Stuck in Terminal wishing you could just open Finder to see the current folder’s files? Want to jump from a command-line path straight to a Finder window without navigating everything again? Find out here how to open a Finder window from Terminal on a Mac ⤓ with the current folder, any folder or even multiple folders selected.
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How to Open a Finder Window from Terminal on a Mac
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.
Finder found?
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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.
Examples
| Command | Opens in Finder |
|---|---|
open . | the current folder |
open ~ | the Home folder |
open . .. | the current and the parent folder |
open -R {file.txt} | the current folder with the file {file.txt} highlighted |
Going the other way? How to open Mac Terminal from Finder (at the current folder)
Another surprising thing to do in Finder: How to Rename Files in Bulk with Mac Finder
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.
(Tested with macOS Tahoe 26.0–26.5, Sequoia 15.2–15.5, Sonoma 14.3–14.6, Ventura 13.1, Monterey 12.5, Big Sur 11.0, and 10.15; first published November 2017, last updated June 2026)