How to Open Terminal on Mac (Sonoma/Ventura) – 6 Ways

Cassie

Last updated: Nov 17, 2023

Summary: This post provides 6 ways to open Terminal on Mac (Sonoma/Ventura). Easily launch the Terminal app and run commands to perform tasks on your Mac computer.

What is Terminal on Mac? The Terminal app on macOS is a command-line interface tool that lets users interact with their computers using commands. You can run various commands in Terminal to manage files, run programs, manage system settings, and more. If you want to open and use the Mac Terminal app, check the 6 ways below.

Also Read: 5 Ways to Open System Settings on Mac (Sonoma/Ventura)

How to Open Terminal on macOS Sonoma/Ventura – 6 Ways

1. Use Spotlight Search

Press Command + Spacebar or click the magnifying glass icon at the top-right corner of the Mac menu bar to launch Spotlight Search.
Type “terminal” in the search box and select the Terminal app from the result list to open Terminal on Mac.

2. Use Mac Finder

Click the Finder icon in the Dock to open the Finder app on your Mac.
In Finder, click Applications from the left sidebar.
Next, find and click the Utilities folder to open it.
Then find and double-click the Terminal application to launch it.

3. Using Launchpad

Click the Launchpad icon in the Dock to open Launchpad on your Mac.
In Launchpad, find the Terminal app and click it to open it.

4. Use the Dock

You can find if there is a Terminal icon in your Mac’s Dock, if so, click it to fast launch the Mac Terminal app.

tip

If you want to add Terminal to the Dock for fast access, you can open Terminal by using one of the ways in this post, then right-click the Terminal icon in the Dock and select Keep in Dock.

5. Use Siri

You can open Siri on your Mac and say “Open Terminal”. Siri will help you open the Terminal application on your Mac.

6. How to Open Terminal from macOS Recovery Mode

If your Mac won’t turn on, you may access Terminal from Mac Recovery Mode to perform tasks to diagnose problems.

Shut down your Mac.
Press the Power button and immediately press and hold the Command + R keys to boot your Mac into Recovery Mode. For Apple Silicon Macs, press and hold the Power button until you see the Startup Options screen.
Then you can click Utilities on the menu bar and select Terminal to open Terminal in Recovery Mode.

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Bottom Line

This post introduces how to open Terminal on macOS Sonoma in 6 ways. If you are familiar with Mac Terminal commands, you can access Terminal and use command lines to easily realize various tasks. Please note that running Terminal commands cannot be undone and wrong commands may cause data loss, so you should be extremely cautious when using it.

Cassie

Cassie has been writing about technology for her entire career life - over 10 years. She enjoys diving into how Apple products work and then breaking it down in a way that anyone can understand.