Module 2 · Lesson 112 min

Split, focus, close

Panes are splits within a tab. You create them by direction, move focus between them, and close them when done. Everything here lives in Pane mode, reached with Ctrl p. Notice that the split keys drop you straight back to Normal afterward, so you split and keep typing without a detour.

Pane mode: create and close

`Ctrl`then`p`	Enter Pane mode
`n`	New pane
`d`	Split down (new pane below)
`r`	Split right (new pane to the right)
`x`	Close the focused pane

Pane mode: move focus

`h`	Focus left
`j`	Focus down
`k`	Focus up
`l`	Focus right
`p`	Cycle focus to the next pane

The hjkl here are the Vim directions: left, down, up, right. Arrow keys work in the same slots if your hands aren’t there yet. And you don’t always need a mode: several pane actions have shortcuts that work straight from Normal using Alt.

Shortcuts from Normal (no mode needed)

`Alt`then`n`	New pane
`Alt`then`h`	Move focus (or tab) left
`Alt`then`j`	Move focus down
`Alt`then`k`	Move focus up
`Alt`then`l`	Move focus (or tab) right

Practice

Try it yourself

Split into a three-pane layout

Build a small arrangement and walk your focus around it.

In Pane mode (Ctrl p), press r to split right
Enter Pane mode again and press d to split the right pane down
You now have three panes. Use Alt h, Alt j, Alt k, Alt l from Normal to move focus between them
Watch the highlighted frame move as focus shifts

Done whenYou have three panes and can move focus to any of them with the Alt+direction keys.

Close one back down

Tidy up with the close key.

Focus one of the panes you created
Press Ctrl p then x to close it
Confirm the layout collapses to fill the space

Done whenThe focused pane closed and the remaining panes expanded to fill the gap.

Quiz

Which key splits down

In Pane mode, you want a new pane stacked below the current one.

Show answer

Correct answer: B — d

d splits down (a new pane below). r splits right. n makes a new pane in the automatic direction, and s stacks.