2025-07-12 | Categories Terminal | Tags Dropdown Terminal

In development and daily workflows, dropdown terminals have become a powerful productivity booster thanks to their quick summon and hide functionality. This article summarizes excellent dropdown terminal tools across platforms—including Linux (Arch Linux, Ubuntu), macOS, and Windows—and provides detailed installation and configuration instructions to help you quickly set up an efficient development environment.

A dropdown terminal is a floating terminal window that can be quickly pulled down from the top of the screen via a shortcut key (commonly F12 or similar). It resembles an in-game console, typically floats above other windows, and doesn’t interfere with existing layouts. It is ideal for quickly running commands, viewing logs, or debugging code.

Platform	Terminal Name	Key Features
Linux	Guake	GTK-based, F12 to toggle, tabs support, lightweight
	Yakuake	KDE-specific, smooth animations, scripting support
	Tilda	Minimal GTK dropdown terminal
	Kitty + tmux + skhd (pro)	Custom floating window, great for advanced users
macOS	iTerm2 Hotkey Window	Native hotkey support, rich GUI
	Alacritty + yabai + skhd	Uses tiling WM for dropdown effect
Windows	Windows Terminal Quake Mode	Native dropdown mode, WSL and PowerShell integrated
	Cmder (ConEmu)	Classic UI, rich features, dropdown key supported
Cross-Platform	Tabby Terminal	Electron-based, multi-tab, plugin ecosystem

Installation & Basic Configuration by Platform

Linux

Guake Installation & Configuration

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install guake

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S guake

Fedora:

sudo dnf install guake

Launch & Hotkeys

Start Guake via:

guake &

Default shortcut: F12 to toggle the terminal.

Integrate with i3 Window Manager

Add to ~/.config/i3/config:

exec --no-startup-id guake

for_window [class="Guake"] floating enable
for_window [class="Guake"] border pixel 0

Yakuake (KDE)

sudo apt install yakuake   # Ubuntu
sudo pacman -S yakuake     # Arch Linux

Launched with F12 by default.

Tilda (Lightweight GTK)

sudo apt install tilda     # Ubuntu
sudo pacman -S tilda       # Arch Linux

Default shortcut is also F12.

macOS

iTerm2 Hotkey Window Setup

Download and install iTerm2
Open iTerm2 → Preferences -> Keys
Enable Show/hide iTerm2 with a system-wide hotkey, and set a shortcut (e.g. Cmd + \)
Configure window size, opacity, etc. Now you can use the hotkey to toggle the dropdown terminal.

Alacritty + yabai + skhd (Advanced)

Install Alacritty via Homebrew:

brew install --cask alacritty

Install and configure yabai (tiling WM) and skhd (hotkey daemon) to achieve dropdown effect.

(Refer to official documentation or wiki for advanced setup.)

Windows

Windows Terminal Quake Mode

Install Windows Terminal from Microsoft Store.
Use the shortcut Win + \ (key left of 1`) to toggle the dropdown terminal.
Customize height, opacity, and more via the settings UI or JSON config.

Cmder Installation

Download full version from Cmder official site
Unzip and run
Supports Ctrl + ~ as dropdown shortcut
Features include multi-tab, Git Bash, PowerShell integration

Cross-Platform Recommendation: Tabby Terminal

Official site: https://tabby.sh/
Built with Electron, supports Windows, macOS, and Linux
Hotkey window toggle, multi-tab support, session management, plugin system
Ideal for users who prefer a modern UI experience

Summary

Use Case	Recommended Terminal
Linux desktop users	Guake / Yakuake / Tilda
Advanced Linux users	Kitty + tmux + skhd
macOS users	iTerm2 Hotkey Window / Alacritty
Windows users	Windows Terminal Quake / Cmder
Cross-platform users	Tabby Terminal

Reference Links

Hopefully, this guide helps you quickly build an efficient dropdown terminal setup to significantly enhance your development and debugging workflow!

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