# Tmux - reload .tmux.conf configuration file

Restarting the tmux server every time you change the configuration is tedious and unnecessary. 

From the shell:
: `tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf`

As a tmux command:
: `Prefix` + `:source-file ~/.tmux.conf`
: *Just in case: the default prefix is `CTRL` + `b`*

Those methods reload the tmux configuration without affection the sessions or windows.

**Info**: some changes still require a restart of the tmux server. If you were to remove a key bind, you would need to restart the tmux server or explicitly unbind the key.

The server stops running if all sessions are closed or you kill it with `tmux kill-server` or kill the process with `pkill/kill`. `tmux kill-server` will send a `SIGTERM`, where `tmux kill-pane/kill-window/kill-session` will send a `SIGHUP`.

#### **Side note** to the location of the configuration file:

Tmux looks in `/etc/tmux.conf` for a system-wide configuration file, and then for a configuration file in the current user's home directory, e.x. `~/.tmux.conf`. If these files don't exist, tmux uses the default settings.

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