5 Quake Terminal Tips You Probably Didn't Know
Unlock the full potential of QuakeNotch's terminal with these lesser-known tips and keyboard shortcuts.
Meowing Cat
You'll have the cutest terminal experience with QuakeNotch
QuakeNotch's Quake Terminal is designed to be the fastest way to access your terminal on macOS. But beyond the basics, there are some powerful features you might not know about.
You'll learn split panes, quick toggling, tab management, QPilot integration, and custom themes — all with keyboard shortcuts to keep you in the flow.
1. Split Panes Without the Mouse
Split your terminal into multiple panes to run different commands side by side. Perfect for monitoring logs while coding, or running a server and client simultaneously.
You can split your terminal into multiple panes using just keyboard shortcuts:
- ⌘ + D — Split horizontally
- ⌘ + ⇧ + D — Split vertically
Navigate between panes with ⌘ + ⌥ + Arrow keys.
2. Quick Terminal Toggle
The core feature of QuakeNotch is the instant terminal toggle. Press your configured hotkey (default: Control + `) and your terminal slides down from the notch area.
You can customize the activation hotkey in QuakeNotch preferences to any key combination that works best for your workflow.
3. Tab Management
Tabs in Quake Terminal work like you'd expect, but faster:
- ⌘ + T — New tab
- ⌘ + W — Close tab
- ⌘ + 1-9 — Jump to tab by number
4. QPilot Integration
QPilot, our built-in AI assistant, can help you right in the terminal. Ask it to explain commands, debug errors, or generate scripts — all without leaving your workflow.
QPilot works alongside your terminal session, so it has context about your recent commands and output.
5. Custom Themes and Transparency
Make Quake Terminal your own with custom color schemes and adjustable transparency. The terminal blends seamlessly with your desktop when using the transparency slider.
Wrapping Up
These tips just scratch the surface. Check out the User Guide for comprehensive documentation, or join our Discord to share your own tips with the community.
