How to open a folder from terminal mac

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For most Mac users, the preferred way to open files or folders is through the Finder app. But that’s not the only way to navigate and access the file or folder system – you can use the command line. Terminal is the default gateway for this command line, which doesn’t require you to point or click anything – just enter the command and your Mac and it will execute the command.

There are several situations when Terminal can come in handy when accessing a file or folder. For example, if you are a developer or command line user and work with Terminal. The app will also come in handy if macOS is server software and the terminal is the only way to navigate the operating system.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to open a file or folder in Terminal on your Mac.

How to Open a File in Terminal

You can use Terminal to open the file through its default / dedicated application or through a text editor.

When you open Terminal, you will see something like this:

Last login: Monday 6 September 17:03:20 at ttys000beeagey @ Elsiers-Air ~%

Open file in terminal via default app

You can open the file using the file’s default app.

Select Go> Utilities.

Then select Terminal to open the application.

Right-click the file and select Copy. Alternatively, you can drag the file into the Terminal window to add it to the command line.

In the Terminal window, enter Open [path to the file you copied] and press Return to lock the command.

Note. If you make a mistake in the path to the command, you will receive the message “Such file or directory does not exist.”

Open a file in a terminal using a specific application

If you want to open a file in Terminal using the application you specified, you will still need the path to the file you copied earlier and the name of the application you are using.

In a terminal window, enter Open -a “Application name” [path to file]. For example, you can enter Open -a “Preview” / Users / beeagey / Desktop / GOOD OR BAD HUSTLE.jpg.

Press the return button to hold the command.

Open the file in a terminal with a text editor

You can use a Mac text editor to open files through Terminal and edit rich text documents created in Word or OpenOffice and other word processing applications.

Open Terminal and enter this command: Open -a Text Edit [path to file]. For example: Open -a TextEdit / Users / beeagey / Desktop / How to Open a File or Folder in Terminal on Mac.docx.

Press Return, run the command and open the file.

How to Open a Folder in Terminal

You can open a folder in Terminal to see what’s in it.

Choose Go> Utilities> Terminal.

Enter the syntax open / path / to / Directory to open the folder. For example, you can enter Open / Users / beeagey / Desktop / screenies.

Note. If you enter the wrong folder path, for example / Users / beeagey / screenies, you will receive a message similar to the one below:

The file / Users / beeagey / screenies does not exist.

beeagey @ Elsiers-Air ~%

You can also access specific folders using several other commands as shown below.

Root directory: Open /. Home folder: open ~. To get the ~ character, press Shift + N. Current working folder in Finder: Open. … Open an application without using Finder: open /Applications/nameofapplication.app. For example, if you want to open Safari, enter Open /Applications/Safari.app. Open the folder in the terminal using the context menu

If you want to make the Finder directory your current working directory, you can make a difference using the context menu.

Choose Apple menu> System Preferences.

Then select “Keyboard”.

Go to the Shortcuts tab.

Select “Services”.

Find the “New Terminal in Folder” option.

Select a folder in Finder, open the Services menu and choose New Terminal in Folder. You will do this whenever you want to switch between Terminal and GUI.

Control How You Open Files and Folders on Your Mac

You can use Terminal for a wide variety of tasks on your Mac. Some of them can be done in the Finder, but through the Terminal it is much faster. You can also access deeply rooted parts of macOS that you wouldn’t be able to access from the Finder without dedicated apps.

Learn about other ways to use Terminal to kill a process using Terminal on macOS, determine network settings, or update Mac applications.

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How to Open a File or Folder in Terminal on Mac

open text file in terminal mac