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Overview

The left icon appears on the far left of your tmux status bar. It can display static text, your hostname, the current session name, or any tmux format variable.

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Basic usage

Set the left icon to any static text or tmux format variable:
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@dracula-show-left-icon
string
The content to display in the left icon. Can be static text or tmux format variables.Supports any tmux format variable for dynamic content.
# Static text
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "tmux"

# Show hostname
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#h"

# Show session name
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#S"

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Tmux format variables

You can use any tmux format variable in the left icon. Here are the most commonly used ones:
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#H
format
Hostname of local host (fully qualified domain name).Example: mycomputer.local
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#h
format
Hostname of local host without domain name.Example: mycomputer
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#S
format
Name of the current tmux session.Example: main, work, devTip: Use tmux rename-session (or create an alias like alias trs='tmux rename-session') to set meaningful session names.
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#W
format
Name of the current window.Example: bash, vim, 1:editor
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#h"
Combining hostname and session name is especially useful when:
  • You use tmux on multiple machines (SSH)
  • You run multiple tmux sessions simultaneously
  • You want quick context about your current environment

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Advanced format variables

Besides the shorthand format variables like #H, you can use any tmux format variable with the full syntax #{variable_name}. This is equivalent to the shorthand versions: 
# These are equivalent
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#h"
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#{host}"

# These are equivalent
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#S"
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#{session_name}"
For a complete list of available format variables, see the tmux manual page.

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Icon padding

Control the spacing around the left icon content:
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@dracula-left-icon-padding
number
default:"1"
The number of spaces to pad around the left icon content.Set to 0 to disable padding.
# One space on each side (default)
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#S"
set -g @dracula-left-icon-padding 1
# Result: " main "

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Common use cases

If you use tmux on multiple machines, display the hostname to know where you are:
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#h"
Or combine it with the session name:
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#h | #S"
When running multiple tmux sessions at once, display the session name:
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#S"
Name your sessions meaningfully:
# Create named sessions
tmux new-session -s work
tmux new-session -s personal
tmux new-session -s dev

# Or rename an existing session
tmux rename-session project-x

# Create an alias for quick renaming
alias trs='tmux rename-session'
Use static text for a consistent look:
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "tmux"
Or use Unicode/Nerd Font symbols:
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon " "
Create custom combinations that work for your workflow:
# Host with session and window
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#h:#S:#W"

# Session with time
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#S | %H:%M"

# Username and host
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#(whoami)@#h"

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Complete example

Here’s a full configuration for a developer working on multiple machines: 
# Show hostname and session name
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#h | #S"

# Add extra padding for readability
set -g @dracula-left-icon-padding 2

# Enable powerline for a polished look
set -g @dracula-show-powerline true
set -g @dracula-show-edge-icons true
Result: mycomputer | work

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Tips

Rename sessions quickly: Create a shell alias for fast session renaming:
alias trs='tmux rename-session'
Then use: trs my-project
Keep it short: The left icon appears on every window, so keep it concise to save status bar space for plugins.
Format variables like #h and #S must be quoted when used in tmux configuration:
# Correct
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon "#h"

# Incorrect - shell will interpret #
set -g @dracula-show-left-icon #h

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