Skip to content

Screen (UNIX)

screen` is a powerful terminal multiplexer that allows you to manage multiple terminal sessions within a single window. This is particularly useful when you are working on a remote server or need to detach and reattach to sessions.

1. Installation

If screen is not already installed on your Linux system, you can install it using the package manager for your distribution. For example:

  • On Ubuntu/Debian:

    sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install screen

  • On CentOS/RHEL:

    sudo yum install screen

2. Starting a Screen Session:

To start a new screen session, open a terminal and type:

screen

3. Working within the Screen Session:

Once inside a screen session, you can use it like a regular terminal. Run your commands, open multiple windows, or split the screen.

  • Create a new window: Press Ctrl-a followed by c.

  • Switch between windows: Press Ctrl-a followed by a number corresponding to the window number.

  • Split the screen horizontally: Press Ctrl-a followed by S.

  • Split the screen vertically: Press Ctrl-a followed by |.

  • Navigate between split regions: Press Ctrl-a followed by Tab.

4. Detach from a Screen Session:

To detach from a screen session and leave it running in the background, press:

Ctrl-a d

5. Reattach to a Screen Session:

To reattach to a detached screen session, list the available sessions:

screen -ls

You will see a list of detached sessions. Reattach to a session by specifying its ID:

screen -r <session_id>

6. Exiting a Screen Session:

To exit a screen session, simply exit all shells within it, and when the last shell is closed, the screen session will terminate.

If you want to close a screen session even if there are multiple windows or shells running, press Ctrl-a followed by : to bring up the command prompt and type quit or exit.

These are the basic commands to get started with screen. It's a versatile tool that provides a lot of functionality for managing terminal sessions, and you can customize it based on your needs.