Shortcut Flow
Terminal Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac
Most Terminal shortcuts are really shell shortcuts, which is why nobody remembers which is which. These 88 shortcuts cover both the macOS app itself and the readline keys that work inside it.
Windows
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Close all | ⌥⇧⌘W |
| Close other tabs | ⌥⌘W |
| Close split pane | ⇧⌘D |
| Close tab | ⌘W |
| Close window | ⇧⌘W |
| Edit background color | ⌥⌘I |
| Edit title | ⇧⌘I |
| Line down | ⌥⌘Page Down |
| Line up | ⌥⌘Page Up |
| Make fonts bigger | ⌘= |
| Make fonts smaller | ⌘- |
| New command | ⇧⌘N |
| New remote connection | ⇧⌘K |
| New tab | ⌘T |
| New tab with same command | ⌃⌘T |
| New window | ⌘N |
| New window with same command | ⌃⌘N |
| Next tab | ⌃⇥ |
| Next window | ⌘` |
| Page down | ⌘Page Down |
| Page up | ⌘Page Up |
| Previous tab | ⌃⇧⇥ |
| Previous window | ⇧⌘` |
| Scroll to bottom | ⌘End |
| Scroll to top | ⌘Home |
| Show all tabs or exit tab overview | ⇧⌘\ |
| Show or hide Inspector | ⌘I |
| Show or hide tab bar | ⇧⌘T |
| Split window into two panes | ⌘D |
Edit
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Delete backward to the beginning of the word | ⌃W |
| Delete forward to the end of the word | ⌥D |
| Delete one character | ⌫ |
| Delete the line | ⌃U |
| Delete to the end of the line | ⌃K |
| Forward-delete one character | fn⌫ |
| Move insertion point backward one character | ← |
| Move insertion point backward one word | ⌥← |
| Move insertion point forward one character | → |
| Move insertion point forward one word | ⌥→ |
| Move insertion point to beginning of line | ⌃A |
| Move insertion point to end of line | ⌃E |
| Transpose two characters | ⌃T |
Selection
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Copy | ⌘C |
| Copy plain text | ⌥⇧⌘C |
| Copy without background color | ⌃⇧⌘C |
| Cut | ⌘X |
| Find | ⌘F |
| Find next | ⌘G |
| Find previous | ⇧⌘G |
| Find using the selected text | ⌘E |
| Jump to the selected text | ⌘J |
| Open the character viewer | ⌃⌘Space |
| Paste | ⌘V |
| Paste escaped selection | ⌃⇧⌘V |
| Paste escaped text | ⌃⌘V |
| Paste the selection | ⇧⌘V |
| Select all | ⌘A |
Markers
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Clear to previous bookmark | ⌥⌘L |
| Clear to previous mark | ⌘L |
| Clear to start | ⌘K |
| Insert bookmark | ⇧⌘M |
| Insert bookmark with name | ⌥⇧⌘M |
| Jump to next bookmark | ⌥⌘↓ |
| Jump to next mark | ⌘↓ |
| Jump to previous bookmark | ⌥⌘↑ |
| Jump to previous mark | ⌘↑ |
| Mark | ⌘U |
| Mark as bookmark | ⌥⌘U |
| Mark line and send return | ⌘⏎ |
| Select between marks | ⇧⌘A |
| Send return without marking | ⇧⌘⏎ |
| Unmark | ⇧⌘U |
Other
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Break | ⌘. |
| Enter or exit full screen | ⌃⌘F |
| Export selected text as | ⇧⌘S |
| Export text as | ⌘S |
| Hard reset terminal emulator state | ⌃⌥⌘R |
| Hide alternate screen | ⇧⌘↑ |
| Open man page for selection | ⌃⇧⌘/ |
| Open Terminal settings | ⌘, |
| ⌘P | |
| Reverse search command history | ⌃R |
| Search man page index for selection | ⌃⌥⌘/ |
| Show alternate screen | ⇧⌘↓ |
| Show or hide colors | ⇧⌘C |
| Soft reset terminal emulator state | ⌥⌘R |
| Toggle Allow Mouse Reporting option | ⌘R |
| Toggle Use Option as Meta Key option | ⌥⌘O |
Stop memorizing lists
Shortcut Flow watches what you actually click in Terminal and turns it into a one-minute daily drill. Think Duolingo, but for keyboard shortcuts.
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FAQ
How many Terminal keyboard shortcuts are there?
This guide lists 88 Terminal shortcuts as they work on macOS, read from the app itself and kept up to date by Shortcut Flow.
Why does Ctrl-A jump to the start of the line in Terminal?
That key comes from readline, the input library used by bash and zsh, not from macOS. Readline keys like Ctrl-A, Ctrl-E and Ctrl-R work in any terminal app.
What is the fastest way to learn Terminal shortcuts?
Not by reading the full list. Shortcut Flow watches which commands you actually use in Terminal and drills you on those first, one minute a day, so the shortcuts you need most stick within days.