> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.termpad.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Manage Terminals

> Work with terminal tabs, presets, and multiple shells

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

## 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.

### Creating a new tab

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select a worktree">
    Click on a worktree in the sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click the + button">
    In the terminal area, click the **+** button to create a new tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose how to open">
    Select from:

    * Plain shell
    * A preset (pre-configured command, like claude, codex, etc.)
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Managing tabs

| Action       | How                    |
| ------------ | ---------------------- |
| Switch tabs  | Click the tab          |
| Reorder tabs | Drag and drop          |
| Close tab    | Click the X on the tab |
| Rename tab   | Right-click > Rename   |

### Keyboard navigation

| Shortcut            | Action                  |
| ------------------- | ----------------------- |
| `Ctrl+T` / `⌃T`     | Switch to main terminal |
| `Ctrl+U` / `⌃U`     | Switch to user terminal |
| `Ctrl+W` / `⌃W`     | New tab                 |
| `Ctrl+Q` / `⌃Q`     | Close tab               |
| `Ctrl+1-9` / `⌘1-9` | Switch to tab 1-9       |

View all keyboard shortcuts in **Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts**.

## Terminal Presets

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

### Creating a preset

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings">
    Click the gear icon to open settings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to Terminal Presets">
    Click the terminal tab and find the preset configuration section.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Add Preset">
    Click the button to create a new preset.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Suggested presets

| Name   | Command  | Use For                |
| ------ | -------- | ---------------------- |
| Claude | `claude` | Claude Code AI agent   |
| Gemini | `gemini` | Google Gemini AI agent |
| Codex  | `codex`  | Codex AI assistant     |

### 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

## Shell Configuration

Termpad auto-detects available shells on your system:

| Platform | Shells                                                                                |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Windows  | PowerShell (5.x), PowerShell Core (pwsh), Command Prompt, Git Bash, WSL distributions |
| macOS    | Bash, Zsh, Fish, sh, dash, ksh, tcsh, csh                                             |
| Linux    | Bash, Zsh, Fish, sh, dash, ksh, tcsh, csh                                             |

### Changing the default shell

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings">
    Navigate to terminal settings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find Default Shell">
    Look for the shell selection dropdown.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select your shell">
    Choose from the detected shells for your platform.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Adding a custom shell

If your shell isn't automatically detected:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings">
    Navigate to terminal settings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Add Custom Shell">
    Open the shell configuration dialog.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter shell details">
    * **Name**: Display name (e.g., "Nushell")
    * **Path**: Full path to the executable
    * **Args**: Any arguments to pass
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Terminal Themes

Customize the terminal appearance:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings">
    Navigate to terminal settings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find Theme">
    It's in the appearance tab in the terminal theme section.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a theme">
    Select from available themes:

    * Dracula
    * One Dark
    * Nord
    * Solarized Dark
    * Solarized Light
    * And more
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common Terminal Tasks

### Copy and paste

| Action | Windows/Linux                      | macOS                  |
| ------ | ---------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| Copy   | `Ctrl+C` or select and right-click | `Cmd+C` or select text |
| Paste  | `Ctrl+V`                           | `Cmd+V`                |

Many terminals also copy on select—just selecting text copies it to clipboard.

### Clear the terminal

| Platform      | Shortcut |
| ------------- | -------- |
| Windows/Linux | `Ctrl+L` |
| macOS         | `Cmd+K`  |

Or type `clear` in the terminal.

### Scroll through history

| Action      | Shortcut                         |
| ----------- | -------------------------------- |
| Scroll up   | `Shift+Page Up` or mouse wheel   |
| Scroll down | `Shift+Page Down` or mouse wheel |

## WSL Support (Windows)

Termpad fully supports Windows Subsystem for Linux:

### Using WSL

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install WSL">
    If not already installed, set up WSL with your preferred distribution.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select WSL in Termpad">
    Go to Settings > Terminal > Default Shell and select your WSL distribution.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create terminals">
    New terminals now open in WSL.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Path handling

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