Mac’s Terminal app is a powerful tool that gives you root-level access to your system. No doubt running shell commands isn’t for everyone, but Terminal can be a good tool when the intended action isn’t available in the macOS graphical user interface. If you are new to Mac, this article will show you how to open Terminal on Mac with ease.
There are several ways to launch the Terminal application on Mac. We have discussed them in detail here. If you’re trying out Terminal for the first time, check them out three useful terminal commands Every Mac user needs to know. That means let’s get started.
Quick tip: If you are just in this article to figure out how to add terminal app to dock, skip to method 6.
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1. Use Spotlight Search to Open Terminal on Mac
This is the quickest and easiest way to open Terminal on your Mac. Follow the instructions below.
Step 1: Press Command + Space to open Spotlight search.
note: Alternatively, you can click the magnifying glass icon in the top menu bar or press the F4 key on your keyboard to bring up Spotlight search.
step 2: Type terminal and press Enter.
That’s it. There are hardly any steps to open Terminal on Mac. Well, if you don’t want to open it from Spotlight search, there is another way. Jump to the next method.
2. Access the Terminal on the Mac using Launchpad
This is another easy way to open Terminal on your Mac. Consequences.
Step 1: Open Launchpad from the Dock.
step 2: Type terminal and press Enter on your keyboard.
3. How to launch Terminal to Finder on Mac
Knowing how to open a terminal with Finder can save time and be more efficient. The steps are easy to follow.
Step 1: Click Go on the desktop.
step 2: Select Utilities from the drop-down menu.
note: Alternatively, you can right-click the Finder icon in the Dock and select Utilities from the list.
step 3: Navigate to the Terminal app and double-click to open it.
That’s it. This way you have the terminal open quickly. If you want to access some files or folders and access macOS Terminal, go to the following method.
4. Run Terminal from the Applications folder
This is an easy way to open Terminal on a Mac. The steps mentioned in this procedure differ from the procedure discussed above. However, it is easy to follow.
Step 1: Open Finder from the Dock.
step 2: Go to the Applications folder.
step 3: Navigate to the Utilities folder and double click to open it.
step 4: Locate the Terminal app and double-click to open it.
Here we go. In this way, you can quickly open the Terminal app without having to follow some other steps or methods.
5. How to find Terminal with Siri on Mac
There’s no way to open Terminal without using your hands, except, you guessed it, with Siri.
All you have to do is click the Siri button in the menu bar, open it from your Applications folder, or say “Hey Siri” (if enabled in Siri preferences). Once Siri is listening, say Open Terminal. And rest assured, she will open the Terminal app.
6. How to create a terminal shortcut on macOS
If you use Terminal on a daily basis, it’s better to create a shortcut in your Dock for ease of use.
Note: First, open the Terminal app using one of the methods above, then follow the steps below.
Step 1: Right-click the Terminal icon in the Dock.
tip: Alternatively, you can hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click the Terminal icon in the Dock.
step 2: Go to “Options” and select “Keep in Dock”.
Fun fact: “Keep in Dock” on Mac is equivalent to “Pin to taskbar” on Windows.
That’s it. The terminal docks and is available for easy access whenever you need it.
7. How to open Terminal from macOS Recovery
You may need to access or change certain system files on your Mac. Well, you can access the Terminal with macOS Recovery to tweak things. Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Shut down your Mac first. Press and hold the power button until the Boot Options screen appears. Now click Options.
note: If your Mac runs on Intel (not an M1 or M2 processor), press “Command + R” when it starts to boot into macOS Recovery.
step 2: Go to Utilities in the menu bar and select Terminal from the drop-down menu.
This also allows you to open Terminal in macOS recovery boot mode. Do you have any further questions? Check out the next section.
FAQs on opening Terminal on Mac
Yes, you can open multiple terminals on a Mac. To do this, launch the Terminal app and click the File menu at the top of the screen. Select New Window from the menu to open a new terminal window. You can still open new windows by selecting the New Window option each time.
If you need to access Terminal on your Mac without logging in, you can use single-user mode. This will start your Mac in a special environment where you can access the command line interface.
In the Terminal app on a Mac, you can use Command+Shift+ to switch between tabs[ or Command+Shift+] keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts allow you to move to the previous or next tab respectively. This allows you to work with multiple terminal sessions at the same time.
To determine if the Terminal app is running on a Mac, simply open the Activity Monitor app by searching for it in Spotlight or navigating to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor. In the Activity Monitor app, look for the Terminal process in the list of processes. If it shows up, it means Terminal is running on Mac.
Find it fast
The Terminal app comes into play at different stages for different users. Now that you know how to open Terminal, it’ll be fun to try out the 11 Terminal tricks on your Mac to tinker with in macOS.
