Quickstart Guide

This guide will get you from installation to productive use of Termy in just a few minutes.

Haven’t installed Termy yet? Check out the Installation Guide first.

Getting Started

Launch Termy

Open Termy for the first time:

macOS: Open from Applications or use Spotlight (Cmd+Space, type “Termy”)
Windows: Launch from Start menu
Linux: Run termy from your terminal or application launcher

You’ll see a new terminal window with your default shell.

Learn the Command Palette

The command palette is your gateway to all Termy features.Open the command palette:

macOS: Cmd+P
Windows/Linux: Ctrl+P

Type to search for commands like:

new tab - Create a new terminal tab
settings - Open the settings
theme - Switch themes
updates - Check for updates

The command palette shows keyboard shortcuts next to each command by default. Use these shortcuts to work faster!

Master Essential Shortcuts

Learn these core shortcuts to navigate Termy efficiently:

Tab Management

secondary means Cmd on macOS and Ctrl on Windows/Linux

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
New tab	`Cmd+T`	`Ctrl+T`
Close tab	`Cmd+W`	`Ctrl+W`
Command palette	`Cmd+P`	`Ctrl+P`
Search	`Cmd+F`	`Ctrl+F`

Copy & Paste

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Copy	`Cmd+C`	`Ctrl+Shift+C`
Paste	`Cmd+V`	`Ctrl+Shift+V`

Zoom

Action	Shortcut
Zoom in	`Cmd/Ctrl +`
Zoom out	`Cmd/Ctrl -`
Reset zoom	`Cmd/Ctrl 0`

Full Keybindings

See all available keyboard shortcuts

Configure Basic Settings

Create or edit your config file at ~/.config/termy/config.txt:Open your config file:

Use the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl+P) and type “Open config”
Or manually edit ~/.config/termy/config.txt

Essential settings to customize:

# Font configuration
font_family = JetBrains Mono
font_size = 14

# Theme
theme = termy

# Shell (optional - uses system default if not set)
# shell = /bin/zsh

# Window transparency (0.0 - 1.0)
background_opacity = 1

# Terminal behavior
scrollback_history = 10000
cursor_blink = true
cursor_style = block

Save and restart Termy to apply your changes (use Cmd/Ctrl+Q to quit).

Changes to most settings require restarting Termy. Use the command palette to run “Restart app” for a quick restart.

Explore Advanced Features

Now that you have the basics, explore more features:

Search

Press Cmd/Ctrl+F to search within your terminal:

Use regex patterns for advanced searching
Toggle case-sensitivity
Navigate results with Cmd/Ctrl+G (next) and Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+G (previous)

Tab Titles

Termy automatically sets smart tab titles based on:

Your current directory
Running commands
Manual renames (use command palette → “Rename tab”)

Theme Switching

Open the command palette and type “Switch theme” to preview available themes in real-time.You can also import custom themes - see the Custom Themes Guide for details.

CLI Installation

Install the termy CLI command to open files and directories from other terminals:

Open the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl+P)
Type “Install CLI” and press Enter
The CLI will be installed to your PATH

Then use it like:

termy --version

Common Tasks

Opening Multiple Tabs

Work with multiple terminal sessions using tabs:

Press Cmd/Ctrl+T to create a new tab
Each tab gets its own shell instance
Close tabs with Cmd/Ctrl+W

Customizing Keybindings

Override default keybindings in ~/.config/termy/config.txt:

# Override a single keybinding
keybind = secondary-p=toggle_command_palette

# Remove a default binding
keybind = cmd-w=unbind

# Start from scratch (clear all defaults)
keybind = clear
keybind = cmd-p=toggle_command_palette
keybind = cmd-t=new_tab
keybind = cmd-w=close_tab

Keybindings Reference

Complete list of actions and customization options

Adjusting Font and Appearance

Customize the look in your config file:

# Font
font_family = Fira Code
font_size = 16

# Window transparency
background_opacity = 0.95
background_blur = true

# Padding
padding_x = 16
padding_y = 12

Checking for Updates

Termy includes built-in update checking:

Open command palette (Cmd/Ctrl+P)
Type “Check for updates”
Follow prompts to install if an update is available

Tips for Power Users

Shell Integration

Enable tab_title_shell_integration = true to export TERMY_* environment variables for custom shell prompts.

Custom Tab Titles

Use OSC sequences to set custom tab titles from scripts: echo -e "\033]0;My Tab\007"

Scrollback Control

Set inactive_tab_scrollback to limit memory usage for inactive tabs.

Window Size

Set window_width and window_height in your config for consistent startup size.

Troubleshooting

Termy won’t launch

macOS: Run sudo xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Termy.app
Windows: Click “More info” → “Run anyway” on SmartScreen warning
Linux: Ensure you have OpenGL support and updated GPU drivers

Config changes not applying

Most config changes require restarting Termy:

Save your config file
Press Cmd/Ctrl+Q to quit Termy
Relaunch Termy

Or use command palette → “Restart app”

Fonts not working

Make sure the font is installed on your system:

# macOS - check installed fonts
ls ~/Library/Fonts

# Linux - check installed fonts
fc-list | grep "YourFont"

Command not found

If termy command isn’t found after CLI installation:

# Check if install directory is in PATH
echo $PATH

# Add to PATH if needed (bash/zsh)
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Next Steps

You’re now ready to use Termy productively! Explore these guides to learn more:

Configuration

Complete reference for all configuration options

Keybindings

Full list of shortcuts and customization

Customization Guide

Themes, colors, and advanced customization

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Get Started

Core Features

Configuration

Guides

Quickstart

Quickstart Guide

Getting Started

Tab Management

Copy & Paste

Zoom

Full Keybindings

Search

Tab Titles

Theme Switching

CLI Installation

Common Tasks

Opening Multiple Tabs

Customizing Keybindings

Keybindings Reference

Adjusting Font and Appearance

Checking for Updates

Tips for Power Users

Shell Integration

Custom Tab Titles

Scrollback Control

Window Size

Troubleshooting

Termy won’t launch

Config changes not applying

Fonts not working

Command not found

Next Steps

Configuration

Keybindings

Customization Guide

FAQ

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

Configuration

Guides

​Quickstart Guide

​Getting Started

​Tab Management

​Copy & Paste

​Zoom

Full Keybindings

​Search

​Tab Titles

​Theme Switching

​CLI Installation

​Common Tasks

​Opening Multiple Tabs

​Customizing Keybindings

Keybindings Reference

​Adjusting Font and Appearance

​Checking for Updates

​Tips for Power Users

Shell Integration

Custom Tab Titles

Scrollback Control

Window Size

​Troubleshooting

​Termy won’t launch

​Config changes not applying

​Fonts not working

​Command not found

​Next Steps

Configuration

Keybindings

Customization Guide

FAQ

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Quickstart Guide

Getting Started

Tab Management

Copy & Paste

Zoom

Search

Tab Titles

Theme Switching

CLI Installation

Common Tasks

Opening Multiple Tabs

Customizing Keybindings

Adjusting Font and Appearance

Checking for Updates

Tips for Power Users

Troubleshooting

Termy won’t launch

Config changes not applying

Fonts not working

Command not found

Next Steps