Changing the leader and window keys
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keys:
leader: Ctrl-x
window: Ctrl-a
- Each takes exactly one key.
windowcannot be an unmodified character, includingSpace. It is captured in Insert, Replace, and Terminal Insert modes, so a plain character would make that character impossible to type.
A new window prefix moves the whole window menu in Normal, Insert, and Terminal Insert modes.
- The old
Ctrl-wis then passed to terminal programs. - The new key is taken from them.
Ctrl-a, for example, is tmux’s usual prefix and readline’s beginning-of-line.
A new leader also becomes the key that dismisses modal lists, choice popups, action menus, ordinary confirmations, and an empty picker.
- A bare
Spacebecomes ordinary input there. - Confirmations that ask you to type exact text, such as a branch name or a path, still treat every printable key, including the leader, as text.