How to Open Terminal on Mac and How to Use it [2024 Guide]

Terminal is one of those essential utilities on a Mac. Here's how to open and use it with quick solutions:

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Many people use macOS because it's a unique operating system available on the market that allows users to perform productivity tasks better than with other operating systems. One key reason many people love Mac devices is its terminal. Learning how to open the terminal on a Mac can be a quick and easy way to run operations on the operating system.

The Terminal is a built-in command line tool that allows users to access a variety of important features and perform multiple tasks within it.

But how do you open Terminal on a Mac? This article will explore several methods to access and use the Terminal on your Mac device. Let's dive right in.

Overview: What is the Terminal on a Mac?

"Terminal" is an application in the Mac OS X operating system that provides users with a command-line interface. In other words, it is the command-line interface for a Mac computer, allowing users to interact with the computer using commands instead of a graphical user interface. Here, users can input various commands to perform tasks, manage files, run programs, and more.

Terminal is a crucial program in the Mac operating system that provides a command-line interface for interacting with the operating system and running programs. Through the Terminal, users can input various commands to perform tasks such as managing files, controlling processes, configuring system settings, and more. It is an indispensable tool particularly for advanced users and developers.

On a Mac, it serves the same purpose as the CMD/Command Prompt on a Windows computer. As such, it's important to know how to open and use Terminal on a Mac correctly.

This article will provide an introduction to Terminal and explain why it's essential for your day-to-day Mac experience. Let's dive in and explore how your Mac works under the hood and how to use it efficiently.

Reference: Terminal commands and functions

A terminal provides a text-based interface to interact with the operating system, programs, and files. Terminal commands are typically used to perform specific tasks within the terminal.

They are also referred to as functions in some cases. These functions include changing directories, executing commands, and launching another program. Thus, the most basic but essential command-line instructions in a terminal include:

• CD. You can move around and modify the structure within your Mac's directories.
• MKDIR. Used to create directories/folders on your Mac.
• CP. Copies files from one location to another, but you need to specify the location with a drive letter.
• RM. Deletes files or entire directories/folders.
• TOUCH. This command is used to create new files and modify the metadata of existing files.

So how do you use these commands on a Mac? Well, let's start with CD, which stands for change directory, and it lets you move around. If you wanted to do something on your desktop, you would type:

CD: Desktop Edition

This will bring you to the desktop on your Mac. Now that you're in the Terminal and at your desktop, you can use the MKDIR command to make a new folder, like so:

Create directory: My Personal Folder

This will create a new folder on your desktop called "my-personal-folder".

6 Ways to Open the Terminal on a Mac

In this section, we'll discuss several methods to open the Terminal on your Mac. There are many ways, but we've selected six essential approaches to teach you how to open the Terminal on your Mac device, along with a related video. Let's dive right in.

• 00:00 - Desired Content
• 00:16 - Launchpad
• 00:29 - Using Spotlight Search (Command + Space)
• 00:45 - Opening Finder to Utilities
• 01:02 - Adding Terminal to the Dock
• 01:24 - Summary

Method 1: Open Terminal on Mac via Shortcut

We'll start with the quickest way to open the Terminal on a Mac using the keyboard and mouse. Here's what you'll need to do:

Step 1: Click the Finder icon in the bottom right corner of your Mac's desktop.

Step 2: Scroll down and tap on “Services.”

Step 3. Select an option, then find and click on “New Terminal at Folder.”

Step 4. Wait for the terminal to open.

This will open a terminal, allowing you to use commands. However, note that this will open the terminal in your current directory. So, you can navigate to a specific folder and open a terminal in that folder using the same method.

Method 2: Open Terminal from the Applications Folder

In this section, you'll be opening the “Terminal” from the “Applications” folder. Remember that this portion of your Mac's Finder contains all the important Mac apps and utilities, so Terminal is in here somewhere. You can open it like this:

Step 1: Open Finder on your Mac.

Step 2: Go to the Applications folder.

Step 3: Open the "Utilities" folder.

Step 4: Find Terminal and double-click to open it.

This will allow you to open the "Terminal" through the "Applications" folder on your Mac. Be sure to follow these steps correctly.

Method 3: Open Terminal with Spotlight Search

Using Spotlight Search is one of the easiest ways to open Terminal on your Mac. This feature lets you type in the name of any application and launch it on your Mac device. It's both user-friendly and very convenient. Here's how to use it:

Step 1: Open the Spotlight search by pressing Command + Space on your keyboard.

Step 2: Type “Terminal” in the search bar.

Step 3. Wait for the terminal to appear.

4. Click on the “Terminal” app to open it.

Click the “Terminal” app to launch it.

This will help you open the Terminal on your Mac via Spotlight. Make sure you have it open and follow the steps below to launch the Terminal.

Method 4: Open the Terminal from Launchpad

The Launchpad on a Mac is another way to open and access the Terminal. While there are several ways to open it from the Dock, you can access the Launchpad quickly with a keyboard shortcut:

Step 1: Press the F4 key on your keyboard.

Step 2: Open Launchpad and then click Others.

Step 3: Click on “Terminal.”

This is another way to open a terminal, so do it in the right order.

Method 5: Open Terminal from Finder

Finder is another convenient option that can help you locate Terminal on your Mac device. To use this method, you need to know how to open Finder on your Mac. Once you do, follow these steps to open Terminal:

1. Open Finder on your Mac.

Step 2. Go to “Go” and then find “Utilities” and click on it.

Step 3: Locate and double-click on “Terminal” under “Utilities.”

In the Utilities folder, double-click on “Terminal.”

As you can see, this is another simple way to open Terminal on a Mac and access its core features.

Method 6: Open Terminal in macOS Recovery Mode

To use Recovery Mode on your Mac, you need to know how to access it on your device. So, check if your Mac's Recovery Mode is not working. Once you can get into it, follow these steps to enter Recovery Mode and open the Terminal:

Step 1: Restart your Mac in Recovery Mode.

Step 2: Click “Utilities” from the top menu bar.

Step 3: Find and click on Terminal.

Again, the key is knowing how to get into Recovery Mode on your particular Mac. Once you're there, you can follow these steps to ensure that you launch Terminal in Recovery Mode:

Additional Tip: Recover lost data with Mac Data Recovery Software

One great use of Terminal is to recover deleted files on Mac or to reinstall macOS. Aside from that, Terminal is a handy tool to fix or restore many aspects of your Mac device. However, users might find their important files or data missing after the recovery.

This is why, although the Terminal on your Mac allows you to recover these files, it might be a bit difficult for new users. Instead, a professional data recovery software like Data Recovery Wizard for Mac would be better.

These are the reasons you need this tool to recover and restore your files. So, once you're done with the terminal commands, you can use the Disk Drill Data Recovery Wizard and its features to help you retrieve important files. Here's how.

Step 1: Search for the missing file

On macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and the latest Sonoma, choose the disk location where you want to search for the lost file (it can be your internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device). Then, click the “Search Lost Files” button.

Note: Before you recover data, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” on the left sidebar to back up your Mac so as to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can restore data from the Mac backup, and then your computer can write new data.

Step 2: Browse the scan results

Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan the disk volume you select and display the scan results.

Step 3. Select the files and recover them

Select the files you want to preview from the scan results, and then click the "Recover" button to get them back.

Final Thoughts

That's how you open and use Terminal on a Mac. It's an essential tool on your Mac, and a necessary utility for restoring or fixing important functions on your device. As such, it's important to use it correctly to avoid any issues.

In addition, you would need to use a data recovery tool like the tools Data Recovery Wizard to retrieve files lost during the attempt to restore your Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Open Terminal on Mac with UTF-8 Encoding

Here you will find different answers to your question.

How do I open Terminal in Recovery Mode on a Mac?

Once in Recovery Mode, navigate to the top bar and click “Utilities.” From the menu, find and click “Terminal” to open it in Recovery Mode.

**2. How do I open Terminal on a Mac using the keyboard?** On a Mac, you can open Terminal using the following keyboard steps: 1. Press `Command + Space` keys, which will open the Spotlight search. 2. In the Spotlight search bar, type `Terminal`. 3. When the "Terminal" app appears in the search results, press the `Enter` key. This way, you can quickly open Terminal on your Mac using the keyboard shortcut.

There is no specific shortcut on a Mac to open the Terminal directly; however, pressing Command + Space will bring up Spotlight, and you can type “Terminal” to find and open it.

How do you stop a command in the Terminal on a Mac?

When you are done with your terminal session, type exit and press Enter to close it.

4. How do I open the Terminal on a Mac as an administrator?

Type this command in Terminal on your Mac.

"Execute the command: dscl / -append /Groups/admin GroupMembership USERNAME."

But replace “Username” with your actual username, and then press Return.