# Maximizing Productivity with tmux: A Guide to Multi-Pane Monitoring with top

* **Split the Terminal Pane:**
    
    * Inside `tmux`, you can split the terminal pane either horizontally or vertically. Choose one of the following options:
        
        * Horizontal split: Press `Ctrl-b` followed by `%`.
            
        * Vertical split: Press `Ctrl-b` followed by `"`.
            
* **Navigate to the New Pane:**
    
    * If you've split horizontally or vertically, navigate to the new pane. You can do this with `Ctrl-b` followed by arrow keys, or by using `Ctrl-b` + `q` to display pane numbers and then pressing the corresponding number.
        
* **Run** `top` in the New Pane:
    
    * In the new pane, simply run the `top` command:
        

1. * ```plaintext
        top
        ```
        
    * This will display real-time information about system resources.
        
2. **Navigate Between Panes:**
    
    * You can switch between panes using `Ctrl-b` followed by arrow keys or by using the `Ctrl-b` + `q` method mentioned earlier.
        
3. **Exit** `top` and `tmux`:
    
    * To exit `top`, press `q`.
        
    * To exit `tmux`, you can detach from the session by pressing `Ctrl-b` followed by `d`.
        

These steps assume you're starting with a single pane in `tmux` and want to open `top` in a separate pane. If you already have multiple panes in your `tmux` session, you can skip the step of splitting the pane and directly navigate to an empty or desired pane before running `top`.