The PhpStorm terminal is not an afterthought—it is a first-class citizen of your development environment. But it is only useful if you can access it instantly. The phpstorm terminal shortcut top command is undoubtedly Alt+F12 (or Option+F12 on macOS), because it removes the friction of opening and closing the terminal.
However, a true power user pairs that with Ctrl+T for new tabs, Ctrl+R for clearing, and Ctrl+F for searching. Together, these shortcuts form a complete, mouse-free terminal experience.
Your next step: Spend one full day forcing yourself to use only Alt+F12 to open the terminal. Every time your hand moves toward the mouse, stop. Use the shortcut. By day two, it will be muscle memory. Then add one new shortcut from this list each week.
Before you know it, your workflow will be faster, smoother, and more enjoyable. And you will finally understand why the best developers never take their hands off the keyboard.
What is your favorite PhpStorm terminal shortcut that we missed? Leave a comment below or share this article with a teammate who still clicks the terminal tab with their mouse.
The primary shortcut to toggle the terminal in PhpStorm is Alt + F12 on Windows/Linux or ⌥ Option + F12 on macOS. Essential Terminal Shortcuts
Toggle Terminal: Alt + F12 (Windows/Linux) or ⌥ + F12 (macOS). This opens the tool window or focuses it if it’s already open.
Close/Hide Terminal: Press Alt + F12 (Windows/Linux) or ⌥ + F12 (macOS) again, or press Esc to return focus to the editor while keeping the terminal open. phpstorm terminal shortcut top
New Terminal Tab: Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + T (macOS) while the terminal is in focus.
Switch Between Tabs: Alt + ← / → (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift + [ / ] (macOS).
Command Completion: Press Ctrl + Space to manually trigger the completion popup for subcommands and arguments. How to Move the Terminal to the Top
By default, the terminal opens at the bottom. You can move it to the top of the IDE: Right-click the Terminal tab or the terminal's header bar.
Select Move to Sidebar (or Move Tool Window) and choose Top.
This will dock the terminal at the top of your workspace instead of the bottom. Customizing Shortcuts
If the default keys aren't working (common on some laptops where F12 requires an Fn key), you can remap them: The PhpStorm terminal is not an afterthought—it is
Open Settings via Ctrl + Alt + S (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + , (macOS). Go to Keymap and search for "Terminal".
Right-click the Terminal action under Tool Windows and select Add Keyboard Shortcut to set your own preference, like Cmd + T. Terminal | PhpStorm Documentation - JetBrains
To jump to the top of the editor in PhpStorm, use the shortcut Ctrl + PgUp (Windows/Linux) or Command + Home / Fn + Up (macOS).
If you are looking for shortcuts specifically for the Terminal tool window, here are the most common commands: Terminal Management
Open/Close Terminal: Alt + F12 (Windows/Linux) or Option + F12 (macOS). Focus Editor from Terminal: Press Esc.
New Terminal Tab: Ctrl + Shift + T (while the terminal is focused). Close Current Tab: Ctrl + Shift + W. Navigation Within the Terminal
Scroll to Top: Ctrl + Home (Windows/Linux) or Command + Up (macOS). What is your favorite PhpStorm terminal shortcut that
Scroll to Bottom: Ctrl + End (Windows/Linux) or Command + Down (macOS).
Next/Previous Tab: Alt + Right/Left (Windows/Linux) or Command + Shift + [ / ] (macOS). Customizing Shortcuts
If you want to change these, go to the Keymap Settings by pressing Ctrl + Alt + S, then search for "Terminal". Terminal | PhpStorm Documentation - JetBrains
The PhpStorm terminal emulator (based on the OS’s default shell) can be operated almost entirely without a mouse. The top shortcuts fall into three categories: activation/focus, window management, and internal shell operations. The single most important shortcut is Alt+F12 (Windows/Linux) / Option+F12 (macOS), which opens, focuses, or hides the terminal tool window.
PHPStorm uses your system shell. If those keys aren’t responding:
What it does: Opens a new terminal session in a new tab while you are already inside the terminal.
Use case: You are watching logs in one terminal tab (tail -f storage/logs/laravel.log) but need to run a separate command without stopping the log stream. Press Ctrl+T to create a new tab, run your command, then switch back.