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On standard Ubuntu Desktop, press Ctrl + Alt + T to open a Terminal window. If that shortcut does not work, press the Super key, type Terminal, and press Enter.
These instructions primarily apply to Ubuntu Desktop with its default GNOME-based interface. Ubuntu Server, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, and other installations may use different interfaces or may not include a graphical terminal launcher.
What is the Ubuntu Terminal?
Terminal is a graphical application that provides a command-line interface: a text-based place to enter commands. You may also see related terms such as command line, shell, console, command prompt, or bash prompt. They are related, but are not always technically identical. For a beginner, they broadly describe the text interface used to interact with Ubuntu.
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Method 1: Use the keyboard shortcut
The quickest way to open Terminal on Ubuntu Desktop is:
Ctrl + Alt + T
- Hold down Ctrl and Alt.
- While holding them, press T.
- Release the keys.
A Terminal window should appear. The shortcut is commonly configured on Ubuntu Desktop, but it can be changed, disabled, intercepted by remote-desktop software, or differ on another Ubuntu flavor.
Method 2: Search for Terminal
- Press the Super key. This is usually the key with the Windows logo near the bottom-left of a PC keyboard.
- Type Terminal.
- Select the Terminal application and press Enter, or click it.
Ubuntu calls the Windows-logo key Super. On some Apple keyboards, the Command key serves as the equivalent for opening the Activities overview. See Ubuntu’s Super-key documentation.
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If Terminal is not found immediately, try searching for:
terminal
command
prompt
shell
Ubuntu’s current Desktop command-line guide lists these as useful search terms.
Method 3: Use the applications grid
- Press Super to open Activities.
- Select Show Applications, usually represented by a grid of dots.
- Browse the installed applications or use the application search.
- Select the Terminal application.
The exact icon position and menu appearance can vary with the Ubuntu release, screen size, dock configuration, and accessibility settings. Ubuntu documents application launching through Activities, the dock, and the applications grid in its application-launching help.
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Pin Terminal to the dock
After opening Terminal, right-click its icon in the dock and choose Add to Favorites or the equivalent pinning option. The wording can vary by Ubuntu release and language. The icon will then provide a quick way to launch Terminal in the future.
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If Ctrl + Alt + T does not work
- Retry the combination: hold Ctrl and Alt, then press T. It is a combination, not a sequence of separate key presses.
- Use Activities search: press Super, search for Terminal, and launch it.
- Check shortcut settings: open Settings, choose Keyboard, then open View and Customize Shortcuts. Look for the relevant shortcut and restore or reassign it if necessary. Ubuntu explains that Backspace can reset a shortcut and Esc can cancel editing in its shortcut settings guide.
- Confirm the edition: Ubuntu Server, a minimal installation, a virtual console, or another Ubuntu flavor may not have the same graphical launcher or shortcut.
- Consider a missing terminal emulator: a heavily customized installation may have removed its graphical terminal application. Use the graphical application manager or ask the system administrator rather than assuming a particular terminal package or command is installed.
Open Terminal without a mouse
Press Super, type Terminal, then use Tab or the arrow keys to move through the results and press Enter to launch the selected application. Ubuntu’s keyboard-navigation documentation describes this general approach. Screen-reader announcements can differ between Ubuntu releases and desktop configurations.
What you should see
A newly opened Terminal usually shows a prompt, a blinking cursor, and information such as your username, computer name, and current directory. The prompt often ends in $, but its exact appearance depends on your shell, account, directory, and customizations.
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To confirm that it is working, type this harmless command and press Enter:
pwd
It prints the path of your current directory, often your home directory. You can also try:
echo "Terminal is open"
Commands generally do not run until you press Enter. A command that produces no visible output may still have completed successfully. Opening Terminal is harmless, but commands entered into it can change files, install software, or alter system settings; do not paste commands from an untrusted source without understanding them.
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Opening a terminal in a particular folder
Some Ubuntu releases and file managers provide an Open in Terminal option in a folder’s context menu. Its availability depends on the Ubuntu release, file manager, installed extensions, and the folder context, so it is not universal.
If the option is missing, open Terminal normally and use cd to navigate to the folder. The exact command depends on the folder’s path.
Ubuntu Server, remote sessions, and virtual consoles
Ubuntu Server commonly runs without a graphical desktop, so there may be no Terminal application to launch. You may already be using a shell through a local console, an SSH session, a cloud console, or a virtualization console.
If you are connected to Ubuntu through SSH, open a terminal or SSH client on your local device and connect to the remote system; there is no separate local graphical Terminal window to open on the remote server.
A virtual console, sometimes called a TTY, is different from the graphical Terminal application. It takes over the full screen and is mainly useful for recovery or when the graphical desktop is unavailable. It is not the normal way to open Terminal on Ubuntu Desktop.
Bottom line
For standard Ubuntu Desktop, press Ctrl + Alt + T. If that fails, press Super, search for Terminal, and launch the result. If neither method works, check the keyboard shortcut settings and confirm that you are using Ubuntu Desktop rather than Ubuntu Server or another Ubuntu flavor.
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