To search within the terminal output, use Ctrl + F (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + F (macOS). Customizing Terminal Shortcuts
Modern workflows often require multiple sessions (e.g., one for a local server, one for Git, one for tests). Click the + icon in the terminal toolbar.
Clears the current terminal screen (same as typing clear or cls ).
| Action | Shortcut (bash/zsh) | |--------|----------------------| | | Ctrl+L | | Interrupt process | Ctrl+C | | Search command history | Ctrl+R | | Move cursor word-by-word | Alt+B / Alt+F (or Esc+B / Esc+F on macOS) | phpstorm terminal shortcut top
The Most Important Shortcut: Opening and Focusing the Terminal
(macOS) to expand the tool window to the full editor height. mglaman.dev How to Customize the Shortcut
Right-click the action you want to change (e.g., Toggle Terminal or Split Vertically ). To search within the terminal output, use Ctrl
| Method | Windows/Linux | macOS | Description | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Alt+F12 | ⌥ Option+F12 | Toggles the Terminal tool window open/closed. | | Context Menu | Right-click a file/directory | Right-click a file/directory | Select Open in Terminal to start a new session in that folder. | | Menu Navigation | View → Tool Windows → Terminal | View → Tool Windows → Terminal | Useful if you've forgotten the shortcut. | | Action Search | Ctrl+Shift+A → type "Terminal" | ⌘ Cmd+Shift+A → type "Terminal" | A universal tool to find any action by its name. |
After you have the terminal open, you'll need to manage your sessions. Here are the shortcuts for handling tabs, a crucial skill for multitasking:
If you are interested, I can also show you how to set up or customize your shell prompt within PhpStorm for even more efficiency. Terminal | PhpStorm Documentation - JetBrains Clears the current terminal screen (same as typing
If you just want to to see previous output without moving the cursor:
Once the terminal is open, you can use these shortcuts to manage your workflow: Open New Tab (Windows/Linux) or Close Current Tab (Windows/Linux) or Switch Between Tabs Right/Left Arrow (Windows/Linux) or Maximize Terminal Window (Windows/Linux) or
| Shortcut (Windows/Linux) | Shortcut (macOS) | Action | |--------------------------|------------------|--------| | Alt + F12 | ⌥ + F12 | Open/close terminal tool window | | Ctrl + Shift + T | ⌘ + ⇧ + T | Open a new terminal session tab | | Ctrl + Shift + W | ⌘ + ⇧ + W | Close current terminal tab | | Alt + Right/Left | ⌘ + ⇧ + [ or ] | Switch between terminal tabs | | Shift + Enter | ⇧ + ⏎ | Execute command and keep terminal focused (customizable) |
By default, some IDE-wide shortcuts might conflict with standard terminal actions. In > Tools > Terminal , ensure that Override IDE shortcuts is checked. This ensures that commands like Ctrl + C kill a running process inside the terminal instead of copying an empty line from the IDE editor. Leverage Smart Command Execution
Cycles between multiple terminal tabs (if you have several open).