Supercharge Your Mac Terminal: iTerm2, Oh My Zsh, Powerlevel10k

2026-01-08

Setting up a new Mac? This guide walks you through building a modern terminal setup with iTerm2, Oh My Zsh, and Powerlevel10k. It is fast, clean, and genuinely fun to use.

Time to complete: 15 to 20 minutes
Compatibility: Intel and Apple Silicon
Skill level: Beginner to advanced

Quick Start (TL;DR)

If you just want the commands, here is the fast path. If you are new to terminal customization, use the detailed steps below.

Ultra-Quick Setup (review first)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/perezgb/mac-terminal-setup/refs/heads/main/setup.sh | bash

Standard Quick Setup

# 1. Backup existing configuration
cp ~/.zshrc ~/.zshrc.backup 2>/dev/null || echo "No existing ~/.zshrc"

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

# 3. Install iTerm2
brew install --cask iterm2

# 4. Install Oh My Zsh
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

# 5. Install Powerlevel10k theme
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k
sed -i '' 's/ZSH_THEME="robbyrussell"/ZSH_THEME="powerlevel10k\/powerlevel10k"/' ~/.zshrc

# 6. Install essential plugins
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting
brew install autojump

# 7. Reload
source ~/.zshrc

Before You Begin

What you will need:

15 to 20 minutes
Basic terminal familiarity
Optional: coffee

What you will get:

A modern terminal with split panes
Better history search and autosuggestions
Syntax highlighting as you type
Git status and smarter prompts

Backup your current config:

cp ~/.zshrc ~/.zshrc.backup 2>/dev/null || echo "No existing ~/.zshrc"
cp ~/.p10k.zsh ~/.p10k.zsh.backup 2>/dev/null || echo "No existing ~/.p10k.zsh"

Step 1: Install Homebrew

Homebrew installs the tools Apple does not ship by default.

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

Step 2: Install and Configure iTerm2

Install iTerm2:

brew install --cask iterm2

Recommended settings:

Preferences → General → Window → Native full screen windows
Profiles → Default → Window Size → 140 x 40

Step 3: Install Oh My Zsh

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

If prompted to set zsh as your default shell, type Y.

Step 4: Install Powerlevel10k

Install the theme:

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k

Update your theme setting:

sed -i '' 's/ZSH_THEME="robbyrussell"/ZSH_THEME="powerlevel10k\/powerlevel10k"/' ~/.zshrc

Reload:

source ~/.zshrc

If the wizard does not open automatically:

p10k configure

Suggested wizard choices:

Yes to powerline symbols
Unicode character set
Dark color scheme
Classic prompt style
Transient prompt: yes
Instant prompt: yes

Step 5: Essential Plugins

Install:

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting
brew install autojump

Enable them in ~/.zshrc:

plugins=(
    git
    zsh-autosuggestions
    zsh-syntax-highlighting
    autojump
)

Quick Verification

echo $ZSH_VERSION
p10k
echo $plugins

Essential Shortcuts

Ctrl + R: Search command history
Ctrl + T: Fuzzy find files
j : Jump to a directory
gs: Git status
take : Create and enter a directory
Cmd + D: Split pane vertically in iTerm2
Cmd + Shift + D: Split pane horizontally in iTerm2
Cmd + ] / Cmd + [: Move between panes

Troubleshooting

Powerlevel10k wizard does not start
Run:

p10k configure

Missing symbols in prompt
Run p10k configure and install the recommended fonts.

Plugins not working
Check:

ls ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/

Then verify the plugins=(...) list in ~/.zshrc.

Uninstall

uninstall_oh_my_zsh
brew uninstall --cask iterm2
cp ~/.zshrc.backup ~/.zshrc

Next Steps

You now have a clean, fast, modern terminal. If you want to go further, try adding a custom color scheme in iTerm2 or exploring additional Zsh plugins.