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Each worktree in Termpad has a full terminal emulator. This guide covers how to create, manage, and customize your terminals.

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Terminal Tabs

Worktrees can have multiple terminal tabs:
  • Main terminals: For running AI CLIs (you can have many)
  • User terminals: For running other tasks like tests, dev servers, builds, etc.

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Creating a new tab

1

Select a worktree

Click on a worktree in the sidebar.
2

Click the + button

In the terminal area, click the + button to create a new tab.
3

Choose how to open

Select from:
  • Plain shell
  • A preset (pre-configured command, like claude, codex, etc.)

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Managing tabs

ActionHow
Switch tabsClick the tab
Reorder tabsDrag and drop
Close tabClick the X on the tab
Rename tabRight-click > Rename

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Keyboard navigation

ShortcutAction
Ctrl+T / ⌃TSwitch to main terminal
Ctrl+U / ⌃USwitch to user terminal
Ctrl+W / ⌃WNew tab
Ctrl+Q / ⌃QClose tab
Ctrl+1-9 / ⌘1-9Switch to tab 1-9
View all keyboard shortcuts in Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts.

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Terminal Presets

Presets let you create terminals that automatically run your preset command. Commands can include flags (e.g., claude --dangerously-skip-permissions).

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Creating a preset

1

Open Settings

Click the gear icon to open settings.
2

Go to Terminal Presets

Click the terminal tab and find the preset configuration section.
3

Click Add Preset

Click the button to create a new preset.
4

Configure the preset

Enter:
  • Name: What to call the preset (e.g., “Claude”)
  • Command: What command to run (e.g., claude)
  • Icon: Which icon to display

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Suggested presets

NameCommandUse For
ClaudeclaudeClaude Code AI agent
GeminigeminiGoogle Gemini AI agent
CodexcodexCodex AI assistant

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Using presets

When creating a new terminal tab:
  1. Click the + button
  2. Select a preset from the dropdown
  3. The terminal opens and runs your command automatically

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Shell Configuration

Termpad auto-detects available shells on your system:
PlatformShells
WindowsPowerShell (5.x), PowerShell Core (pwsh), Command Prompt, Git Bash, WSL distributions
macOSBash, Zsh, Fish, sh, dash, ksh, tcsh, csh
LinuxBash, Zsh, Fish, sh, dash, ksh, tcsh, csh

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Changing the default shell

1

Open Settings

Navigate to terminal settings.
2

Find Default Shell

Look for the shell selection dropdown.
3

Select your shell

Choose from the detected shells for your platform.

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Adding a custom shell

If your shell isn’t automatically detected:
1

Open Settings

Navigate to terminal settings.
2

Click Add Custom Shell

Open the shell configuration dialog.
3

Enter shell details

  • Name: Display name (e.g., “Nushell”)
  • Path: Full path to the executable
  • Args: Any arguments to pass

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Terminal Themes

Customize the terminal appearance:
1

Open Settings

Navigate to terminal settings.
2

Find Theme

It’s in the appearance tab in the terminal theme section.
3

Choose a theme

Select from available themes:
  • Dracula
  • One Dark
  • Nord
  • Solarized Dark
  • Solarized Light
  • And more

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Common Terminal Tasks

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Copy and paste

ActionWindows/LinuxmacOS
CopyCtrl+C or select and right-clickCmd+C or select text
PasteCtrl+VCmd+V
Many terminals also copy on select—just selecting text copies it to clipboard.

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Clear the terminal

PlatformShortcut
Windows/LinuxCtrl+L
macOSCmd+K
Or type clear in the terminal.

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Scroll through history

ActionShortcut
Scroll upShift+Page Up or mouse wheel
Scroll downShift+Page Down or mouse wheel

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WSL Support (Windows)

Termpad fully supports Windows Subsystem for Linux:

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Using WSL

1

Install WSL

If not already installed, set up WSL with your preferred distribution.
2

Select WSL in Termpad

Go to Settings > Terminal > Default Shell and select your WSL distribution.
3

Create terminals

New terminals now open in WSL.

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Path handling

Termpad automatically handles path translation between Windows and WSL, so your projects work seamlessly.