Fixing Tmux Generating Random Characters on Click or Scroll

Dimas Maulana Development Troubleshooting

18-02-2018

Contents

Tmux is a popular terminal multiplexer that allows users to manage multiple terminal sessions within a single window. However, some users may encounter an issue where Tmux generates random characters when clicking or scrolling within the terminal. This can be frustrating and disrupt the user’s workflow. In this article, we will explore a solution to fix this problem.

Solution

To resolve the issue of Tmux generating random characters on click or scroll, you can follow the steps outlined below:

Resetting the mouse mode: Tmux uses different modes for handling mouse input. By resetting the mouse mode, you can often fix the issue. There are a few methods you can try to reset the mouse mode:

a. Using the Tmux command prompt: Start by entering the Tmux command prompt. You can do this by pressing the prefix key (usually Ctrl+b or Ctrl+a) followed by a colon (:). Once in the command prompt, type the following command and press Enter:
```
set -g mouse off
```
b. Using the shell command: Alternatively, you can run the following shell command directly from your terminal to turn off the mouse mode:
```
tmux set -g mouse off
```
Reloading the Tmux configuration: If resetting the mouse mode doesn’t resolve the issue, you can try reloading the Tmux configuration. This can be done by executing the following command in your terminal:
```
tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf
```
This command reloads the Tmux configuration from the specified file location. Make sure to replace ~/.tmux.conf with the actual path to your Tmux configuration file if it is located elsewhere.
Resetting the terminal: If the above steps don’t solve the problem, you can try resetting the terminal itself. There are a couple of methods you can use to reset the terminal:

a. Using the “reset” command: Type the following command in your terminal and press Enter:
```
reset
```
This command resets the terminal, clearing any unusual behavior or settings that may be causing the issue.

b. Using Vim: Another option is to open Vim and exit immediately. This can be done by running the following command:
```
vim +q
```
Opening Vim and exiting will often reset the terminal to its default state, potentially resolving the problem.

Conclusion

If you encounter the issue of Tmux generating random characters on click or scroll, it can be frustrating. However, by following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to resolve the problem. Start by resetting the mouse mode in Tmux, reload the Tmux configuration if necessary, and consider resetting the terminal using the “reset” command or by briefly opening Vim. These steps should help restore normal functionality to your Tmux session.