TMO Quick Tip - Spruce Up Terminal

by , 8:45 AM EDT, April 23rd, 2008

Terminal is a very powerful application because it gives you direct access to the UNIX command line. It also looks kind of bland because it gives you direct access to the UNIX command line. The good news is that you can change that bland black-on-white look to something that suits you better, and it doesn't involve any command line magic.

To give Terminal a new look, do this:

• Launch Terminal. It's hiding in Applications/Utilities.
• Choose Terminal > Preferences.
• Click the Settings tab.
• Terminal includes several themes you can choose from, or click the plus button at the bottom of the theme list to start making your own.

Terminal includes several color themes.

I changed the background, text and cursor colors to be less harsh on my eyes. The background, text and cursor settings are all under the Text tab, and the background color setting is under the Window tab.

Customized Terminal windows.

You can also apply different themes to Terminal windows by selecting a theme and then opening a new Terminal window. This is a great way to color code projects if you are running different tasks in a set of Terminal windows.

Jeff Gamet is TMO's Morning Editor and Reviews Editor. He lectures, teaches and speaks on Mac OS X and design-related topics, and is the author of The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X from Peachpit Press.

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