Ghostty for Mac is the terminal emulator that combines GPU accelerated rendering with a native macOS interface, giving you real speed and platform-correct behavior instead of the sluggish, Electron-based feel of many modern terminal apps. Version 1.3.x brings some of the most requested features in the project’s history, including full scrollback search, for anyone who wants a terminal that finally has everything they’ve been asking for. I switched to it as my daily driver because it gives me a fast, genuinely native terminal experience without giving up modern conveniences.
Ghostty Overview
Ghostty for Mac is a free and open source terminal emulator built by Mitchell Hashimoto, the founder of HashiCorp, written in Zig with native GPU rendering, focused on correctness, performance, and a native look and feel on every platform. It runs natively on macOS using Cocoa, with no Electron wrapper involved, which is a big part of why it feels so much snappier than many alternatives. Ghostty for Mac is one of the most talked about terminal emulators in the developer community right now, and for good reason. GhosttyGhostty
Key Features
- Scrollback search lets you search through your entire terminal history, using a dedicated search thread that runs alongside terminal I/O without slowing things down Ghostty
- Native scrollbars that use system widgets and styling, supporting standard interactions like dragging the thumb or clicking the track Ghostty
- Click-to-move-cursor support in shell prompts using the OSC 133 specification Ghostty
- Command completion notifications that alert you when long-running commands finish, configurable as desktop notifications, terminal bells, or both Ghostty
- AppleScript support for automating text input, window management, and tab management Ghostty
- Drag and drop reordering of window splits on macOS Ghostty
- Rich text formatting preserved when copying terminal output to the clipboard Ghostty
- A key overlay for leader keys, showing available bindings after pressing a leader key Petronellatech
- Auto-update support on macOS without needing Homebrew or a manual download Petronellatech
- Fully native on macOS with GPU accelerated rendering
What’s New in Version 1.3.x
- Ghostty 1.3.0 is a significant release featuring scrollback search, native scrollbars, click-to-move-cursor in shell prompts, and hundreds of other improvements, bug fixes, and performance optimizations Lobsters
- 1.3.0 fixed a significant memory leak that had existed since version 1.0 Ghostty
- 1.3.1 followed shortly after with a security fix patching CVE-2026-26982, an issue where control characters in pasted text could execute commands Petronellatech
- 1.3.1 also fixed several macOS specific bugs including stale mouse state after focus changes and window sizing regressions when opening tabs Yahoo!
System Requirements
- macOS 13 (Ventura) or later Ghostty
- Universal binary works on both Apple Silicon and Intel machines Ghostty
- 4 GB RAM minimum
- 100 MB storage for the application itself
- No additional dependencies required for the prebuilt macOS binary
How to Install Ghostty on Mac
- Download Ghostty 1.3.x for Mac.
- Open the downloaded file and drag Ghostty into Applications.
- Launch Ghostty from your Applications folder.
- Grant any macOS Automation permissions if prompted for AppleScript support.
- Start using your new terminal immediately, with your existing shell config picked up automatically.
How to Download Ghostty for Mac
- Visit the official Ghostty website.
- Click the Download button for the macOS universal binary.
- Wait for the download to finish.
- Open the downloaded file from your Downloads folder.
- Follow the setup steps to complete installation.
Supported Websites
- Ghostty Official Website
- GitHub (ghostty-org/ghostty)
- Homebrew
- Softpedia
- 1000+ other trusted sources
Why Use Ghostty for Mac?
What makes Ghostty for Mac the go to terminal for most developers who try it is simply how much it closes the gap between speed and features. Searching your scrollback history used to mean piping output to a file or reaching for a separate tool, but now it’s built right in and doesn’t slow anything down while you use it.
The native macOS integration makes daily use genuinely pleasant since scrollbars, window behavior, and automation all feel like they belong on the platform instead of being bolted on. For anyone who wants a fast, actively developed terminal without the overhead of Electron-based alternatives, the combination of performance and polish Ghostty for Mac offers makes it the obvious choice.
Ghostty vs Other Terminals
| Feature | Ghostty | Others |
|---|---|---|
| GPU Accelerated Native Rendering | Yes | Varies |
| Scrollback Search | Yes | Limited |
| Free and Open Source | Yes | Varies |
| AppleScript Automation | Yes | Rare |
| Mac Optimized | Yes | Varies |
