Opening Terminal on Mac
On a Mac, the fastest way to open Terminal is to press Command + Space to open Spotlight Search, type "terminal", and press Enter. The Terminal application will launch immediately.
If you prefer to navigate manually, open Finder, go to Applications, then open the Utilities folder. Double-click Terminal to launch it. You can also drag Terminal from Utilities to your Dock so it stays accessible without searching.
Once Terminal opens, you will see a window with a command prompt — usually a line ending with a dollar sign ($) or percent sign (%) — where you can type commands. The window title shows the name of your shell, typically "zsh" on newer Macs or "bash" on older ones.
Opening Terminal on Windows
Windows has two command-line applications: Command Prompt and PowerShell. PowerShell is the newer, more capable option and is what most people should use.
To open PowerShell, press Windows Key + X and select "Windows PowerShell" or "Windows Terminal" from the menu. Alternatively, right-click on the Start button, select "Terminal (Admin)" if you need administrator access, or search for "PowerShell" in the Start menu and click it.
Windows Terminal is a newer application that runs PowerShell or Command Prompt inside a modern interface. To open it, search for "Windows Terminal" in the Start menu. Windows Terminal is worth using because it handles text better and lets you open multiple tabs in one window.
Command Prompt is the older application. You can still open it by pressing Windows Key + R, typing "cmd", and pressing Enter, but PowerShell does everything Command Prompt does and more.
Key Takeaways
- On Mac, press Command + Space, type "terminal", and press Enter to open Terminal in seconds.
- On Windows, press Windows Key + X and select Windows PowerShell or Windows Terminal from the menu.
- Windows Terminal is the modern option for Windows and runs PowerShell in a better interface than the older Command Prompt.
- Once open, you will see a prompt (usually $ or %) where you can type commands.
- You can pin Terminal or PowerShell to your taskbar or Dock so you do not have to search for it each time.
Pinning Terminal to Your Taskbar or Dock
On Mac, drag Terminal from the Utilities folder to your Dock. It will stay there permanently, and you can click it to open Terminal without searching.
On Windows, right-click the Windows Terminal or PowerShell icon in your Start menu and select "Pin to taskbar". The icon will appear at the bottom of your screen, and you can click it to open the application anytime.
Running Terminal as Administrator
Some commands require administrator or root access. On Mac, you do not need to open Terminal differently — instead, you prefix a command with sudo (which stands for "superuser do") and press Enter. The system will ask for your password.
On Windows, right-click Windows Terminal or PowerShell in the Start menu and select "Run as administrator". A new window will open with elevated permissions. You can tell it is running as administrator because the title bar says "Administrator" and the prompt may look different.
What Happens When Terminal Opens
When Terminal or PowerShell opens, you see a blank window with a command prompt. The prompt shows where you are in the file system — usually your home directory — and is ready for you to type a command.
On Mac, the prompt typically looks like this: username@computername ~ %. On Windows PowerShell, it usually looks like this: PS C:\Users\username>. The exact appearance depends on your settings, but both are waiting for input.
You can now type any command supported by your shell. To see what is in your current folder, type ls on Mac or dir on Windows and press Enter. To navigate to a different folder, type cd followed by the folder path.
Troubleshooting Terminal Launch Issues
If Terminal does not open on Mac, make sure you are typing in Spotlight correctly. Press Command + Space again, wait for the search box to appear, and type "terminal" slowly. If nothing happens, your Mac may have a system issue — restart it and try again.
On Windows, if Windows Terminal does not appear in your Start menu, you may be running an older version of Windows. Download Windows Terminal from the Microsoft Store, or use PowerShell instead, which comes built-in. If PowerShell does not open when you press Windows Key + X, try searching for "PowerShell" directly in the Start menu.
If you open Terminal or PowerShell and see an error message, close the window and try opening it again. If the error persists, restart your computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have multiple Terminal windows open at the same time?
Yes. On Mac, open Terminal multiple times using Spotlight or Finder. On Windows, open multiple PowerShell windows, or use Windows Terminal and open multiple tabs by pressing Ctrl + Shift + T. Each window or tab is independent and can run different commands.
What is the difference between Terminal and PowerShell?
Terminal is Mac's command-line application. PowerShell is Windows's modern command-line application. They use different commands and syntax, but both let you run programs and manage files from the command line. Command Prompt is older and less capable than PowerShell.
Do I need to close Terminal when I am done?
No, but you can. Type exit and press Enter to close the window, or click the close button. Closing Terminal does not affect anything on your computer — it just closes the application window.
Why does Terminal ask for my password when I use sudo?
The sudo command runs a command with administrator permissions. Your computer asks for your password to make sure you really want to do that, because some commands can change important system files. Type your password and press Enter. The password will not appear on screen as you type.
Can I customize how Terminal looks?
Yes. On Mac, open Terminal, go to Preferences, and change the font, colors, and window size. On Windows, open Windows Terminal, go to Settings, and customize the appearance, colors, and font for PowerShell or Command Prompt. These changes are saved and apply every time you open the application.