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Terminal.app
App Terminal
Apple's built-in macOS terminal. Ships with every Mac.
Terminal.app is Apple's built-in terminal emulator, shipping with every Mac since Mac OS X 10.0 (March 2001). Evolved from the NeXTSTEP Terminal application that Steve Jobs brought back to Apple, it has been maintained by Apple's developer tools team for over two decades. It is the terminal most macOS users encounter first, and for many developers it is all they ever need.
Terminal.app takes a deliberately conservative approach to feature adoption. It was slow to support truecolor and still lacks modern protocols like the kitty keyboard protocol, kitty graphics, and sixel. However, it provides solid basics: UTF-8 support, 256-color mode, mouse tracking, bracketed paste, and deep integration with macOS — Profiles for appearance management, Services menu integration, Touch Bar support, and Secure Keyboard Entry to prevent keystroke logging.
Apple added shell integration (marks and bookmarks) to Terminal.app, allowing users to navigate between command prompts and fold/unfold command output. Despite its limitations compared to third-party alternatives like iTerm2 and Ghostty, Terminal.app remains the compatibility baseline for macOS CLI tools and the default terminal in every macOS installation worldwide.
Backend: Apple's built-in macOS terminal. Ships with every Mac. · v2.15
89%
132 passed · 16 failed of 148 features
Tested: March 26, 2026
Analysis2026-03-26
Terminal.app scores 89% (132/148) on the terminfo.dev feature matrix, with gaps in the Core TUI, Modern TUI, Rich TUI, Unicode baselines. Ranks #10 of 13 tested terminals. Missing 16 features.
Character Sets
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DEC line drawing character set | ✓ yes | |
| DEC Special Graphics | ✓ yes | |
| G0/G1 character set switching | ✓ yes | |
| UTF-8 mode | ✓ yes |
Cursor
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CUD stops at bottom | ✓ yes | |
| CUP at screen boundaries | ✓ yes | |
| CUP with DECOM | ✗ no | got 1;1, expected 5;1 |
| CUU stops at top | ✓ yes | |
| Hide cursor (DECTCEM) | ✓ yes | |
| Cursor horizontal absolute (CHA) | ✓ yes | |
| Cursor position (CUP) | ✓ yes | |
| Cursor back (CUB) | ✓ yes | |
| Cursor down (CUD) | ✓ yes | |
| Cursor forward (CUF) | ✓ yes | |
| Cursor home | ✓ yes | |
| Cursor up (CUU) | ✓ yes | |
| Cursor next line (CNL) | ✓ yes | |
| Cursor position report (DSR 6) | ✓ yes | |
| Reverse Wrap (Mode 45) | ✓ yes | |
| Save/restore cursor (DECSC) | ✓ yes | |
| Cursor shape (DECSCUSR) | ✓ yes |
Device Status
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mode Report (DECRPM) | ✗ no | No DECRPM response |
| Request Setting (DECRQSS) | ✗ no | No DECRQSS response |
| Primary device attributes (DA1) | ✓ yes | |
| Secondary Device Attributes (DA2) | ✓ yes | |
| Device status report (DSR 5) | ✓ yes | |
| Feature Reporting (TERM_FEATURES) | ✗ no | |
| Tertiary Device Attributes (DA3) | ✗ no | No DA3 response |
| Query Terminfo (XTGETTCAP) | ✗ no | No XTGETTCAP response |
| Terminal Version (XTVERSION) | ✗ no | No XTVERSION response |
Editing
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Delete characters (DCH) | ✓ yes | |
| Delete lines (DL) | ✓ yes | |
| Insert characters (ICH) | ✓ yes | |
| Insert lines (IL) | ✓ yes | |
| Repeat character (REP) | ✓ yes |
Erase
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Erase character (ECH) | ✓ yes | |
| ED at scroll region boundary | ✓ yes | |
| EL erases with bg color | ✓ yes | |
| Erase line (EL 2) | ✓ yes | |
| Erase to BOL (EL 1) | ✓ yes | |
| Erase to EOL (EL 0) | ✓ yes | |
| Erase above (ED 1) | ✓ yes | |
| Erase screen (ED 2) | ✓ yes | |
| Erase below (ED 0) | ✓ yes | |
| Erase scrollback (ED 3) | ✓ yes | |
| Selective Erase (DECSED) | ✓ yes |
Extensions
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| iTerm2 Inline Images (OSC 1337) | ✓ yes | |
| Kitty graphics protocol | ✗ no | No kitty graphics acknowledgment |
| Kitty keyboard protocol | ✗ no | No kitty keyboard response |
| Desktop Notifications (OSC 9/777) | ✓ yes | |
| VS Code Shell Integration (OSC 633) | ✓ yes | |
| Icon and title (OSC 0) | ✓ yes | |
| Foreground color query (OSC 10) | ✓ yes | |
| Background color query (OSC 11) | ✓ yes | |
| iTerm2 Capability Reporting (OSC 1337) | ✗ no | No OSC 1337 capabilities response |
| iTerm2 Cell Size Reporting (OSC 1337) | ✗ no | No OSC 1337 ReportCellSize response |
| Window title (OSC 2) | ✓ yes | |
| Clipboard access (OSC 52) | ✓ yes | |
| OSC 5522 advanced clipboard | ? unknown | |
| OSC 66 text sizing | ? unknown | |
| Current directory (OSC 7) | ✓ yes | |
| Hyperlinks (OSC 8) | ✓ yes | |
| OSC 9;4 progress bar | ? unknown | |
| Text reflow on resize | ✓ yes | |
| Semantic prompts (OSC 133) | ✓ yes | |
| Sixel graphics | ✓ yes | |
| Sixel support in DA1 | ✗ no | DA1 response missing ;4 (sixel) |
| 24-bit truecolor | ✓ yes |
Input Protocols
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Button-Event Mouse (1002) | ✓ yes | |
| CSI u Key Encoding | ✓ yes | |
| modifyOtherKeys | ✓ yes | |
| modifyOtherKeys mode 3 | ? unknown | |
| Pixel Mouse Reporting (1016) | ✓ yes | |
| urxvt Mouse Reporting (1015) | ✓ yes | |
| X10 Mouse Tracking (9) | ✓ yes |
Modes
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enter alt screen (DECSET 1049) | ✓ yes | Behavioral: entered and responded |
| Exit alt screen (DECRST 1049) | ✓ yes | |
| App cursor keys (DECCKM) | ✓ yes | Behavioral: responsive after enable |
| Application keypad (DECKPAM) | ✓ yes | |
| Auto-wrap (DECAWM) | ✓ yes | Behavioral: wrap confirmed |
| Bracketed paste (DECSET 2004) | ✓ yes | Behavioral: terminal responsive after enable |
| Mode 2031 color scheme reporting | ? unknown | |
| Focus tracking (DECSET 1004) | ✓ yes | Behavioral: responsive after enable |
| Insert/replace mode (IRM) | ✓ yes | |
| Left/Right Margins (DECLRMM, Mode 69) | ✓ yes | |
| All motion mouse (DECSET 1003) | ✓ yes | Behavioral: responsive after enable |
| SGR mouse mode (DECSET 1006) | ✓ yes | Behavioral: responsive after enable |
| Mouse tracking (DECSET 1000) | ✓ yes | Behavioral: responsive after enable |
| Origin mode (DECOM) | ✗ no | Behavioral: cursor at row 1 (origin mapped) |
| Reverse video (DECSCNM) | ✓ yes | Behavioral: responsive after enable |
| Synchronized output (DECSET 2026) | ✓ yes | Behavioral: responsive after enable |
Reset
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Backend reset() method | ✓ yes | cursor at 5;5 after DECSTR |
| Full reset (RIS) | ✓ yes | |
| SGR reset clears attributes | ✓ yes | |
| Soft reset (DECSTR) | ✓ yes |
Scrollback
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Scrollback accumulates | ✓ yes | |
| Alt screen separate scrollback | ✓ yes | |
| DECSTBM constrains scrolling | ✓ yes | |
| DECSTBM reset to full screen | ✓ yes | |
| Reverse index (RI) | ✓ yes | |
| Scroll down (SD) | ✓ yes | |
| Scroll up (SU) | ✓ yes | |
| Scroll region (DECSTBM) | ✓ yes | |
| Total line count | ✓ yes | Content written to scrollback |
SGR (Text Styling)
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 256-color bg (SGR 48;5) | ✓ yes | |
| Bright bg colors (SGR 100-107) | ✓ yes | |
| Default bg color (SGR 49) | ✓ yes | |
| Standard bg colors (SGR 40-47) | ✓ yes | |
| 24-bit bg (SGR 48;2) | ✓ yes | |
| Blink (SGR 5) | ✓ yes | |
| Bold (SGR 1) | ✓ yes | |
| Faint/dim (SGR 2) | ✓ yes | |
| 256-color fg (SGR 38;5) | ✓ yes | |
| Bright fg colors (SGR 90-97) | ✓ yes | |
| Default fg color (SGR 39) | ✓ yes | |
| Standard fg colors (SGR 30-37) | ✓ yes | |
| 24-bit fg (SGR 38;2) | ✓ yes | |
| Hidden/invisible (SGR 8) | ✓ yes | |
| Inverse video (SGR 7) | ✓ yes | |
| Italic (SGR 3) | ✓ yes | |
| Overline (SGR 53) | ✓ yes | |
| Reset all (SGR 0) | ✓ yes | |
| Reset bold/dim (SGR 22) | ✓ yes | |
| Reset inverse (SGR 27) | ✓ yes | |
| Reset italic (SGR 23) | ✓ yes | |
| Reset underline (SGR 24) | ✓ yes | |
| Strikethrough (SGR 9) | ✓ yes | |
| Underline color (SGR 58) | ✓ yes | |
| Curly underline (SGR 4:3) | ✓ yes | |
| Dashed underline (SGR 4:5) | ✓ yes | |
| Dotted underline (SGR 4:4) | ✓ yes | |
| Double underline (SGR 21) | ✓ yes | |
| Underline (SGR 4) | ✓ yes |
Text
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Backspace (BS) | ✓ yes | |
| Basic text rendering | ✓ yes | |
| Combining characters (0 cols) | ✓ yes | |
| Carriage return | ✓ yes | |
| Index (IND) | ✓ yes | |
| Line feed | ✓ yes | |
| Next line (NEL) | ✓ yes | |
| Overwrite at cursor | ✓ yes | |
| Reverse Index at Scroll Top | ✓ yes | |
| Tab stops | ✓ yes | |
| CJK wide chars (2 cols) | ✓ yes | |
| Emoji wide chars (2 cols) | ✓ yes | |
| Regional indicator flags (2 cols) | ✓ yes | |
| Variation selector 16 (emoji presentation) | ✗ no | width=1, expected 2 |
| Emoji ZWJ sequences (2 cols) | ✗ no | width=11, expected 2 |
| Text wraps at width | ✓ yes |
Unicode
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| East Asian Ambiguous Width | ✓ yes | width=1 (ambiguous chars vary by terminal/locale) |
| Grapheme Cluster Cursor Movement | ✗ no | width=8, expected 2 |
| Tab Stops (HT) | ✓ yes | |
| Wide Char at Line Wrap | ✓ yes |