diff --git a/tmux.conf b/tmux.conf
index d27c835..2d8f584 100644
--- a/tmux.conf
+++ b/tmux.conf
@@ -39,6 +39,10 @@ set -g @plugin 'christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator'
 set -g @plugin 'dreamsofcode-io/catppuccin-tmux'
 set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-yank'
 
+# set color default to display nvim colorschemes correctly
+set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color"
+set -ag terminal-overrides ",xterm-256color:RGB"
+
 run '~/.tmux/plugins/tpm/tpm'
 
 # set vi-mode