Copy Path to Terminal Without Typing — iTerm2, Warp, Ghostty (2026)

You're in Finder looking at the file you need. You're in Terminal ready to use it. The gap between those two things — typing or pasting a path without making a typo — is one of the most repetitive friction points in Mac development.

Here are all the ways to close that gap, from the most universal to the most elegant.

Universal Methods (Work with Any Terminal)

These methods don't care which terminal app you use — they work the same in Apple's built-in Terminal, iTerm2, Warp, Ghostty, or anything else.

1. Drag & Drop from Finder

The simplest method that requires zero setup.

# Example result after dragging a folder:
cd /Users/alex/Projects/my\ app/

The limitation: you need a command already started. Dragging without a preceding command just inserts the path as text, which works for some use cases but not commands that take positional arguments.

2. Copy with Option + Right-Click, then Paste

3. Pathly — Right-Click, Copy, Paste

If you need to copy paths frequently (and want more formats than just the full path), Pathly is the fastest clipboard-based approach — no Option key, and you choose the exact format.

This works for any terminal and any subsequent use of the path — not just terminal use. Once it's on the clipboard, paste it in a PR description, a config file, or a chat message just as easily.

Terminal-Specific Tricks

Apple Terminal

Drag a folder onto the Terminal Dock icon — drop a folder onto the Terminal icon in the Dock and Terminal opens a new window already cd'd into that directory. Much faster than typing.

Services → New Terminal at Folder — right-click any folder in Finder and look for "New Terminal at Folder" in the Services submenu. If it's not there, enable it in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Services.

iTerm2

Shell Integration — install iTerm2's Shell Integration (iTerm2 → Install Shell Integration) and enable the Toolbelt. This adds a Finder-to-terminal workflow where iTerm2 can track your current directory and suggest paths.

Drag & drop works especially cleanly in iTerm2 — it handles spaces and special characters in paths reliably, including paths with Unicode characters.

Open in iTerm2 from Finder — you can add a Finder Quick Action via Automator that opens the selected folder in iTerm2. Apple has detailed instructions in the Automator app.

Warp

Warp's AI-powered command input means you can type a description like "list files in my Downloads folder" and Warp suggests the command with the correct path. For literal path insertion, drag-and-drop and clipboard paste both work as expected.

Warp Drive lets you save frequently-used paths and commands — useful if you navigate to the same few project directories constantly.

Ghostty

Ghostty is fast and lightweight with full drag-and-drop support. It supports AppleScript, which opens some interesting automation possibilities — you can write a Finder Quick Action that opens Ghostty in the selected folder.

-- AppleScript: Open Ghostty at selected Finder folder
tell application "Finder"
  set selectedItem to (selection as alias list)
  if selectedItem is not {} then
    set itemPath to POSIX path of item 1 of selectedItem
    tell application "Ghostty"
      activate
      -- create tab at path
    end tell
  end if
end tell

Open Terminal in Current Finder Location

Sometimes you don't want to copy a path at all — you want to open a terminal session already in the folder you're looking at. Here are the fastest ways:

• Drag the folder onto the Terminal / iTerm2 Dock icon — new window opens, already in that directory
• Services → New Terminal at Folder — built into macOS, enable in System Settings if not visible
• Finder Quick Action via Automator — create a custom "Open in [Your Terminal]" action for any terminal app
• Third-party apps — apps like OpenInTerminal add a toolbar button to Finder that opens your preferred terminal in the current location

Comparison: Clipboard vs Direct Insertion