Complete GNU Screen keyboard shortcuts reference — 54 shortcuts across 7 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for Linux & Mac.
GNU Screen predates tmux and is still what you find on older servers and appliances. Every command is the prefix Ctrl + A, d-style — Ctrl + A, then a key — and the table writes them that way. The core use is the same as tmux: start a session, detach, and come back to it after the connection drops.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A, d | Detach |
| Ctrl + A, D, D | Detach and Logout |
| Ctrl + A, z | Suspend |
| Ctrl + A, x | Lock Terminal |
| Ctrl + A, Ctrl + \ | Quit Screen |
| Ctrl + A, : | Command Line |
| Ctrl + A, ? | Show Key Bindings |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A, c | New Window |
| Ctrl + A, n | Next Window |
| Ctrl + A, p | Previous Window |
| Ctrl + A, Ctrl + A | Toggle Previous Window |
| Ctrl + A, 0 | Select Window by Number |
| Ctrl + A, ' | Select Window by Name |
| Ctrl + A, " | Window List |
| Ctrl + A, w | Show Window List |
| Ctrl + A, A | Rename Window |
| Ctrl + A, k | Kill Window |
| Ctrl + A, N | Show Window Number |
| Ctrl + A, M | Toggle Monitoring |
| Ctrl + A, _ | Monitor for Silence |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A, S | Split Horizontally |
| Ctrl + A, Tab | Next Region |
| Ctrl + A, Q | Only This Region |
| Ctrl + A, X | Kill Region |
| Ctrl + A, F | Fit Window to Region |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A, [ | Copy Mode |
| Ctrl + A, ] | Paste |
| Ctrl + A, { | Copy Previous Line |
| Ctrl + A, > | Write Exchange File |
| Ctrl + A, < | Read Exchange File |
| Ctrl + A, = | Delete Exchange File |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A, C | Clear Screen |
| Ctrl + A, l | Refresh |
| Ctrl + A, Z | Reset Terminal |
| Ctrl + A, W | Toggle Column Width |
| Ctrl + A, r | Toggle Line Wrap |
| Ctrl + A, Ctrl + G | Toggle Visual Bell |
| Ctrl + A, * | Show Attached Displays |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A, i | Window Info |
| Ctrl + A, t | Show Time and Load |
| Ctrl + A, m | Repeat Last Message |
| Ctrl + A, v | Show Version |
| Ctrl + A, , | Show Copyright |
| Ctrl + A, h | Write Hardcopy |
| Ctrl + A, H | Toggle Logging |
| Ctrl + A, . | Dump Termcap |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A, a | Send Command Character |
| Ctrl + A, b | Send Break |
| Ctrl + A, B | Reopen TTY |
| Ctrl + A, f | Cycle Flow Control |
| Ctrl + A, q | Send XON |
| Ctrl + A, s | Send XOFF |
| Ctrl + A, L | Toggle Login State |
| Ctrl + A, Ctrl + V | Enter Digraph |
Run screen -S name to start a named session, work, and press Ctrl + A, d to detach; screen -r name reattaches, and screen -ls lists sessions when you have forgotten the name. Ctrl + A, D, D detaches and logs out of the terminal in one step. Ctrl + A, x locks the terminal with your password, and Ctrl + A, Ctrl + \ quits Screen entirely, killing every window — it asks first. Ctrl + A, : opens a command line for any screen command, and Ctrl + A, ? shows the current bindings.
Ctrl + A, c opens a new window, Ctrl + A, n and Ctrl + A, p move between them, Ctrl + A, Ctrl + A toggles to the previous one and Ctrl + A, 0 through 9 jump by number. Ctrl + A, A names a window so Ctrl + A, " — the window list — is readable, and Ctrl + A, k kills one. Ctrl + A, S splits the screen into regions, Ctrl + A, Tab moves between them, and Ctrl + A, Q returns to a single region; a new region is empty until you select a window into it with Ctrl + A, ".
Ctrl + A, [ enters copy mode, where the arrow and vi keys scroll back and Space marks the start and end of a selection; Ctrl + A, ] pastes it. Ctrl + A, H toggles logging the window to a file, which is how a long job's output survives. Ctrl + A, M monitors a window for activity and Ctrl + A, _ for silence, each flashing a message when triggered — useful for a build running in another window. Ctrl + A, l redraws a garbled screen.
Ctrl + A, d detaches. screen -r reattaches (screen -r name if there are several; screen -ls lists them).
Ctrl + A, [ enters copy mode; use Page Up or the arrow keys, then Esc to leave.
Regions start empty. Press Ctrl + A, " and pick a window, or Ctrl + A, c to create one in that region.
tmux has more features and better defaults; screen is worth knowing because it is installed on many older systems where tmux is not.
Open your assistant with this page preloaded as the source — great for follow-up questions like "which of these work in other apps?"