Why should you replace default macOS Terminal to iTerm2?
Let’s agree that the default terminal sucks !! If you are someone who spends a lot of time in a terminal then, believe me you need iterm2
What is iTerm2?
iTerm2 is a replacement for Terminal and the successor to iTerm. It works on Macs with macOS 10.12 or newer. iTerm2 brings the terminal into the modern age with features you never knew you always wanted.
- Go to download page https://www.iterm2.com/downloads.html
- After downloaded, drag and drop file into our Application folder.
Or if you just type (require homebrew installed)
brew cask install iterm2
Start with Colors
Go to https://iterm2colorschemes.com/ and download themes and select what you like
- Type CMD+i
- Navigate to Colors tab
- Click on Load Presets
- Click on Import
- Select the .itermcolors file(s) of the scheme(s) you’d like to use
- Click on Load Presets and choose a color scheme
Explore whole new features
Split Panes
Divide a tab up into multiple panes, each one showing a different session. You can slice vertically and horizontally and create any number of panes in any imaginable arrangement.
Search ( cmd + f )
iTerm2 comes with a robust find-on-page feature. The UI stays out of the way. All matches are immediately
And Many more feature i.e
- Autocomplete
- MouseLess Copy
- Paste History
Now come to the additional tip: If you are someone who comes from Unix background you should try Oh My zsh
Oh My zsh + iTerm2 = Awesomeness
What is Oh My Zsh?
Oh My Zsh is an open-source, community-driven framework for managing your zsh configuration.
Step 1: Install zsh
Let’s install zsh using brew and make iTerm2 use it.
brew install zsh
Step 2: Install oh-my-zsh
Let’s install oh-my-zsh via curl.
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"
Step 3: Re-start iTerm2
Now configure zsh to any theme you like or whatever plugins you like.
Theme: https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/wiki/Themes
Plugin: https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/wiki/Plugins
I am using Powerlevel10k this days and it comes with its own configuration wizard
Conclusion: If you haven’t tried iterm2 and OhMyZsh so far you should give it a try and if you know any other cool terminal hack then, please let us know in comment sections.