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Guide · Open source

How to use Tabby: install, SSH, serial and split panes

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

Tabby is a free, open-source terminal app for Windows, macOS and Linux that combines a terminal emulator with an SSH and Telnet connection manager and a serial terminal. This guide shows you how to get it running, open local shells, save SSH sessions, use split panes and serial connections, and decide whether it fits your work.

TabbyEugeny/tabby · ★ 75.3k · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Download Tabby. Open the latest release page on GitHub and download the build for your operating system.
  2. 2Open a shell tab. Start Tabby and open a new tab using the shell profile you need, such as PowerShell, WSL or Git-Bash on Windows.
  3. 3Save an SSH connection. Add a host in the SSH connection manager so you can reopen it without retyping details.
  4. 4Split the window. Split a tab into panes to run several sessions side by side.
  5. 5Set up a serial connection. Create a saved serial connection for your device and enable any input or output options you need.
  6. 6Add plugins or themes. Open Settings to install plugins or themes that suit your workflow.

Install Tabby on Windows, macOS or Linux

Tabby is distributed as a downloadable app. Open the latest release page from the project's GitHub repository, download the build for your operating system, and install it the way you would any other desktop app.

The README also lists Debian/Ubuntu and RPM package repositories hosted through packagecloud, and a nightly build channel for testing newer changes. The project's README does not list any system prerequisites, so none are stated here.

  • Latest stable release: the releases page on GitHub
  • Debian/Ubuntu and RPM repositories: linked from the README
  • Nightly builds: linked from the README, for testing unreleased changes
git clone https://github.com/Eugeny/tabby

Open your first local shell and tab

Once Tabby is running, you get a tabbed window. Tabby supports PowerShell (and PS Core), WSL, Git-Bash, Cygwin, MSYS2, Cmder and CMD on Windows, so you can keep several shell types in one window.

Tabs can sit on any side of the window, and Tabby remembers your tabs between sessions.

  • Open a new tab and choose the shell profile you want
  • Set custom shell profiles to change which shell opens by default
  • Use the shortcut settings to remap keys, including multi-chord shortcuts

Save and organize SSH connections

Tabby includes an integrated SSH and Telnet client with a connection manager, so you do not have to retype hosts every time. The SSH client supports X11 and port forwarding, automatic jump host management, agent forwarding (including Pageant and the Windows native OpenSSH Agent) and login scripts.

Tabby's README notes that its SSH, SFTP and Telnet client is also available as a web app at tabby.sh/app, and can be self-hosted.

  • Save each connection in the connection manager
  • Configure jump hosts so Tabby connects through them automatically
  • Enable agent forwarding if you use Pageant or the Windows OpenSSH Agent
  • Add login scripts to run steps after connecting

Use split panes to work in several sessions at once

Tabby supports multiple nested split panes inside a single tab. This lets you watch a log in one pane while you run commands in another, or keep two remote machines side by side.

Other terminal features listed in the README include progress detection, notifications on process completion, bracketed paste with multiline paste warnings, and font ligatures.

  • Split a tab into nested panes to run several sessions in one view
  • Turn on the optional dockable window with a global spawn hotkey (the README calls this a Quake console)
  • Enable optional right-click paste and copy-on-select if you prefer PuTTY-style behaviour

Connect to a serial device

Tabby includes a serial terminal for hardware such as embedded boards. The README lists saved connections, readline input support, automatic reconnection, and newline conversion as serial features.

You can also enable optional hex byte-by-byte input and hexdump output, which helps when you are debugging raw data.

  • Create and save a serial connection for each device
  • Use readline input for editing lines before sending them
  • Turn on hex input or hexdump output when you need the raw bytes
  • Enable automatic reconnection if the device resets

Transfer files and extend Tabby

Tabby can transfer files directly from and to SSH sessions using Zmodem. For file browsing over SSH, the README lists an SFTP tab plugin as a community option.

Plugins and themes can be installed from the Settings view inside Tabby. The README lists examples such as save-output (record terminal output to a file), quick-cmds (send commands to one or all tabs), and several themes including catppuccin and gruvbox.

  • Zmodem: direct file transfer from and to SSH sessions
  • Install plugins and themes from Settings
  • Portable use on Windows: create a data folder in the same location as Tabby.exe

What people use it for

  • Keeping many SSH sessions to servers open and saved in one organized window
  • Connecting to embedded boards through a built-in serial terminal
  • Running PowerShell, WSL, Git-Bash and CMD in one tabbed Windows window
  • Transferring files over an SSH session using Zmodem

Frequently asked questions

Is Tabby free?

Tabby is open source and released under the MIT licence, according to the project's listing. The source is on GitHub, where you can read the licence terms yourself.

How do I install Tabby?

Download the latest release from the Tabby releases page on GitHub and install the build for your operating system. The README also links to Debian/Ubuntu and RPM repositories and nightly builds.

What are the system requirements for Tabby?

The project's README does not list specific system requirements. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, but it is not designed to be lightweight.

Is Tabby a good alternative to PuTTY?

Tabby includes an SSH and Telnet client, a connection manager and a serial terminal, so it covers many PuTTY use cases in a tabbed window. People also use it as an alternative to the default Windows terminal and macOS Terminal.app.

Is Tabby lightweight?

No. The README says Tabby is not lightweight and suggests ConEmu or Alacritty if RAM usage matters to you.

Can I use Tabby in a browser?

A separate web app exists at tabby.sh/app, offering SSH, SFTP and Telnet. It can also be self-hosted from the tabby-web project.

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Our verdict

Tabby suits developers who keep many saved SSH sessions, people who connect to serial hardware, and Windows users who want several shells in one tabbed window. If you need a very low memory footprint, or a new shell or MinGW/Cygwin replacement, the README points you to Alacritty, ConEmu or other tools instead.

Install options & downloads