Don’t want to open files or mass-delete from the command line? Find out here how to open a Finder window from Terminal on a Mac with the current folder (or any folder, or multiple folders) selected.
First, If You Had Colorful Dreams Tonight
If you dreamt in color, chances are you grew up with a color TV and monitor.
I can say that because chances are you grew up with colors on your screens—but also because people who watched black and white TV as kids typically report dreaming in grays when asked while later generations tend to see colors.
Whether you grew up with monochromatic screens and terminal prompts, their commands are typically a dream when it comes to efficiency. You can efficiently open a colorful Finder window, for instance:
How to Open a Finder Window from Terminal on a Mac
Going the other way? How to open Mac Terminal from Finder (at the current folder)
Open the Current Folder
Time needed: 1 minute
To go to the current folder in a new Finder window right from a Terminal prompt on a Mac running macOS:
- Type
open .(“open” followed by whitespace character followed by a dot) at the Terminal window’s prompt.More explicit: The open command will use the default app on your Mac to open a folder—most typically Finder; to specify Finder explicitly, use
-a Finder.
Example: The full command including Finder isopen -a Finder ..
- Press Enter.
- If the Finder window does not jump to the front, click Finder in the Dock.
Open Any Folder from Terminal
To open any folder in a new Finder window from a Terminal prompt on macOS:
- Type
openfollowed by the folder you want to open at the Terminal window’s prompt.
Example: Typeopen ~/Downloadsto open the default downloads folder. - Press Enter.
Once in Finder, you can jump to folders swiftly using keyboard shortcuts, too.
How to Open a Finder Window from Terminal on a Mac: FAQ
Can I open multiple Finder windows in one go?
Yes.
To open more than one folder (and Finder window) from the Mac Terminal:
- Type
open <folder name>at the Terminal prompt for the first folder you want to open. - Append
& open <folder name>(an ampersand followed by the next command) for the next folder you want to open in Finder.
Example: Type open ~/Downloads & open ~/.Hidden to open your Downloads folder in Finder, and the hidden Mac folder Hidden as well in a separate window.
Two windows, same folder: Note that Finder will not open the same folder twice in separate windows but bring any open windows to the front instead.
- Repeat the previous step for any additional folders.
(How to open a Finder window from Terminal on a Mac tested with macOS Sonoma 14.3, Ventura 13.1, Monterey 12.5, Big Sur 11.0, and 10.15; updated March 2024)