The Terminal application on Mac is a great tool, and once you learn how to use it, you may find yourself using it quite frequently. One thing that can be a little difficult is moving around to specific folders, especially if you don’t know the complete path to that folder.
Did you know that it is possible to use the Finder application to navigate to or search for a specific folder and then open Terminal in that current folder on your Mac? You can easily open Terminal from a current folder on Mac by right-clicking on the folder in Finder and then opening Terminal from the context menu.
My name is Eric, and as a software engineer, I frequently use command line interfaces like Terminal. As you continue using tools like Terminal, you begin to learn little tricks and shortcuts that can make you more efficient.
Being able to open Terminal in your current folder within Finder is a quick way to open and perform tasks. Keep reading if you would like to see how to do this.
Contents
Use Finder to Open Terminal in your Current Folder
Using the Terminal application is a great trick to have up your sleeve. Let’s get right to it and see how to open Terminal from any folder in Finder.
Step 1: Open Finder by clicking on the icon on the dock.
Step 2: Navigate to the location where you want to open a Terminal session. You can use the links on the left side pane of Finder, the search field, or just traverse the directories in the main window.
Step 3: Right-click on the folder to bring up the context menu.
Step 4: On the context menu, click on New Terminal at Folder.
This will open a Terminal instance, and you will currently be in the folder that you selected in Finder.
So, you followed the steps above, and when you got to the context menu, you didn’t see a choice of New Terminal at Folder. This can happen if Finder is not configured to show this particular service. It’s not anything you have done; it was just never configured or somehow got disabled.
No worries– this is easy to fix. Just follow the steps below.
Step 1: Click on Finder on the Finder menu, then Services, and then Services Settings. This will open up the keyboard settings.
Step 2: Under keyboard settings, click on Keyboard shortcuts.
Step 3: In the next window, click on Services on the left panel, then expand Files and Folders in the main section of the window.
Step 4: Make sure that New Terminal at Folder has a checkmark beside it.
Once this is set up, you should now see New Terminal at Folder in your context menu.
FAQ
Below are some questions that are often asked about opening Terminal in the current Folder on Mac.
Are there any other methods of Opening the Terminal in a Current Folder on Mac?
Yes, you can also do this from the Finder menu at the top of the screen when you have Finder open. It’s under Services.
One more method you can use is to drag a folder from Finder or a Spotlight search window to the Terminal application in your dock. This will automatically open a Terminal session in that folder.
Is there a keyboard shortcut to open Terminal in a current folder?
There is no built-in keyboard shortcut to open Terminal in a current folder, but you can configure one if you would like to do so. Take a look at this Apple support article for more information on configuring keyboard shortcuts.
How do I get the current path in Terminal?
If you need to find your current path in Terminal, just type the pwd command.
Conclusion
The easiest way to open Terminal in your current folder on Mac is to use Finder to navigate to the location and right-click and open Terminal from the context menu. You can also use the Finder menu or drag and drop folders on top of the Terminal application in your dock.
I hope the information above has helped you to learn how to open Terminal in a Folder. As usual, please let me know if you have any questions. I would love to hear from you.
