Terminal Integration

Zed’s integrated terminal keeps you in your coding flow without switching to external terminal applications. Learn to maximize your productivity with built-in terminal features.

Opening the Terminal

Basic Terminal Access

Cmd + J
# Toggle terminal panel
 
Ctrl + `
# Alternative shortcut (backtick)

Multiple Terminal Instances

Cmd + Shift + J
# Open new terminal tab
 
Cmd + T (in terminal)
# New terminal in current panel

Terminal Configuration

Shell Selection

Configure your preferred shell in settings:

{
  "terminal": {
    "shell": {
      "program": "zsh",
      "args": ["-l"]
    }
  }
}

Appearance Customization

{
  "terminal": {
    "font_family": "JetBrains Mono",
    "font_size": 14,
    "line_height": 1.5,
    "blinking": "terminal_controlled",
    "alternate_scroll": "off"
  }
}

Environment Variables

{
  "terminal": {
    "env": {
      "PATH": "/usr/local/bin:$PATH",
      "EDITOR": "zed"
    }
  }
}

Terminal Features

Copy and Paste

Cmd + C
# Copy selected text
 
Cmd + V
# Paste into terminal

Text Selection

Click and drag to select
Double-click to select word
Triple-click to select line

Search in Terminal

Cmd + F (in terminal)
# Search terminal output
 
Enter / Shift + Enter
# Navigate search results

Working Directory

Open Terminal in Current File’s Directory

Right-click in editor
→ "Open Terminal Here"
 
Or:
Cmd + Shift + P → "terminal: open in current directory"

Change Directory Quickly

The terminal automatically:

Opens in project root by default
Can be configured to follow active file

{
  "terminal": {
    "working_directory": "current_project_directory"
  }
}

Running Tasks

Common Development Tasks

# Start development server
npm run dev
 
# Run tests
npm test
 
# Build project
npm run build
 
# Git operations
git status
git commit -m "message"
git push

Background Processes

Run long-running processes:

# Start and detach
npm run dev &
 
# View running jobs
jobs
 
# Bring to foreground
fg %1

Splitting and Layouts

Split Terminal

Cmd + \
# Split terminal horizontally
 
Cmd + Shift + \
# Split terminal vertically

Navigate Between Splits

Cmd + 1, 2, 3...
# Jump to specific terminal
 
Or use mouse to click

Terminal Tabs

Tab Management

Cmd + T
# New tab
 
Cmd + W
# Close current tab
 
Cmd + Shift + [/]
# Switch between tabs

Rename Tabs

Right-click on tab
→ "Rename Tab"
 
Give it a descriptive name for easy identification

Advanced Features

Command History

# Navigate history
Up/Down arrows
 
# Search history
Ctrl + R
Type to search previous commands

Terminal Links

Click on:

File paths to open in editor
URLs to open in browser
Line numbers to jump to location

Clear Terminal

Cmd + K
# Clear scrollback
 
Or type: clear

Pro Tips

Use aliases in your shell config for common commands
Set up custom commands in Zed’s task runner
Split terminals to monitor multiple processes
Bookmark frequent commands using shell history
Configure colors to match your theme
Use tmux/screen for persistent sessions
Set working directory to follow active file
Customize prompt (PS1) for better context