Xterm-256color
lastmod 2026-11-10created 2021-03-162 edits
Xterm-256color is one of the terminal type names set in the TERM environment variable, meaning a terminal that is xterm-compatible and supports 256 colors. Programs read the terminfo entry corresponding to this value to determine the number of colors and the escape sequences, so if it is set to the default xterm, color themes in vim or tmux are not displayed correctly. Most modern terminal emulators support this value, and it is commonly used for compatibility even in true-color environments.