Zoom a pane to full screen

A long log in a small pane needs the whole screen for a moment, without rearranging the layout.

tmux kill-server 2>/dev/null; sleep 1
tmux new-session -d -s w -x 120 -y 30
tmux split-window -h -t w
tmux select-pane -t w:0.0
echo "normal: $(tmux display -p -t w:0.0 '#{pane_width}x#{pane_height} flags=#{window_flags}')"
tmux resize-pane -Z -t w:0.0
echo "zoomed: $(tmux display -p -t w:0.0 '#{pane_width}x#{pane_height} flags=#{window_flags}')"
tmux resize-pane -Z -t w:0.0
echo "again:  $(tmux display -p -t w:0.0 '#{pane_width}x#{pane_height} flags=#{window_flags}')"
tmux kill-server

normal: 60x30 flags=*
zoomed: 120x30 flags=*Z
again:  60x30 flags=*

resize-pane -Z toggles the zoom state of a pane. The pane takes the whole window while the other panes are hidden but keep running and keep their sizes, and the window flags gain a Z, which shows in the status line. The same command restores the layout, so nothing was rearranged. It is in the tmux manual and has been available since tmux 1.8.

Commands that act on another pane, such as select-pane or a split, will unzoom the window first unless you pass -Z to keep it. The state belongs to the window, so only one pane can be zoomed at a time. Copy mode works in a zoomed pane as usual.