Install Byobu on Ubuntu with sudo apt install byobu, launch it with byobu, and detach with F6 whenever you need a shell, server, build, or other process to continue after closing the terminal or losing an SSH connection. Byobu is a text-based window manager and terminal multiplexer that runs on tmux or GNU Screen, adding function-key controls, split panes, status notifications, profiles, and a configuration menu.
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What Byobu does
Byobu provides a persistent terminal workspace. Instead of tying every shell process to one terminal window, it places shells inside a session that can contain several windows and, within each window, several panes. You can disconnect from that session without stopping the programs inside it, then reconnect later.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe Byobu project describes the software as “A text-based window manager & terminal multiplexer.” Ubuntu’s manual describes it as a script that launches either screen or tmux in the Byobu configuration. When tmux is available, Byobu normally selects it; byobu-select-backend lets you choose GNU Screen instead.
Byobu also supplies a status area at the bottom of the terminal. Depending on the selected profile and notifications, it can show system information and session state. Its function-key interface is intended to make common operations easier to discover than the native command-prefix workflows of tmux or Screen.
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Install Byobu from Ubuntu’s packages
1. Refresh package metadata when necessary
If the machine has not been updated recently, refresh APT’s package index first:
sudo apt updateThis step downloads current package metadata for the repositories configured on the system. It does not install Byobu by itself.
2. Install the package
sudo apt install byobuAccept the installation prompt. Ubuntu installs the Byobu launcher and its supporting profiles and integration files. The exact package-file list can differ between Ubuntu releases. For example, the Ubuntu Noble package includes commands such as byobu, byobu-enable, byobu-disable, byobu-keybindings, byobu-select-backend, byobu-select-session, byobu-tmux, and byobu-screen, plus tmux and Screen profiles and status files.
3. Confirm that the launcher is available
byobu --helpIf the command prints help rather than “command not found,” the package is available to your shell. You can now start a session.
Start your first Byobu session
Launch Byobu
byobuThe command opens a Byobu session in the current terminal. Your initial window contains a shell, and the status area appears along the bottom. Start long-running work only after Byobu is active; a process launched in an ordinary shell before entering Byobu remains tied to that ordinary shell.
Understand sessions, windows, and panes
- Session: The persistent container that holds your Byobu workspace and its running processes.
- Window: A tab-like terminal inside the session. Each window can run a separate shell or command.
- Pane: A subdivision of one window. Panes let you see multiple terminals at the same time.
These layers explain why detaching works: you leave the session, not the processes inside it. Closing a window or terminating its foreground process has a different effect and can stop the work running there.
Keep work running when SSH disconnects
Detach without stopping programs
Press F6 inside Byobu. The terminal returns to its underlying shell or closes, depending on how it was opened, while the Byobu session and its processes continue on the Ubuntu host.
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Use this before closing a laptop, changing networks, or ending an SSH connection. Detaching is not the same as logging out of the remote machine: the session remains on that machine until you close it or terminate its programs.
Reattach later
Reconnect to the Ubuntu host and run:
byobuWhen a detached session is available, Byobu attaches to it or presents the session-selection flow when more than one session exists. The command byobu-select-session can also be used when you specifically want to choose among existing sessions.
You will see the same windows, panes, scroll position, and running programs that were left in the session. If a foreground command finished while you were away, its shell remains available, but the command itself has of course ended.
Essential keyboard controls
The standard Byobu keymap exposes common operations through function keys. A desktop terminal, SSH client, console, custom profile, or backend can intercept or alter a combination, so treat this as the default map and verify the active bindings if a key does nothing.
| Action | Default key | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Create a window | F2 | Opens another terminal window in the current session. |
| Previous window | F3 | Moves to the window before the current one. |
| Next window | F4 | Moves to the window after the current one. |
| Refresh or reload the profile | F5 | Refreshes the Byobu display and profile state. |
| Detach | F6 | Leaves the session running in the background. |
| Scrollback or copy mode | F7 | Enters history navigation and selection mode. |
| Rename the window | F8 | Assigns a useful label to the current window. |
| Open configuration | F9 | Opens Byobu’s interactive configuration menu. |
| Split horizontally | Shift-F2 | Creates a pane above or below the current pane. |
| Split vertically | Ctrl-F2 | Creates a pane beside the current pane. |
| Move focus between splits | Shift-F3 / Shift-F4 | Moves focus through the panes. |
| Join or collapse splits | Shift-F5 | Changes the current split arrangement by joining or collapsing panes. |
| Remove the current split | Ctrl-F6 | Closes the focused pane. |
| Toggle Byobu tmux keybindings | Shift-F12 | Turns Byobu’s tmux-style keybindings on or off. |
Build a practical multi-pane workspace
Create windows for separate tasks
- Launch Byobu and leave the first window for an interactive shell.
- Press F2 to create a second window, then run your server, build, or monitoring command there.
- Press F8 and give the window a descriptive name, such as
serverorlogs. - Use F3 and F4 to move between windows.
Names make a session with many windows easier to navigate than a row of indistinguishable shells.
Split a window into panes
- Press Shift-F2 for a horizontal split.
- Press Ctrl-F2 for a vertical split.
- Run a different command in each pane—for example, keep a service in one, watch its log in another, and retain an interactive shell in a third.
- Move focus with Shift-F3 and Shift-F4.
- Use Shift-F5 to join or collapse the arrangement, or Ctrl-F6 to remove the focused split.
Very narrow panes can make command output unreadable. Create another window instead of continually subdividing a window when each task needs substantial horizontal space.
Read and search terminal history
Press F7 to enter scrollback or copy mode. Ubuntu’s server documentation describes vi-like movement in this mode:
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Use this mode to inspect output that has scrolled past, select text according to the active backend’s copy behavior, and return to the live prompt when finished. The exact copy and paste interaction can vary with the terminal emulator and whether Byobu is using tmux or Screen.
Configure Byobu with F9
Press F9 from inside a Byobu session. The interactive menu is the central place to change status notifications, alter the escape sequence, and enable launch at login. Select an item with the keyboard, apply the change, and return to the session to see the result.
Configuration is per user. Byobu stores it in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/byobu when XDG_CONFIG_HOME is defined; otherwise it uses ~/.byobu. This means two accounts on the same Ubuntu host can have different profiles, status items, escape sequences, and keybinding choices.
Enable or disable launch at login
To enable automatic Byobu startup for your user, run:
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byobu-disableAutomatic launch is convenient on a personal shell, but it may be surprising on a shared account or in scripts that expect a plain, non-interactive shell. Disable it when those contexts require an ordinary login prompt.
Select tmux or GNU Screen
Byobu is an interface layer; tmux and GNU Screen are the underlying multiplexers. Byobu uses tmux when it is available by default, but it can use Screen for compatibility with an existing Screen workflow or profile.
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byobu-select-backendRun this command to choose the backend. After changing it, start a new Byobu session or reattach as appropriate. Backend-specific behavior, native command prefixes, and profile details can differ, so a shortcut that works in one selection may behave differently in the other.
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Fix function keys that do not work
Check for an intercepted key
Desktop terminal emulators, SSH clients, and Linux console TTYs may reserve function-key combinations. If F2, F6, or a split shortcut is ignored, first test a plain key such as F5 and then try the combination again from inside the Byobu window rather than from the outer shell.
Toggle bindings from the command line
Use:
byobu-keybindingsUbuntu documents this command as an alternative to Shift-F12. It toggles Byobu keybindings in the current session and is particularly useful when a console TTY or another program captures the keyboard combination.
Confirm the active mode
If a key still behaves unexpectedly, press Shift-F12 once and test again. A customized profile or a different backend may have changed the binding. F9 can also reveal configuration choices that affect the escape sequence and notifications.
Use Byobu safely for long-running jobs
Start inside the session
Enter Byobu before starting a compiler, data transfer, development server, log follower, or interactive administrative task. Detaching preserves the process because it is attached to a Byobu-managed pseudo-terminal.
Detach rather than close the window
Use F6 when you need to leave. Do not close the terminal window as a substitute for detaching until you know how your terminal handles the session. A detached session can be reattached; a window whose foreground process was terminated cannot resume that process.
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Plan for program-level behavior
Byobu preserves the terminal session, not the application’s data guarantees. A process can still crash, run out of disk space, lose a network dependency, or exit normally while you are disconnected. Use the application’s own logging, checkpoints, and restart procedures for reliability; use Byobu for persistent terminal attachment.
Compare Byobu with raw tmux and GNU Screen
| Decision area | Byobu | Native tmux or Screen |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Function keys, an F9 menu, status notifications, and profiles. | Backend-native command prefixes and configuration syntax. |
| Backend | Runs on tmux or GNU Screen and can switch with byobu-select-backend. |
You choose and operate one multiplexer directly. |
| Session control | F6 detaches; byobu or session selection reattaches. |
Detach and attach commands follow the selected backend’s conventions. |
| Customization | Per-user profiles, status notifications, keybinding toggles, and an interactive menu. | Direct editing and native commands provide fine-grained backend control. |
| Keyboard environment | F-key combinations may be captured by a desktop terminal, SSH client, or TTY. | Command-prefix workflows can avoid some F-key conflicts but require learning the backend syntax. |
Choose Byobu when discoverable keyboard controls, a visible status line, and a consistent front end matter more than using a backend’s native interface. Work directly with tmux or Screen when an existing team configuration, automation, or muscle memory already depends on that backend’s commands.
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Common problems and recovery steps
“byobu: command not found”
Install the package with sudo apt install byobu. If installation completed but the current shell still cannot find the command, start a new shell or log in again so the shell can refresh its command lookup state.
Byobu opens, but no old session appears
Check that you reconnected to the same Ubuntu host and the same user account. Sessions are associated with the user and machine on which they were created. Run byobu-select-session to invoke the selection flow when several sessions exist.
A detached job is gone
Detaching does not prevent a program from exiting. Reattach and inspect the window where it was running. If the command finished or failed, review its output and application logs, then restart it inside a new or existing Byobu window.
The display is garbled after resizing
Press F5 to refresh or reload the profile. If the problem persists, detach with F6 and reattach from a terminal whose dimensions match the remote session.
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There are too many panes
Use Ctrl-F6 to remove the focused split or Shift-F5 to join or collapse splits. Create a new window with F2 when a task needs more room.
The F9 menu or status line looks different
Byobu profiles and notification selections are per user and can be customized. Open F9 to inspect the current choices. A different Ubuntu release can also package a different set of profile or status files.
A repeatable Ubuntu workflow
- Install the package with
sudo apt install byobu. - Launch a session using
byobu. - Open separate windows with F2 for independent tasks and rename important ones with F8.
- Split a window with Shift-F2 or Ctrl-F2 only when simultaneous visibility is useful.
- Use F7 to inspect scrollback and F5 to refresh the display.
- Press F6 before disconnecting from SSH or closing the terminal.
- Reconnect and run
byobu, or usebyobu-select-sessionwhen you need to choose a session. - Open F9 for notifications, escape-sequence settings, and login behavior; use
byobu-select-backendwhen tmux or Screen selection matters.
This workflow keeps the persistence benefit separate from application reliability: Byobu maintains the terminal context, while each command remains responsible for its own errors, output, and recovery.
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