Opening Your Terminal
The terminal is your direct line of communication with your computer. Instead of clicking through menus and windows, you type commands and get immediate responses. Every operating system comes with a built-in terminal, and once you know how to open it, you'll use it constantly as a developer.
Opening Your System Terminal
Windows offers several terminal options. The modern choice is Windows Terminal, which you can install from the Microsoft Store if it's not already on your system. You can also use PowerShell (search for it in the Start menu) or the older Command Prompt (type cmd in the Start menu search).
To open Windows Terminal quickly, press Win + X and select "Windows Terminal" from the menu. For PowerShell, press Win + S, type "PowerShell," and hit Enter.
On macOS, the built-in terminal is called Terminal.app. You'll find it in Applications → Utilities → Terminal. A faster way is to press Cmd + Space to open Spotlight, type "Terminal," and press Enter.
Many developers prefer iTerm2, a free alternative with extra features. For now, the built-in Terminal works perfectly.
Linux distributions include various terminal applications depending on your desktop environment. Common ones include GNOME Terminal, Konsole (KDE), and xterm. Look in your applications menu under "Utilities" or "System," or press Ctrl + Alt + T — this keyboard shortcut works on most Linux systems.
The VS Code Integrated Terminal
If you're using VS Code as your editor, you have a terminal built right in. Press Ctrl + ` (that's the backtick key, usually below Escape) to toggle it open. You can also go to View → Terminal from the menu.
The integrated terminal is incredibly convenient because it opens directly in your project folder. You don't need to navigate anywhere — you're already where your code lives.
Understanding the Prompt
When you open a terminal, you'll see a prompt — a line of text waiting for your input. This prompt typically shows useful information like your username, computer name, and current folder location.
Don't be intimidated by the blank prompt. It's simply waiting for you to tell it what to do. In the next lessons, you'll learn the commands that make this tool powerful.