Changing Terminal Text Color¶

Example code¶

TemporaryPersistent

Use this when you want the color change only in the current tab:

export PROMPT='%F{208}%n@%m %1~ %% %f'
echo -ne '\e]10;#FF5F00\a'
echo -ne '\e]12;#FF5F00\a'

Use this when you want the change every time a new shell starts:

# ~/.zshrc
export PROMPT='%F{208}%n@%m %1~ %% %f'
echo -ne '\e]10;#FF5F00\a'
echo -ne '\e]12;#FF5F00\a'
source ~/.zshrc

Two separate things control what you see in the terminal: the prompt and the terminal text itself. They are configured differently. This page follows the provided Material for MkDocs style guidance. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

What this changes

Prompt color changes the shell prompt, such as franz@Franzs-MacBook-Pro modernized-igloo %
Terminal text color changes regular text output and the cursor
These are configured in different places

Cyberpunk color ideas¶

If you want a cyberpunk-style terminal, these color choices work well for prompt and terminal text:

Color name	Hex
Neon Orange	`#FF5F00`
Electric Pink	`#FF2E88`
Hot Magenta	`#FF00FF`
Laser Purple	`#A100FF`
Neon Violet	`#8A2BE2`
Acid Green	`#A6FF00`
Toxic Lime	`#7FFF00`
Neon Cyan	`#00F5FF`
Electric Blue	`#00B7FF`
Plasma Teal	`#00FFC6`

Tip

Pick one hex value and replace #FF5F00 in the examples below with that color.

Prompt color¶

The prompt is controlled by the shell. In zsh, set the PROMPT variable for the current session:

Set prompt color for the current session

export PROMPT='%F{208}%n@%m %1~ %% %f'

This produces output similar to:

franz@Franzs-MacBook-Pro modernized-igloo %

Note

%F{208} sets the prompt color, and %f resets it at the end.

Terminal text color¶

Regular text and command output are controlled by the terminal emulator, not the shell. Send ANSI escape sequences to change them:

Set terminal text and cursor color

echo -ne '\e]10;#FF5F00\a'   # default text color
echo -ne '\e]12;#FF5F00\a'   # cursor color

What these escape codes do

\e]10;... sets the default foreground text color
\e]12;... sets the cursor color
Support depends on the terminal emulator

Temporary changes for a single session¶

These changes apply only to the current terminal tab or session. They do not survive closing the terminal.

Temporary prompt, text, and cursor color

export PROMPT='%F{208}%n@%m %1~ %% %f'
echo -ne '\e]10;#FF5F00\a'
echo -ne '\e]12;#FF5F00\a'

To restore defaults in the same session:

Restore default text and cursor color

echo -ne '\e]10;#ffffff\a'
echo -ne '\e]12;#ffffff\a'

Persistent configuration with `~/.zshrc`¶

To apply the colors automatically for every new terminal session, add the following to your ~/.zshrc file:

~/.zshrc

# Prompt color
export PROMPT='%F{208}%n@%m %1~ %% %f'

# Terminal text and cursor color
echo -ne '\e]10;#FF5F00\a'
echo -ne '\e]12;#FF5F00\a'

Apply the changes to the current session without reopening the terminal:

Reload zsh configuration

source ~/.zshrc

To revert the persistent changes, remove or comment out those lines and reload the file again:

Comment out settings in ~/.zshrc

# export PROMPT='%F{208}%n@%m %1~ %% %f'
# echo -ne '\e]10;#FF5F00\a'
# echo -ne '\e]12;#FF5F00\a'

Then run:

source ~/.zshrc

Comparison¶

Setting	Controlled by	Scope	Persistent
Prompt color	Shell (`zsh`)	Current shell session	Yes, if added to `~/.zshrc`
Terminal text color	Terminal emulator via ANSI escapes	Current terminal tab/session	Sometimes, if added to `~/.zshrc` and supported
Cursor color	Terminal emulator via ANSI escapes	Current terminal tab/session	Sometimes, if added to `~/.zshrc` and supported

Notes¶

Terminal support

The ANSI escape sequences \e]10 and \e]12 depend on terminal emulator support. They work in macOS Terminal and iTerm2.

Alternative approach

For more control over permanent colors, use your terminal profile settings instead of shell startup files. In macOS Terminal, this is available under Preferences → Profiles.