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Neovim Colors Wrong in tmux

Workaround available macOS, Linux Updated October 21, 2026

Quick answer

Colorschemes look washed-out or different inside tmux because true color (RGB) isn't passed through. Set tmux's default-terminal to tmux-256color and add an RGB terminal-features entry.

Most likely fix: Set the right TERM in tmux.

Symptoms

Colors fine in a plain terminal but wrong inside tmux; :checkhealth warns that neither Tc nor RGB capability is set.

Why it happens

  • tmux default-terminal not a 256-color TERM
  • Outer terminal's RGB capability not forwarded by tmux
  • $TERM mismatch between shell, tmux and terminal emulator

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

  1. 1. Set the right TERM in tmux

    1. Add set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color" to ~/.tmux.conf
    2. Restart the tmux server (tmux kill-server)

  2. 2. Enable true color passthrough

    1. Add set -as terminal-features ",xterm-256color:RGB" (match your outer terminal's TERM)
    2. Older tmux: set -ga terminal-overrides ",xterm-256color:Tc"

  3. 3. Test and verify

    1. Run TERM=xterm-256color nvim outside tmux to compare
    2. Run :checkhealth inside tmux and confirm the RGB warning is gone

This guide also covers

  • neovim colors wrong tmux
  • neovim termguicolors tmux
  • nvim colorscheme not working in tmux

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