Terminal Multiplexer for Windows vs fukuyori/wtmux
These are independent projects with the same wtmux command name, not different editions of one product or affiliated projects.
This page compares Terminal Multiplexer for Windows (wtmux 0.14.0) with fukuyori/wtmux 4.1.0, both published stable releases. Last reviewed: 2026-10-16.
External claims refer to that fukuyori/wtmux release and its versioned documentation; they are not a claim about every future release or platform.
This is a release-source/documentation review, not a cross-platform test or benchmark. Windows claims are checked against the Windows ConPTY path and application event loop, separately from the POSIX backend. Documented minimum OS versions are not independently tested minimums; not verified means the reviewed evidence does not establish support, not that a feature is necessarily absent.
Overview
| Aspect | Terminal Multiplexer for Windows | fukuyori/wtmux (4.1.0) |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows 10 2004+ (build 19041+), x64 and ARM64 | Documented minimum: Windows 10 1809+ (build 17763+); also macOS and Linux. 4.1.0 release downloads include Windows x64, not a Windows ARM64 asset |
| Implementation | C# Native AOT; bundled stable Microsoft ConPTY runtime | Rust; ConPTY on Windows, with bundled-or-system runtime selection |
| Separately installed language runtime | None for the Store package | None for the release binaries; compiling its source requires Rust |
| Session lifecycle | Background server retains sessions after clients detach | Windows/panes live in the invoked process; detach/attach is planned |
The Windows architecture distinction matters: fukuyori/wtmux's per-pane PTY Session is not the same thing as a detachable server session. Its entry point runs the window manager and event loop; on Windows its pane sessions start ConPTY-backed child processes.
Installation
| Method | fukuyori/wtmux | Terminal Multiplexer for Windows (wtmux) |
|---|---|---|
WinGet via Microsoft Store (msstore) |
Not verified for release 4.1.0 | winget install --id 9PC5S2F8Z7XX --source msstore |
| WinGet Community Repository | Not verified for release 4.1.0 | Not available |
| Microsoft Store | fukuyori/wtmux listing, documented upstream; Store version not verified against 4.1.0 | Terminal Multiplexer for Windows listing |
| Standalone binary download | 4.1.0 Windows x64 ZIP | Not available |
| Windows installer | 4.1.0 Windows x64 EXE/MSI | Not available |
Terminal Multiplexer for Windows is currently available only through the Microsoft Store. The explicit WinGet command above installs the same Store package, not a community-repository package. Follow the Store installation and verification guide; do not use a name-only winget install wtmux query, which may select the other project. fukuyori/wtmux documents its different Store ID, 9PKHJXB67R2N, and other installation choices in its own README. Follow the documentation for the intended product rather than assuming that a resolved wtmux command belongs to this app.
Architecture and Sessions
| Capability | Terminal Multiplexer for Windows | fukuyori/wtmux 4.1.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Panes, windows, layouts | Splits, resize/zoom, named windows, tiled/even/main layouts | Splits, tabs/windows, zoom, five layout presets |
| Detach/reattach and sharing | Supported; multiple attached clients can view a session | Planned. The detach action returns without detaching; a binding/command name is not working attach support |
| Cross-process commands | Named-pipe requests to a persistent server | Request/reply files polled by its event loop; not proof of an independently persistent server |
Configuration and Shell Integration
| Area | Terminal Multiplexer for Windows | fukuyori/wtmux (4.1.0) |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration format | ~/.wtmux.conf or a supported subset of ~/.tmux.conf; configuration reference |
TOML at %LOCALAPPDATA%\wtmux\config.toml on Windows; not interchangeable with tmux config |
| Prefix and custom bindings | Ctrl+B by default; bind/unbind, prefix-less bind -n, and one-shot key tables; binding reference |
Ctrl+B by default; prefix_key, [bind], [bind_root] and unbind configure its own command set |
| Shell selection | default-shell, shell arguments and default-command control new shell/pane launches |
Windows startup code handles cmd.exe, Windows PowerShell/pwsh and WSL; this is separate from its POSIX shell startup |
| CWD and shell integration | Pane-reported working directory and title feed host terminal metadata; display-popup --pane-directory can follow the pane's reported CWD; usage guide |
Optional Windows prompt wrappers publish CWD from cmd/PowerShell; command history uses OSC 133/633 markers when supplied, with fallback heuristics |
The Windows prompt wrappers above do not wrap WSL. Shared prefix keys, tmux-like command names or WTMUX environment-variable names do not establish compatible configuration, targeting or automation protocols.
Features
| Area | Terminal Multiplexer for Windows | fukuyori/wtmux 4.1.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Copy, search, paste | Copy mode and scrollback, paste buffers and bracketed paste; search is not yet a general copy-mode feature | Vim-like copy mode and scrollback search, mouse selection/copy |
| Mouse and terminal modes | Mouse pane selection, drag resize and app passthrough; bracketed paste, application keypad and focus reporting | Mouse passthrough, Shift selection and border resizing; modeled bracketed paste, focus and mouse modes |
| Clipboard and links | Policy-controlled OSC 8; bounded, authorized OSC 52 writes from eligible panes without readback | OSC 52 writes but no read queries, with Windows clipboard delivery wired into the event loop; OSC 8 hyperlinks documented |
| UI | Status bar, chooser, menus, ConPTY-backed popups | Window selector, themes and popup tools and agent dashboard |
| Windows broker sign-in parent | Attached panes expose one unambiguous visible terminal owner; detached or ambiguous windows need an application-supported fallback | Not verified in the reviewed release |
| Automation | send-keys, capture-pane, pipe-pane, command sequences and aliases |
Documented send-keys, capture-pane and popup control, plus agent-state reporting; full tmux command parity not established |
| Plugins | Built-in plugins and COM contracts with bounded automatic discovery of installed MSIX AppExtensions at new-server startup | Agent-state hooks execute shell commands, using cmd /C on Windows; a general released plugin-loading API is not verified |
Neither matching command names nor a feature listed as planned establish compatible config files, protocols, plugin APIs or session persistence. Compare with tmux and compare with psmux for the other projects.
When to Use Which
- Use Terminal Multiplexer for Windows when detachable, reattachable Windows sessions, multiple attached clients or a Store-managed install are important.
- Use fukuyori/wtmux when you need its documented cross-platform interface, Windows copy-mode search, themes or downloadable Windows installers, and do not require working detach/reattach in the compared release.