--- layout: page category_title: Basic commands category-page: basic tags: toolbar author: Marzio Lunghi title: Terminal's toolbar ---
Once the Terminal has been opened, a menu bar will appear exactly in the upper left corner of the screen. This menu contains some preferences that could improve the user experience and use of the Terminal. The menu is divided into 6 sections that I will describe briefly to give you a basic knowledge that could be very useful once you have become familiar with the program.
Inside the Terminal section you will find the item “secure Keyboard Entry”, this tool allows the user to enable an additional system security. Essentially, this option prevents other Application from seeing what you are typing on the shell. It also prevents processes that are working in background from monitoring your keystrokes. In a first moment it seems that it doesn’t do anything, that’s because for people who works on their own personal computer, this additional secure becomes an unnecessary precaution. However, this option could be very useful if you using an unknown computer or a public computer.
Although Shell’s window does not occupy a lot of space, it is possible to hide the window by pressing ⌘ + H .
In the other hand, it’s possible to hide all the others windows (except the Terminal) by pressing ⌥ + ⌘ + H .
Once you have finished working with the Terminal, you can definitely close it by pressing ⌘ + Q .
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It creates a new window
It creates a new tab
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This option close the window without quitting the terminal
This option allows the user to customise the layout of the shell. This option contains some profiles that you can use instead of spending time to create your own one. This option is not permanent, once the terminal has been quitted, the shell is set with the default settings.
This options shows the inspector too, but it selects the current title that you want to change.
This options shows some useful tools to customise the background of the shell.
This option re-initializes the terminal. /ref/
This option re-initialize completely the terminal /ref/
This option allows the user to print only a selection of the shell. The text must be selected by holding down the touchpad and then moving the mouse cursor.
This options prints all the content of the shell
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Traditionally, the cut command was designed to move texts within applications, but, according to the Mac user community, it’s not very intuitive. There is a much easier alternative way, the copy and paste, known as ⌘ + C (copy) and ⌘ + V (paste).
It copies a selected text
It copy a selected text by giving you more options. For example, if you have a black background, copy special allows you to copy a selected file without considering the colour of the background.
It paste a previously copied text.
If you want to copy a text with special symbols, precisely code text, you have to use paste escaped text to maintain the text intact and not have characters interpreted as code.
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It selects all the content of the shell.
It select a portion of the text between marks
Delete the last command and its content
Delete all the content up to the start. /ref/
It delete all the not visible content.
It delete all the visible content on the screen.
It allows the user to find portions of text or words that matches with the inserted one.
It shows all tabs that you created, if no one has been created it will show only the current one.
It shows you a tab bar with all the tabs created, this option is automatically enabled when you select “New Tab” under Shell section.
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It creates an alternate screen.
Disable the option “Show Alternate Screen”.
It means that mouse clicks will be visible to whatever is reading the terminal, the position and click will be encoded and used by Text mode mouse-aware applications with standards permissions.
It split every window in two windows
It closes all the windows created with the command “Split pane”
It set up default font size, if the size has been increased or decreased.
It makes the font bigger.
It makes the font smaller.
Scroll to the top, at the start.
Scroll to the bottom, at the end.
It scroll up to the previous page.
It scroll down to the next page.
It scroll up to one line.
It scroll down to one line.
Full screen
It reduces the terminal to an icon.
It increases the size of the window. By default the size is set up to 80 x 24.
It switches between open windows.
It shows previous tab, if created.
It shows next tab, if created.
It moves a tab to a new window.
It takes all the windows and moves them to Tabs.
It returns to default size of the window (80 x 24).
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It opens a useful guide that show you how familiarize with Terminal.
Instead of digit man on the shell you can simply select the command and click on this option. It will give you back an external manual page with all the descriptions.