Termius Keyboard Shortcuts
Termius's shortcut set splits cleanly between two jobs: managing a list of saved hosts and connections, and operating within an actual terminal session once connected, and it's worth knowing which mode a shortcut applies to since they don't overlap. The host-list side (search, quick-connect, new host) exists because Termius's core value proposition is being a synced address book of SSH connections across devices, so jumping to a specific server by name is a much more frequent action here than in a bare terminal app that starts every session from scratch. Once inside a session, Termius layers standard terminal-multiplexer-style conventions (new tab, split pane, switch pane) on top of whatever shell is actually running remotely, which means those Termius-level shortcuts are separate from and don't interfere with whatever shortcuts the remote shell or a program like Vim running inside it might also be using. System administrators managing infrastructure across many cloud providers and DevOps engineers who need the same synced host list available on a phone during an on-call incident as on their primary workstation are Termius's core paying audience, which is why the sync-related aspects of host management get disproportionate product attention relative to how sparse the actual keyboard shortcut set is — the value proposition is really about not losing your connection list and credentials when you switch devices, not about a deep power-user keyboard layer.
Hosts Connections
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick connect / search hosts | Ctrl+K | Cmd+K | Opens a searchable list of saved hosts to connect to by typing part of the name, faster than browsing a nested folder tree of saved connections. |
| Add new host | Ctrl+N | Cmd+N | Opens the dialog to add a new SSH, Telnet, or Mosh host, including address, credentials, and optional SSH key selection. |
Terminal Sessions
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open new terminal tab | Ctrl+T | Cmd+T | Opens a new tab for a fresh connection or local shell session, letting you manage several server sessions side by side within one window. |
| Split terminal pane | Ctrl+Shift+D | Cmd+Shift+D | Splits the current tab into multiple panes, useful for watching logs in one pane while running commands in another on the same or a different host. |
| Switch to next tab | Ctrl+Tab | Cmd+Shift+] | Cycles focus to the next open tab, standard tab-navigation convention shared with most tabbed terminal and browser applications. |
| Close current tab | Ctrl+W | Cmd+W | Closes the currently active tab and disconnects its session if one is active, prompting for confirmation if the session is still connected. |
Editing
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copy selected text | Ctrl+Shift+C | Cmd+C | Copies selected terminal output to the clipboard, using Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows/Linux specifically to avoid colliding with the terminal's own Ctrl+C interrupt signal. |
| Paste into terminal | Ctrl+Shift+V | Cmd+V | Pastes clipboard content into the active terminal session, again using Shift on Windows/Linux to avoid conflicting with terminal control-key conventions. |
| Search command history | Ctrl+R | Cmd+R | Opens a reverse-search prompt for previously run commands within the current session, matching the widely used Bash/Zsh reverse-search convention many users already know from a standard terminal. |
| Open Snippets menu | Ctrl+Shift+K | Cmd+Shift+K | Opens Termius's saved snippets panel, letting you insert a previously saved command or command sequence into the active session without retyping it. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does copy use Ctrl+Shift+C instead of plain Ctrl+C in Termius on Windows and Linux?
Plain Ctrl+C carries its decades-old Unix meaning of 'kill whatever's currently running in this shell,' and that convention is far too load-bearing for any terminal app to safely override. Termius adds Shift to the copy shortcut specifically so it doesn't collide with that interrupt behavior, which is why Mac's Cmd+C doesn't need the same adjustment — Cmd isn't used for terminal control sequences the way Ctrl is.
Do my saved hosts sync automatically across desktop and mobile Termius apps?
Yes, if you're signed into a Termius account with sync enabled — host lists, SSH keys (encrypted), and snippets sync across devices, which is a core part of the app's value proposition versus a bare local SSH config file that only exists on one machine.
Does splitting a pane create a new SSH connection, or share the existing one?
Splitting a pane opens a genuinely separate session — either a new connection to the same host or a different one entirely — rather than sharing a single connection's terminal across two visual panes, since each pane runs its own independent shell session on the remote (or local) machine.
Does Termius work as a full replacement for a dedicated terminal app like iTerm2 or Windows Terminal for local (non-SSH) use?
Termius supports local terminal sessions in addition to remote SSH connections, but its feature set and customization options are still primarily oriented around the remote-connection-management use case, so users who exclusively need a powerful local terminal experience with deep customization often still prefer a dedicated local terminal app alongside Termius rather than using it as a full replacement.
Is there a free tier of Termius, or is a subscription required for the shortcuts covered here to work?
Termius offers a free tier covering basic SSH connections and a limited number of synced hosts, with paid tiers unlocking higher sync limits, more advanced features like port forwarding presets, and team-sharing capabilities — the core keyboard shortcuts covered here work identically regardless of subscription tier, since they're part of the base application rather than gated premium features.
Can snippets include variables that get filled in differently each time, or are they always the exact same fixed text?
Yes — Termius supports parameterized snippets where certain parts of a saved command can be filled in with different values each time you use it, rather than always inserting the identical fixed text, which is useful for a command template you run frequently against different hostnames or arguments.
Can I organize hosts into folders or groups, and does navigating between them have its own shortcut?
Yes — Termius supports organizing saved hosts into folders and groups within the host list sidebar, but navigating that folder structure is primarily a mouse-and-click (or touch, on mobile) interaction rather than something bound to dedicated keyboard shortcuts, with the quick-connect search shortcut serving as the faster keyboard-driven alternative for jumping directly to a specific host by name regardless of which folder it's organized under.
Can I quickly duplicate an existing SSH host configuration with a shortcut in Termius?
Not through a dedicated keyboard shortcut — right-clicking a saved host in the Hosts list and choosing Duplicate creates a copy you can then modify, useful for setting up several similar server connections that share most settings but differ in address or port.