split horizontally | Shift-F2 | Create a pane above or below the current pane. |
| Split vertically | Ctrl-F2 | Create a pane beside the current pane. |
| Move focus between splits | Shift-F3 / Shift-F4 | Move to the adjacent pane in either direction. |
| Join or collapse splits | Shift-F5 | Change the current split arrangement by joining panes. |
| Remove the current split | Ctrl-F6 | Close the selected pane. |
| Toggle Byobu tmux keybindings | Shift-F12 | Enable or disable Byobu’s keybinding layer for the session. |
Use the action, not just the key, as your mental model. For example, F6 is safe when you want to leave a job running, while Ctrl-F6 removes the active split and can close the shell in that pane.
Create and manage split panes
Build a two-pane layout
- Open a Byobu window with a shell in it.
- Press Shift-F2 for a horizontal split, or Ctrl-F2 for a vertical split.
- Run a command in the new pane. For a log-monitoring layout, leave a log command in one pane and use the other for administration.
- Use Shift-F3 and Shift-F4 to move focus between panes.
Clean up a layout
Press Shift-F5 to join or collapse splits when you no longer need the arrangement. To remove only the selected pane, press Ctrl-F6. Confirm that the focus is on the pane you intend to remove; pane operations apply to the active region.
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Splits are part of the window, so switching to another window with F3 or F4 does not destroy the layout. This makes it practical to maintain a dedicated monitoring window while using separate windows for editing and one-off commands.
Read output with scrollback mode
Press F7 to enter scrollback or copy mode. This freezes the view so you can inspect output that has already passed above the visible area. Ubuntu documents vi-like movement in this mode:
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Exit scrollback according to the active backend’s copy-mode behavior, or use the escape key if your profile expects it. If movement keys do not act as described, verify which backend and keybinding profile are active instead of assuming the shell is receiving the keystrokes.
Configure Byobu through F9
Press F9 inside Byobu to open the interactive configuration menu. Ubuntu documents this menu as the place to manage several settings:
- Status notifications: Toggle the information modules displayed in the status area, such as system indicators provided by the active profile.
- Escape sequence: Change the key sequence used to enter multiplexer commands when the default conflicts with another application or workflow.
- Launch at login: Enable automatic Byobu startup when you log in.
Use the menu when you want a guided change that applies to your user account. Profiles and keybindings are customizable per user, so changing your settings does not require modifying a system-wide configuration for everyone on the host.
Byobu stores configuration in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/byobu when XDG_CONFIG_HOME is defined. If it is not defined, the usual location is ~/.byobu. The exact files available can vary by Ubuntu release and backend; edit a profile only after confirming which backend Byobu selected.
Enable or disable startup at login
To enable automatic startup for your user account, run:
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byobu-enableTo turn that behavior off later, run:
byobu-disableThe F9 menu exposes the same launch-at-login setting. Automatic startup is convenient on a personal server, but it may be surprising on a shared machine or when you regularly use a different multiplexer. Choose one method and verify the result at your next login rather than enabling both a custom shell hook and Byobu’s own setting.
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Function keys can be intercepted by a desktop terminal, an SSH client, a browser-based console, or a Linux virtual console. A shortcut that works locally may therefore appear broken remotely.
- Try the same action with another terminal or SSH client to determine whether the client is consuming the key.
- Inside the Byobu session, run:
byobu-keybindings - Use that command to toggle Byobu keybindings for the current session. Ubuntu documents it as an alternative to Shift-F12, especially when key combinations fail on a Linux console TTY or conflict with another program.
- If only one key fails, test a different action such as F2 or F6. This distinguishes a client-wide function-key problem from a single customized binding.
- Open F9 and inspect the escape-sequence and keybinding-related settings. A customized profile may intentionally differ from the standard map.
When a shortcut still does not respond, use the equivalent command or menu path where available, then check whether the active backend or a user profile changed the binding.
Compare Byobu with using tmux or GNU Screen directly
Byobu is most useful when you want multiplexer persistence without memorizing every native command prefix. Direct tmux or Screen use can be preferable when you maintain scripts, dotfiles, or team procedures that depend on native commands.
| Decision point | Byobu | Direct tmux or Screen |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Function keys, F9 configuration, status notifications, and profiles. | Native command prefixes and the backend’s own status and configuration model. |
| Backend | Can select tmux or GNU Screen with byobu-select-backend. |
You choose and invoke one multiplexer directly. |
| Session control | F6 detaches; byobu or byobu-select-session reattaches. |
Use the backend’s native attach and detach commands. |
| Customization | Per-user Byobu profiles, notifications, escape settings, and keybinding toggles. | Backend-specific configuration and command syntax. |
| Keyboard environment | Convenient when function keys pass through; requires troubleshooting when a client intercepts them. | May avoid function-key conflicts, but requires learning the native prefix commands. |
There is no requirement to install a separate graphical application. Byobu, tmux, and GNU Screen are terminal software and can be managed from an Ubuntu shell.
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Practical workflows
Keep an SSH task alive
- SSH to the Ubuntu host and run
byobu. - Create a named window with F2 or rename the current one with F8.
- Start the long-running task.
- Press F6 before closing the SSH client.
- Reconnect later and run
byobuorbyobu-select-sessionto return to the session.
Watch logs while administering a service
- Open a Byobu window.
- Split it with Shift-F2 or Ctrl-F2.
- Leave the log command in one pane.
- Move focus with Shift-F3 or Shift-F4 and use the other pane for administrative commands.
- When finished, remove the extra pane with Ctrl-F6 or collapse the layout with Shift-F5.
Separate unrelated work
Use F2 for a new window rather than piling unrelated shells into one pane. Keep one window for editing, one for process output, and one for short-lived administration. F3 and F4 then provide predictable navigation, while F8 makes the purpose of each tab visible.
Troubleshooting common problems
“byobu: command not found”
The package is not installed in the current Ubuntu environment, or the command is not on the current user’s path. Run sudo apt install byobu, then start a new shell and try byobu again. If installation fails, resolve the package-manager or repository error rather than downloading an unverified script.
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Byobu opens, but the behavior is unexpected
Check the selected backend with byobu-select-backend. Existing tmux or Screen profiles can also change key behavior. Open F9, review the escape and keybinding options, and reload the display with F5.
Reconnecting opens a different session
More than one session may exist. Run byobu-select-session and choose the session containing your windows. Avoid starting several unnamed sessions when one persistent workspace is sufficient.
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It was probably started outside Byobu, or the session was closed instead of detached. Start Byobu first, launch the command inside the session, and use F6 to leave it running. Closing a window or exiting its foreground shell is not an alternative to detaching.
Status information is missing or different
Status notifications are profile settings. Open F9 and enable the notifications you need, then press F5 to refresh. The available modules and their files can vary with the Ubuntu release and selected backend.
F9, F6, or split keys do nothing
Test whether the terminal client intercepts function keys, then run byobu-keybindings or press Shift-F12 to toggle Byobu bindings. If the client cannot pass the required sequence, use another client or configure its function-key handling.
Commands and files worth remembering
These are the principal commands supplied by Ubuntu’s Byobu package:
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byobu— start or attach to a Byobu session.byobu-enable— enable launch at login for the user.byobu-disable— disable launch at login.byobu-keybindings— toggle Byobu keybindings in the current session.byobu-select-backend— choose tmux or GNU Screen.byobu-select-session— select an existing session.byobu-tmux— invoke the tmux-backed Byobu environment.byobu-screen— invoke the Screen-backed Byobu environment.
Ubuntu package contents are release-specific. Noble includes these commands along with tmux and Screen profiles and status files; inspect the package for the exact file list on another Ubuntu release instead of assuming Noble’s paths.
Quick Recap
Recommended first-day setup
- Install with
sudo apt install byobuand launch withbyobu. - Confirm the backend with
byobu-select-backendif you need tmux or Screen compatibility. - Open F9 and choose the status notifications and escape sequence that suit your terminal.
- Create separate windows with F2 and rename important ones with F8.
- Practice splitting with Shift-F2 or Ctrl-F2 and moving focus with Shift-F3 and Shift-F4.
- Detach a test session with F6, close the terminal, reconnect, and use
byobu-select-sessionif selection is needed. - Only after that, enable automatic startup with
byobu-enableif it fits the way you log in.
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