3 Easy Ways to Open a Terminal Window on a Mac

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Fastest ways to find and launch a Terminal window on your Mac or Macbook
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The Terminal provides Mac users a way to access and adjust settings of the operating system with text-based commands. This can be helpful when troubleshooting your computer or laptop. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to launch the Terminal app with and without keyboard shortcuts. This wikiHow will show you how to open a Terminal window on your Mac running macOS Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, or earlier.

Things You Should Know

  • To open the Terminal on Mac, open the Launchpad app. Type in "terminal" and click "Terminal".
  • Alternatively, open the Finder and click "Go" → "Utilities" → "Terminal".
  • You can also click the Spotlight icon in the top-right corner. Search "terminal" and click "Terminal".
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Using Launchpad

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    Open the Launchpad . This looks like a square holding 9 colored tiles.
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    If needed, click the search bar at the top first.
    • Results will load as you type.
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    The Terminal window will open.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using Finder

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    Open the Finder . This looks like the blue and silver face icon.
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    It's at the top of the screen. A drop-down menu will open.
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    You can find this towards the bottom of the drop-down menu. [1]
    • Alternatively, you can press ⇧ Shift + ⌘ + U to quickly open the Utilities folder.
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    The Terminal window will open.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using Spotlight

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    Click the Spotlight icon. It's the magnifying glass in the upper-right corner of the screen.
    • Alternatively, you can press ⌘ + space to quickly open Spotlight.
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    The Terminal window will open.
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Community Q&A

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Add New Question
  • Question
    What's the use for spotlight?
    Nuclearblowout
    Community Answer
    Spotlight is used mainly for finding apps quickly. It is much faster then the dock and to use it, just press command and space.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Yes No
    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3
  • Question
    How do you find uninstalled apps?
    Community Answer
    You can find uninstalled apps that you purchased from the App Store by going clicking on your profile picture in the bottom left corner of the App Store and then by seeing purchases.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Yes No
    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1
  • Question
    Terminal opens at login, how do I change this to make it stop?
    Community Answer
    It looks like you have it in Login items to startup on boot. To fix this, open System Preferences, then Users, then choose the User you log into, then Login items. It will display a bunch of apps. To change it, first click on bottom left padlock and enter password to be able to edit settings. Next, select Terminal and/or other apps and press the "-" sign just below the box. That's it. Try restarting and check.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/terminal/open-or-quit-terminal-apd5265185d-f365-44cb-8b09-71a064a42125/2.14/mac/14.0

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Click the Finder icon in your dock.
      2. Click Go .
      3. Click Utilities .
      4. Double-click Terminal .

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