iTerm2
macOS Terminal Replacement
Website • Downloads • Documentation • Features
About
iTerm2 is a powerful terminal emulator for macOS that brings the terminal into the modern age with features you never knew you always wanted.
Key Features
- tmux Integration - Native iTerm2 windows/tabs replace tmux's text-based interface. Run tmux -CC and tmux windows become real macOS windows. Sessions persist through crashes, SSH disconnects, and even app upgrades. Collaborate by having two people attach to the same session.
- Shell Integration - Deep shell awareness that tracks commands, directories, hostnames, and usernames. Enables click-to-download files via SCP, drag-and-drop uploads, command history per host, recent directories by "frecency," and marks at each prompt.
- AI Chat - Built-in LLM chat window that can optionally interact with terminal contents. Link sessions to get context-aware help, run commands on your behalf, or explain output with annotations.
- Inline Images - Display images (including animated GIFs) directly in the terminal. Use imgcat to view photos, charts, or visual output without leaving your workflow.
- Automatic Profile Switching - Terminal appearance changes automatically based on hostname, username, directory, or running command. SSH to production? Background turns red. Different environments get different visual contexts.
- Dedicated Hotkey Windows - System-wide hotkey summons a terminal that slides down from the top of the screen (or any edge), even over fullscreen apps. Pin it or let it auto-hide.
- Session Restoration - Sessions run in long-lived server processes. If iTerm2 crashes or upgrades, your shells keep running. When iTerm2 restarts, it reconnects to your sessions exactly where you left off.
- Built-in Web Browser - Browser profiles integrate web browsing into iTerm2's window/tab/pane hierarchy. Copy mode, triggers, AI chat, and other terminal features work in browser sessions.
- Configurable Status Bar - Per-session status bar showing git branch, CPU/memory graphs, current directory, hostname, custom interpolated strings, or Python API components.
- Triggers - Regex patterns that fire actions when matched: highlight text, run commands, send notifications, open password manager, set marks, or invoke Python scripts.
- Smart Selection - Quad-click selects semantic objects (URLs, file paths, email addresses, quoted strings). Right-click for context actions. Cmd-click to open.
- Copy Mode - Vim-like keyboard selection. Navigate and select text without touching the mouse. Works with marks to jump between command prompts.
- Instant Replay - Scrub backward through terminal history to see exactly what was on screen at any moment, with timestamps. Perfect for catching fleeting errors.
- Python Scripting API - Full automation and customization via Python. Create custom status bar components, triggers, menu items, or entirely new features.
- Open Quickly - Cmd-Shift-O opens a search across all sessions by tab title, command, hostname, directory, or badge. Navigate large session collections instantly.
Installation
Download
Get the latest version from iterm2.com/downloads
For the bleeding edge without building, try the nightly build.
Build from Source
Note: Development builds may be less stable than official releases.
Prerequisites
- No manual prerequisites.
make setup will install Homebrew, Xcode,
Rust, and all other dependencies, prompting for confirmation before each privileged step.
Clone
git clone https://github.com/gnachman/iTerm2.git
Setup (first time)
make setup
make setup is interactive and will prompt for confirmation before any privileged or
security-sensitive operation. It performs the following steps:
- Homebrew -- Installs Homebrew via its official install script
if not already present. Prompts before running the installer (which requires sudo).
- Xcode -- If no Xcode is selected via
xcode-select, installs
xcodes (via Homebrew) and
aria2 (for faster downloads), then either selects an
existing /Applications/Xcode*.app or downloads the latest Xcode automatically.
Prompts before running sudo xcode-select and before accepting the Xcode license.
- Rust -- Installs rustup via the official
curl | sh
installer if not already present. Prompts before executing the script.
- Homebrew packages -- Installs cmake, pkg-config, automake, perl, and python3 if
missing. If
brew link python@3 would overwrite existing symlinks, prompts for
confirmation before proceeding.
- SF Symbols -- Installs the SF Symbols cask (a
.pkg installer that requires
sudo). Prompts before attempting the install; continues without it if declined.
- Python/Rust packages -- Installs pyobjc (via pip) and cbindgen (via cargo) if not
already present.
- Submodules and toolchains -- Initializes git submodules, adds the x86_64 Rust
target, and downloads the Metal toolchain.
To skip all confirmation prompts, use make dangerous-setup instead.
After setup, compile native dependencies and build:
make paranoid-deps # compile OpenSSL, libsixel, libgit2, Sparkle, etc. (sandboxed)
make # build iTerm2
Re-run make paranoid-deps whenever your active Xcode version changes -- the file last-xcode-version tracks which version was last used.
If your Xcode version differs from the one committed in last-xcode-version (e.g. you're on an older machine), suppress the noise without committing your local version:
git update-index --skip-worktree last-xcode-version
To undo: git update-index --no-skip-worktree last-xcode-version
Build
make Development
Run
make run
Architecture
Builds target your native architecture by default. To produce a universal (arm64 + x86_64) binary:
UNIVERSAL=1 make Development
Code signing
Code signing is disabled by default to keep contributor builds simple. To enable it with the project's signing identity:
SIGNED=1 make Development
Building in Xcode
If you prefer building from Xcode instead of the command line:
-
Complete the Clone and Setup steps above.
-
Configure code signing with your team ID:
tools/set_team_id.sh YOUR_TEAM_ID
This script updates DEVELOPMENT_TEAM in all Xcode project files (iTerm2 and its dependencies like Sparkle, SwiftyMarkdown, etc.) so code signing works with your identity.
To find your team ID: Open Keychain Access, find your "Apple Development" or "Developer ID" certificate, and look for the 10-character string in parentheses (e.g., "H7V7XYVQ7D").
No Developer account? Skip this step and select "Sign to Run Locally" in Xcode's Signing & Capabilities tab.
-
Open iTerm2.xcodeproj in Xcode.
-
Edit Scheme (Cmd-<) and set Build Configuration to Development.
-
Press Cmd-R to build and run.
Development
Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please read our contribution guide before submitting pull requests.
Bug Reports & Issues
Note: We use GitLab for issues because it provides better support for attachments.
Resources
License
iTerm2 is distributed under the GPLv3 license.
Support
If you love iTerm2, consider:
Made by George Nachman and contributors
