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maniat1k
Asked: 2012-04-25 14:48:42 +0800 CST

How do I detach a screen session from a terminal?

  • 772

I know how to start a screen, and how to list different screens:

screen -ls

or to attach:

There are screens on:
        2477.pts-0.server1      (Detached)
        2522.pts-0.server1      (Detached)
2 Sockets in /var/run/screen/S-root.

$ screen -r 2477.pts-0.server1

But what is the key combination to detach from a screen session and keep it running?

command-line gnu-screen

4 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    Ctrl+a followed by d. Note the lower case. The [screen manpage] has a long list of these shortcuts under "DEFAULT KEY BINDINGS".

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  2. To list your sessions, run:

    screen -list

    You can run any command under screen command like:

    screen myscript.sh

    Then press Ctrl+a (release) and then d to detach the process/screen (so it'll continue to run).

    To resume detached process, use:

    screen -r

    If you have multiple, then add the session number after that.

    You can also re-attach to already Attached screen by screen -x. Useful to investigate why it's attached, share terminal with someone or to watch/check somebody what they're doing.

    For more help, either run man screen or within the screen press Ctrl+a, release and then hit ? to see more shortcuts.

    See also:

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  3. You'll probably see it listed like this in the screen man page:

    ^a - d

    It's important the note the case of the letters as uppercase and lowercase will do different functions.

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  4. Some systems remove certain bindings by default. So it is best to look at the online keybinding page: Ctrl-a ?. You can also use the command prompt in screen: Ctrl-a :detach. Myself, I generally remove the key bindings for 'detach' and 'powerdetach', except on remote systems.

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