How to open Terminal at a folder from Finder on a Mac

Right click a folder and open Terminal there, drag a folder onto Terminal, or open Finder from Terminal. The built in ways to go between the two.

Guide · Updated 22 October 2026

How do I open Terminal at a folder?

  1. Right click the folder in Finder.
  2. Choose Services, New Terminal at Folder, or New Terminal Tab at Folder.

If those items are missing, turn them on: System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Services, then under Files and Folders tick New Terminal at Folder. You can give it a shortcut there too.

What are the other quick ways?

  • Drag a folder onto the Terminal icon in the Dock. A new window opens in that folder.
  • In an open Terminal, type cd with a space, then drag the folder into the window. Its path is pasted for you. Press Return.
  • Select the folder and press ⌥ ⌘ C to copy its path, then paste after cd .

How do I open Finder from Terminal?

Type open . and press Return. A Finder window opens at the folder Terminal is in. open ~/Downloads opens any folder by path, and open file.pdf opens a file in its usual app.

Keep Terminal a key press away: a drop down Terminal on a Mac. Arranging Terminal windows: terminal window management.

Checked on 22 October 2026 on a MacBook Air (M1) running macOS 27.0.1: the service names New Terminal at Folder and New Terminal Tab at Folder were read from Terminal itself.

Questions

How do I open Terminal in the current folder on Mac?

Right click the folder in Finder and choose Services, New Terminal at Folder.

Why is New Terminal at Folder missing?

Turn it on in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Services, under Files and Folders.

How do I open the current folder in Finder from Terminal?

Type open . and press Return.

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