Command line and power tools

Terminal, right here

Updated 2026-07-31 · 3 min read

Typing cd and a long path is a small waste repeated hundreds of times.

The Finder service

Enable it once: System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Services → Files and Folders → tick New Terminal at Folder.

Then right-click any folder → Services → New Terminal at Folder. You can assign a keyboard shortcut in the same panel.

Drag into a Terminal

Type cd , then drag the folder into the window and press Return. The path is pasted and escaped correctly.

From an open Terminal

cd "$(pwd)"          # no-op, but shows the pattern
open .               # opens the current directory in Finder

open . is the reverse direction and worth knowing — it is how you get from a shell to a Finder window.

From a search result

The genuinely fast version is going straight from a search hit to a shell in its folder, without a Finder window in between. That is what ⌘T does in Everywhere: select a result, press it, and a Terminal opens already in the containing directory.

For iTerm2 users

iTerm2 installs its own New iTerm2 Window Here service. Enable it in the same Services panel; both can coexist.

Common questions

How do I open Terminal in the current Finder folder?

Enable the 'New Terminal at Folder' service in Keyboard settings, then right-click the folder → Services.

How do I open Finder from Terminal?

open . opens the current directory in a Finder window.