A Comprehensive Guide to Setting Up Your Mac Terminal with iTerm 2 and Zsh

Introduction

If you're a Mac user who wants to take your terminal experience to the next level, this guide is for you. We'll cover everything from installing essential packages to configuring iTerm 2 and Zsh, as well as recommending some must-have plugins.

1. Installing Essential Packages

To get started, we'll need to install a few essential packages using Homebrew, a package manager for macOS. Open your Terminal and run the following command:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Once Homebrew is installed, we can use it to install iTerm 2, a powerful terminal emulator. Run the following command:

brew install iterm2

2. Configuring iTerm 2

Once iTerm 2 is installed, open it and navigate to the following location to set your terminal theme:

Preferences -> Profiles -> Colors -> Color Presets

There are many themes to choose from, but I recommend Solarized Dark with the Foreground brightness increased to 70%.

3. Installing Zsh

Next, we'll install Zsh, a popular shell that offers many features and customization options. Run the following command:

brew install zsh

4. Installing Oh-my-zsh

Oh-my-zsh is a framework for managing your Zsh configuration. It makes it easy to install and manage plugins and themes. To install Oh-my-zsh, run the following command:

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

5. Configuring Oh-my-zsh

Once Oh-my-zsh is installed, it will ask you if you want to make Zsh your default shell. Press y and enter to confirm.

To change your theme, open your .zshrc file and replace the line ZSH_THEME="robbyrussell" with the following:

ZSH_THEME="agnoster"

6. Installing Powerline Fonts

To display certain symbols correctly in your terminal, you'll need to install a Powerline font. There are many to choose from, but I recommend Meslo Dotted for Powerline. To install it, run the following command:

brew cask install font-meslo-for-powerline

Once the font is installed, open Font Book and enable it. Then, in iTerm 2, navigate to the following location to change your font:

Preferences -> Profiles -> Text -> Font -> Meslo Dotted for Powerline

7. Recommended Plugins

Here are a few plugins that I highly recommend:

• Powerlevel9k: A powerful theme that provides a lot of information in your prompt.
• Zsh-autosuggestions: Provides auto-completion for commands and arguments.
• Zsh-syntax-highlighting: Adds syntax highlighting to your commands.
• Navi: A command-line history manager.
• Autojump: Allows you to quickly jump to frequently used directories.

To install these plugins, add the following lines to your .zshrc file:

plugins=(powerlevel9k zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting navi autojump)

Conclusion

That's it! You've now successfully set up your Mac Terminal with iTerm 2 and Zsh. Enjoy the improved functionality and customization options!