How to Get to the Command Line on a Mac Desktop or MacBook

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Open Terminal in macOS to access the command line

Written by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: December 11, 2025 Fact Checked

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App Launcher

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Launchpad

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Using Spotlight Search

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Using Finder

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

This wikiHow teaches you how to open the Terminal (command prompt) application in macOS using Launchpad, Spotlight, or Finder. Terminal gives you access to the Unix part of macOS so you can manage files, edit settings, and run scripts using text commands.

Quickly Open Your Mac’s Command Line

In macOS 26 and later, click the Apps icon in the Dock, then search for Terminal or scroll down and find it under the Utilities header.
In macOS 15 and earlier, click Launchpad in the Dock. Search for Terminal or find it in Other.
You can also click the magnifying glass at the top of your screen and search for Terminal, or launch it from Finder > Applications > Utilities.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using the Spotlight App Launcher (macOS 26 and Later)

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1
Click the Apps icon in your Dock. It’s the icon that looks like a grid of squares with a grey bar at the top, located at the right side of the Dock at the bottom of the screen. This will open the app launcher.^{[1]
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Research source}
- The official name for this new app launcher is “Spotlight,” not to be confused with the Spotlight search utility described in the Using Spotlight method.
2
Scroll down to the Utilities header and click Terminal. Terminal is at the very bottom of the main Spotlight window, in a group called Utilities. Single-click the icon to launch Terminal.
- Alternatively, type terminal into the search bar at the top of the window (where it says Applications). Press Return or click on the result.
- You will not find Terminal if you click the Utilities tab at the top of the Spotlight window. You must look for it in the main Applications tab under the Utilities header.
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3
Enter a command in the Terminal window. When you click Terminal in Spotlight, a new Terminal session will open. If you don’t see a Terminal window, press Command + N to open one. You are now in the Command Line! Enter any command into the window, and press Return to run it.
- Did you know that you can play games in Terminal on your Mac?

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using Launchpad (macOS 15 and Earlier)

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1
Open Launchpad. It’s the silver icon in the Dock that looks like a grid of colorful squares (or a rocket, in some earlier versions of macOS). The Dock is a row of icons usually found at the bottom of the screen, though it can also be moved to the screen’s left or right side.
- If you’re on a laptop, you can also open Launchpad by doing a four-finger pinch gesture on the trackpad.
- You may also be able to open it by pressing F4 on the keyboard.
It’s a square icon containing several smaller icons.
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Click Terminal. The Terminal application will now launch to the command prompt.
- If you don’t see Terminal in the Other folder, it may have been moved elsewhere in Launchpad. If you’re unable to find it, try another method.
- You can also click the search bar at the top of Launchpad and type in terminal, then click on the result.
- If you don’t see an open command line window when Terminal opens, press Command + N to start a new session.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using Spotlight Search

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1
Click the Spotlight icon. It’s the magnifying glass at the top right corner of the screen.^{[2]
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Research source}
- You can also open Spotlight by pressing ⌘ Command+Space on the keyboard.
“Terminal” will appear in the search results.
The Terminal application will now launch to the command prompt.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using Finder

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It’s the icon at the bottom of the screen that looks like a two-toned smiling face.
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Click Applications. It’s in the left panel of Finder.
- If you don't see "Applications" in the left panel, click Go at the top of the screen and select Applications.
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Double-click Utilities. You may have to scroll down to find it.
- You can also click > to the left of the Utilities folder to expand its contents within the main Applications folder.
You may have to scroll down to find it. The Terminal application will now launch to the command prompt.

Community Q&A

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Question

What is the command for my ip address?

Community Answer

ipconfig getifaddr en0

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How do I ping the gateway from terminal?

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At the command prompt, type "ping " and press Return.

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How to find a list of all terminal commands?

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Press the Escape key (on the keyboard) twice, then press "y" when you're asked if you want to see all commands.

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Tips

To close Terminal, press ⌘ Command+Q or go to Terminal > Quit Terminal in the menu bar at the top of the screen.

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To change the color scheme of your Terminal window, click Terminal at the top of the screen and select Settings. Click the Profiles tab at the top of the window to browse or customize different themes.

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