> AI agents: For documentation discovery and navigation, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). # Terminal Basics Visual Studio Code includes a full featured integrated terminal that starts at the root of your workspace. It provides integration with the editor to support features like [links](#links) and [error detection](/docs/debugtest/tasks.md). The integrated terminal can run commands such as mkdir and git just like a standalone terminal. > [!NOTE] > Opening a terminal is blocked when a workspace is in [Restricted Mode](/docs/editing/workspaces/workspace-trust.md#terminal) to prevent shells from automatically executing code based on workspace contents. You can open a terminal as follows: * From the menu, use the **Terminal** > **New Terminal** or **View** > **Terminal** menu commands. * From the **Command Palette** (`kb(workbench.action.showCommands)`), use the **View: Toggle Terminal** command. * In the Explorer, you can use the **Open in Integrated Terminal** context menu command to open a new terminal from a folder. * To toggle the terminal panel, use the `kb(workbench.action.terminal.toggleTerminal)` keyboard shortcut. * To create a new terminal, use the `kb(workbench.action.terminal.new)` keyboard shortcut. VS Code's terminal has additional functionality called shell integration that tracks where commands are run with decorations on the left of a command and in the scrollbar: ![The integrated terminal can run commands such as mkdir and git just like a standalone terminal. VS Code's terminal has additional functionality called shell integration that tracks where commands are run with decorations on the left of a command and in the scrollbar.](images/basics/integrated-terminal.png) > [!NOTE] > If you prefer to work outside VS Code, open an external terminal with the `kb(workbench.action.terminal.openNativeConsole)` keyboard shortcut ## Terminal shells The integrated terminal can use various shells installed on your machine, with the default being pulled from your system defaults. Shells are detected and presented in the terminal profiles dropdown. ![A detected profile can be chosen in the dropdown next to the new terminal button. Some examples on Windows include PowerShell, Command Prompt, Git Bash and WSL](images/basics/select-profile-dropdown.png) You can learn more about configuring terminal shells in the [terminal profiles](/docs/terminal/profiles.md) article. ## Managing terminals The terminal tabs UI is on the right side of the terminal view. Each terminal has an entry with its name, icon, color, and group decoration (if any). ![Activating the Launch Profile button will show all detected and manually configured profiles](images/basics/tabs.png) Add terminal instances by selecting the **+** icon on the top-right of the **TERMINAL** panel, selecting a profile from the terminal dropdown, or by triggering the `kb(workbench.action.terminal.new)` command. This action creates another entry in the tab list associated with that terminal. Remove terminal instances by hovering a tab and selecting the **Trash Can** button, selecting a tab item and pressing `kbstyle(Delete)`, using **Terminal: Kill the Active Terminal Instance** command, or via the right-click context menu. Navigate between terminal groups using focus next `kb(workbench.action.terminal.focusNext)` and focus previous `kb(workbench.action.terminal.focusPrevious)`. Icons may appear to the right of the terminal title on the tab label when a terminal's status changes. Some examples are a bell (macOS) and for tasks, displaying a check mark when there are no errors and an X otherwise. Hover the icon to read status information, which may contain actions. ### Groups (split panes) Place multiple terminals side-by-side and create a group by splitting a terminal: * Hover over an entry in the list of terminals on the right and select the inline split button. * Right-click the context menu and select the **Split** menu option. * `kbstyle(Alt)` and click on a tab, the **+** button, or the single tab on the terminal panel. * Trigger the `kb(workbench.action.terminal.split)` command. > [!TIP] > The working directory for the new terminal depends on the `setting(terminal.integrated.splitCwd)` [setting](/docs/configure/settings.md). Navigate between terminals in a group by focusing the previous pane, `kb(workbench.action.terminal.focusPreviousPane)`, or the next pane, `kb(workbench.action.terminal.focusNextPane)`. Dragging and dropping tabs in the list rearranges them. Dragging a tab into the main terminal area allows moving a terminal from one group to another. Moving a terminal into its own group can be done with the **Terminal: Unsplit Terminal** command through the Command Palette or in the right-click context menu. ## Terminals in editor area You can open terminals in the editor area (terminal editors) with the **Terminal: Create New Terminal in Editor Area** command, the **Terminal: Create New Terminal in Editor Area to the Side** command, or by dragging a terminal from the terminal view into the editor area. Terminal editors are presented like regular editor tabs: ![Terminal editors are presented like regular text file tabs](images/basics/terminal-editor.png) You can have terminal editors on either side or arranged in multiple dimensions using the editor group layout system, e.g. PowerShell and WSL terminals stacked to the right of file editors: ![Terminal editors are can be laid out using the editor group layout system, for example 2 terminals could sit to the right of a text editor](images/basics/terminal-editor-grid.png) The `setting(terminal.integrated.defaultLocation)` setting can change the default `view` or `editor` area terminal location. ## Terminals in new windows Opening a terminal in a new VS Code window is possible in a few different ways: * Use `kb(workbench.action.terminal.newInNewWindow)` * Right-click the terminal tab if you have multiple terminals, or left-click the tab if you only have a single terminal opened. Then select **Move Terminal to New Window** * Select the **New Terminal Window** entry that's available in several different menus ## Navigating the buffer The content in the terminal is called the buffer, with the section right above the bottom viewport being called "scrollback". The amount of scrollback kept is determined by the `setting(terminal.integrated.scrollback)` [setting](/docs/configure/settings.md) and defaults to `1000` lines. There are various commands available to navigate around the terminal buffer: * Scroll up a line - `kb(workbench.action.terminal.scrollUp)` * Scroll down a line - `kb(workbench.action.terminal.scrollDown)` * Scroll up a page - `kb(workbench.action.terminal.scrollUpPage)` * Scroll down a page - `kb(workbench.action.terminal.scrollDownPage)` * Scroll to the top - `kb(workbench.action.terminal.scrollToTop)` * Scroll to the bottom - `kb(workbench.action.terminal.scrollToBottom)` **Command** navigation is also available (see [shell integration](/docs/terminal/shell-integration.md)): * Scroll to the previous command - `kb(workbench.action.terminal.scrollToPreviousCommand)` * Scroll to the next command - `kb(workbench.action.terminal.scrollToNextCommand)` Scrolling will happen instantaneously, but can be configured to animate over a short duration with the `setting(terminal.integrated.smoothScrolling)` setting. ## Links The terminal features sophisticated link detection with editor integration and even extension contributed link handlers. Hover over a link to display an underline, then hold the `kbstyle(Ctrl)`/`kbstyle(Cmd)` key and click. These built-in link handlers are used in the following priority order: * URIs/URLs: Links that look like URIs, such as `https://code.visualstudio.com`, `vscode://path/to/file` or `file://path/to/file` will open using the standard handler for the protocol. For example, `https` links will open the browser. ![Opening a URI link will open it in the system browser](images/basics/link-uri.png) * File links: Links to files that have been verified to exist on the system. These will open the file in a new editor tab and support many common line/column formats such as `file:1:2`, `file:line 1, column 2`. ![Activating a file link will open it in an editor](images/basics/link-file.png) * Folder links: Links to folders are similar to file links but will open a new VS Code window at the folder. ![Activating a folder link will open it in a new window](images/basics/link-folder.png) * Word links: Fallback link type that uses the `setting(terminal.integrated.wordSeparators)` setting. The setting defines word boundaries and make nearly all text into words. Activating a word link searches the workspace for the word. If there is a single result it will open, otherwise it will present the search results. Word links are considered "low confidence" and will not show an underline or tooltip unless you hold the `kbstyle(Ctrl)`/`kbstyle(Cmd)` key. They also have limited support for line and column suffixes. ![Activating a word link 'terminal:15' will open a Quick Pick searching the workspace for all files containing 'terminal', choosing an option will open the file at line 15](images/basics/link-word.png) The **Open Detected Link** command (`kb(workbench.action.terminal.openDetectedLink)`) can be used to access links via the keyboard: ![Open Detected Link opens a quick pick with all links in the viewport, split into categories](images/basics/link-open-detected.png) > [!TIP] > If link verification causes performance issues, like in high latency remote environments, disable it via the `setting(terminal.integrated.enableFileLinks)` [setting](/docs/configure/settings.md). ### Extensions handling links Extensions can contribute **link providers** which allow the extension to define what happens when clicked. An example of this is the [GitLens](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=eamodio.gitlens) extension detecting Git branch links. ![When GitLens is installed, hovering a branch name will provide custom behavior to open the branch in the UI](images/basics/link-extension.png) ### Keyboard accessibility Links are keyboard accessible through several commands that open links based on the type of link. * **Terminal: Open Last Local File Link** - Opens the most recent local file link. No default keyboard shortcut. * **Terminal: Open Last URL link** - Opens the most recent URI/URL link. No default keyboard shortcut. * **Terminal: Open Detected Link...** - Opens a searchable Quick Pick with all detected links, including word links. The default keyboard shortcut is `kbstyle(Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+O)`, which is the same as the **Go to Symbol in Editor** keyboard shortcut. ## Copy & paste The keyboard shortcuts for copy and paste follow platform standards: * Linux: `kbstyle(Ctrl+Shift+C)` and `kbstyle(Ctrl+Shift+V)`; selection paste is available with `kbstyle(Shift+Insert)` * macOS: `kbstyle(Cmd+C)` and `kbstyle(Cmd+V)` * Windows: `kbstyle(Ctrl+C)` and `kbstyle(Ctrl+V)` Copying is done automatically on selection when `setting(terminal.integrated.copyOnSelection)` is enabled. By default, there is a warning when pasting multiple lines, which can be disabled with the `setting(terminal.integrated.enableMultiLinePasteWarning)` setting. This is only done when the shell does not support "bracketed paste mode". When that mode is enabled, the shell is indicating that it can handle multiple line pasting. ## Using the mouse ### Right-click behavior The right-click behavior differs based on the platform: * Linux: Show the context menu. * macOS: Select the word under the cursor and show the context menu. * Windows: Copy and drop selection if there is a selection, otherwise paste. This can be configured using the `setting(terminal.integrated.rightClickBehavior)` setting. The options are: * `default` - Show the context menu. * `copyPaste` - Copy when there is a selection, otherwise paste. * `paste` - Paste on right-click. * `selectWord` - Select the word under the cursor and show the context menu. * `nothing` - Do nothing and pass event to terminal. ### Column selection Press `kbstyle(Alt)` and left-click drag to select a rectangle of text inside the terminal instead of the regular selection of a line. ### Reposition the cursor with Alt `kbstyle(Alt)` and left-click will reposition the cursor to underneath the mouse. This works by simulating arrow keystrokes, which may not work reliably for some shells or programs. This feature can be disabled with the `setting(terminal.integrated.altClickMovesCursor)` setting. ### Mouse events mode When applications running in the terminal turn on mouse events mode, such as Vim mouse mode, mouse interaction is sent to the application instead of the terminal. This means that clicking and dragging will no longer create a selection. Terminal selection can be forced by holding the `kbstyle(Alt)` key on Windows and Linux, this can also be done with the `kbstyle(Option)` key on macOS but requires enabling the `setting(terminal.integrated.macOptionClickForcesSelection)` setting first. ## Find The integrated terminal has find functionality that can be triggered with `kb(workbench.action.terminal.focusFind)`. ![Find in the terminal will highlight all text matching the query](images/basics/terminal-find.png) > [!TIP] > `kbstyle(Ctrl+F)` can be sent to the shell by removing the `workbench.action.terminal.focusFind` command from [commands to skip shell](/docs/terminal/advanced.md#keyboard-shortcuts-and-the-shell). ## Run selected text To use the `runSelectedText` command, select text in an editor and run the command **Terminal: Run Selected Text in Active Terminal** via the **Command Palette** (`kb(workbench.action.showCommands)`), the terminal will attempt to run the selected text. If no text is selected in the active editor, the entire line that the cursor is on will run in the terminal. > [!TIP] > Also run the active file using the command `workbench.action.terminal.runActiveFile`. ## Maximizing the terminal The terminal view can be maximized by clicking the maximize panel size button with the upwards chevron icon. This will temporarily hide the editors and maximize the panel. This is useful to temporarily focus on a large amount of output. Some developers use VS Code as a standalone terminal by opening a new window, maximizing the panel, and hiding the side bar. Note that the panel can only be maximized if its [alignment](/docs/configure/custom-layout.md#panel-alignment) option is set to **Center**. ## Select all There is a **Terminal: Select All** command, which is bound to `kbstyle(Cmd+A)` on macOS, but does not have a default keyboard shortcut on Windows and Linux as it may conflict with shell hotkeys. To use `kbstyle(Ctrl+A)` to select all, add this custom keyboard shortcut: ```json { "key": "ctrl+a", "command": "workbench.action.terminal.selectAll", "when": "terminalFocus && !isMac" }, ``` ## Drag and drop file paths Dragging a file into the terminal will input the path into the terminal, with escaping to match the active shell. ## Automating terminals with tasks The [Tasks](/docs/debugtest/tasks.md) feature can be used to automate the launching of terminals, for example, the following `.vscode/tasks.json` file will launch a Command Prompt and PowerShell terminal in a single terminal group when the window starts: ```jsonc { "version": "2.0.0", "presentation": { "echo": false, "reveal": "always", "focus": false, "panel": "dedicated", "showReuseMessage": true }, "tasks": [ { "label": "Create terminals", "dependsOn": [ "First", "Second" ], // Mark as the default build task so cmd/ctrl+shift+b will create them "group": { "kind": "build", "isDefault": true }, // Try start the task on folder open "runOptions": { "runOn": "folderOpen" } }, { // The name that shows up in terminal tab "label": "First", // The task will launch a shell "type": "shell", "command": "", // Set the shell type "options": { "shell": { "executable": "cmd.exe", "args": [] } }, // Mark as a background task to avoid the spinner animation on the terminal tab "isBackground": true, "problemMatcher": [], // Create the tasks in a terminal group "presentation": { "group": "my-group" } }, { "label": "Second", "type": "shell", "command": "", "options": { "shell": { "executable": "pwsh.exe", "args": [] } }, "isBackground": true, "problemMatcher": [], "presentation": { "group": "my-group" } } ] } ``` This file could be committed to the repository to share with other developers or created as a user task via the `workbench.action.tasks.openUserTasks` command. ## Working directory By default, the terminal will open at the folder that is opened in the Explorer. The `setting(terminal.integrated.cwd)` setting allows specifying a custom path to open instead: ```json { "terminal.integrated.cwd": "/home/user" } ``` Split terminals on Windows will start in the directory that the parent terminal started with. On macOS and Linux, split terminals will inherit the current working directory of the parent terminal. This behavior can be changed using the `setting(terminal.integrated.splitCwd)` setting: ```json { "terminal.integrated.splitCwd": "workspaceRoot" } ``` There are also extensions available that give more options such as [Terminal Here](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Tyriar.vscode-terminal-here). ## Fixed dimension terminals The **Terminal: Set Fixed Dimensions** command allows changing the number of columns and rows that the terminal and it's backing pseudoterminal uses. This will add scroll bars when necessary, which may lead to an unpleasant UX and is generally not recommended, but it is a common ask on Windows in particular for reading logs or long lines when paging tools aren't available. You can also right-click on a terminal tab and select **Toggle Size to Content Width** (`kb(workbench.action.terminal.sizeToContentWidth)`) to resize the number of terminal columns to the largest wrapped line in the terminal. ## GitHub Copilot in the terminal If you have access to [GitHub Copilot](/docs/setup/copilot.md), you can use it to get AI-powered help with terminal commands and shell scripting. There are several ways to use Copilot with the terminal: ### Terminal inline chat Start an inline chat directly in the terminal to get help with shell commands: 1. Open the terminal (`kb(workbench.action.terminal.toggleTerminal)`) 2. Press `kb(workbench.action.terminal.chat.start)` or run the **Terminal Inline Chat** command from the Command Palette 3. Enter your question or request in natural language, such as: * "How do I find the largest files in this directory?" * "Show me how to undo the last git commit" * "Create a bash script to analyze log files" ![Terminal inline chat helps you quickly get and run shell commands](./images/basics/terminal-chat-2.png) When Copilot provides a response, you can select **Run** to execute the command directly or **Insert** to add it to the terminal for further editing. For more information about using GitHub Copilot with the terminal, see [Use terminal inline chat](/docs/chat/inline-chat.md#use-terminal-inline-chat). ### Terminal chat participant Use the dedicated `@terminal` chat participant in chat to ask questions about terminal commands, shell scripting, or explaining terminal output: 1. Open the Chat view (`kb(workbench.action.chat.open)`) 2. Start your question with `@terminal` to direct it to the terminal participant 3. Ask about terminal commands, shell scripting, or explaining terminal output Examples: * `@terminal list the 5 largest files in this workspace` * `@terminal /explain top shell command` * `@terminal how to grep for patterns recursively` ### Reference terminal context in chat You can include terminal information as context in your chat prompts: * Use `#terminalSelection` to add selected text from the terminal to your chat prompt * Use `#terminalLastCommand` to include the last command you ran in the terminal ## Next steps The basics of the terminal have been covered in this document. Read on to find out more about: * [Terminal inline chat](/docs/chat/inline-chat.md#use-terminal-inline-chat) - AI-powered suggestions right in your terminal. * [Tasks](/docs/debugtest/tasks.md) - Tasks let you integrate with external tools and leverage the terminal heavily. * [Mastering VS Code's Terminal](https://www.growingwiththeweb.com/2017/03/mastering-vscodes-terminal.html) - An external blog with plenty of power user tips for the terminal. * Explore terminal commands by browsing the keyboard shortcuts within VS Code (**Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts** then search on 'terminal'). ## Common questions ### I'm having problems launching the terminal There's a [dedicated troubleshooting guide](/docs/supporting/troubleshoot-terminal-launch.md) for these sorts of problems. ### How do I create an Admin terminal? The integrated terminal shell is running with the permissions of VS Code. If you need to run a shell command with elevated (administrator) or different permissions, use platform utilities such as `runas.exe` within a terminal. You can learn more about customizing terminals via terminal profiles in [Configuring Profiles](/docs/terminal/profiles.md#configuring-profiles). ### Can I add a keyboard shortcut for the Explorer's Open in Integrated Terminal command? You can open new terminals for specific folders from the Explorer via the **Open in Integrated Terminal** context menu command. ![A folder selected in the Explorer displaying the context menu with the Open in Integrated Terminal command](images/basics/open-in-terminal-command.png) By default, there is no keyboard shortcut associated with **Open in Integrated Terminal** but you can add your own via the Keyboard Shortcuts editor (`kb(workbench.action.openGlobalKeybindings)`) to add a keyboard shortcut to your `keybindings.json`. The `keybindings.json` example below adds the keyboard shortcut `kbstyle(Ctrl+T)` for `openInTerminal`. ```json { "key": "ctrl+t", "command": "openInTerminal", "when": "filesExplorerFocus" } ``` ### Why is nvm complaining about a prefix option when the integrated terminal is launched? nvm (Node Version Manager) users often see this error for the first time inside VS Code's integrated terminal: ```bash nvm is not compatible with the npm config "prefix" option: currently set to "/usr/local" Run `npm config delete prefix` or `nvm use --delete-prefix v8.9.1 --silent` to unset it ``` This is mostly a macOS problem and does not happen in external terminals. The typical reasons for this are the following: * `npm` was globally installed using another instance of `node` that is somewhere in your path (such as `/usr/local/bin/npm`). * To get the development tools on the `$PATH`, VS Code will launch a bash login shell on startup. This means that your `~/.bash_profile` has already run and when an integrated terminal launches, it will run **another** login shell, reordering the `$PATH` potentially in unexpected ways. To resolve this issue, you need to track down where the old `npm` is installed and remove both it and its out-of-date node_modules. Find the `nvm` initialization script and run `which npm` before it runs, which should print the path when you launch a new terminal. Once you have the path to npm, find the old node_modules by resolving the symlink by running a command something like this: ```bash ls -la /usr/local/bin | grep "np[mx]" ``` This will give you the resolved path at the end: ```bash ... npm -> ../lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js ... npx -> ../lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npx-cli.js ``` From there, removing the files and relaunching VS Code should fix the issue: ```bash rm /usr/local/bin/npm /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js rm /usr/local/bin/npx /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npx-cli.js ``` ### Why does macOS make a ding sound when I resize terminal split panes? The keyboard shortcuts ⌃⌘← and ⌃⌘→ are the defaults for resizing individual split panes in the terminal. While they work, they also cause a system "invalid key" sound to play due to an issue in Chromium. The [recommended workaround](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/44070#issuecomment-799716362) is to tell macOS to no-op for these keyboard shortcuts by running this in your terminal: ```bash mkdir -p ~/Library/KeyBindings cat > ~/Library/KeyBindings/DefaultKeyBinding.dict <