> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/wezterm/wezterm/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction to WezTerm

> A powerful GPU-accelerated cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexer written in Rust

# Welcome to WezTerm

WezTerm is a **GPU-accelerated cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexer** written by [@wez](https://github.com/wez) and implemented in [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/). It combines the speed and reliability of modern systems programming with a rich feature set designed for developers, system administrators, and power users.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Installation" icon="download" href="/installation">
    Get WezTerm installed on Linux, macOS, Windows, or FreeBSD
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quick Start" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Launch WezTerm and create your first configuration in under 5 minutes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuration Reference" icon="code" href="/config/files">
    Explore the full Lua configuration API and customization options
  </Card>

  <Card title="Multiplexing" icon="grid" href="/multiplexing">
    Learn about tabs, panes, and remote session management
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Why WezTerm?

WezTerm stands out from other terminal emulators with its powerful combination of features:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="GPU Accelerated" icon="bolt">
    Hardware-accelerated rendering for smooth scrolling and performance
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cross-Platform" icon="globe">
    Runs on Linux, macOS, Windows 10+, FreeBSD, and NetBSD
  </Card>

  <Card title="Multiplexing Built-In" icon="layer-group">
    Native support for tabs, panes, and remote sessions without tmux
  </Card>

  <Card title="Rich Typography" icon="font">
    Ligatures, color emoji, and font fallback with true color support
  </Card>

  <Card title="Lua Configuration" icon="file-code">
    Flexible configuration using Lua with hot reloading
  </Card>

  <Card title="SSH Integration" icon="server">
    Built-in SSH client with session persistence
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Key Features

### Terminal Emulation

* Full xterm-style terminal emulation with modern extensions
* True color (24-bit RGB) support
* Advanced text rendering: ligatures, color emoji, fallback fonts
* Multiple text styles: underline, double-underline, italic, bold, strikethrough
* Searchable scrollback with regex support

### Window Management

* **Multiple Windows**: Launch independent terminal windows (`Super+N`)
* **Tabs**: Organize terminals in tabs (`Super+T` to create, `Super+1-9` to switch)
* **Splits/Panes**: Split terminals horizontally or vertically (`Ctrl+Shift+Alt+%` and `Ctrl+Shift+Alt+"`)
* **Native mouse support**: Click, drag, scroll with full mouse integration

### Remote Connectivity

* **Built-in SSH client**: Connect directly to remote hosts
* **Session multiplexing**: Attach and detach from remote sessions
* **Unix domain sockets**: Local multiplexer for persistent sessions
* **TLS connections**: Secure remote multiplexing over TCP/IP

### Developer-Friendly

* **Hot reload**: Configuration changes apply immediately (`Ctrl+Shift+R`)
* **Lua API**: Powerful scripting for custom behaviors and workflows
* **700+ color schemes**: Pre-installed themes from iTerm2, base16, Gogh, and more
* **Font inspection**: Use `wezterm ls-fonts` to debug font configuration

### Image Support

* iTerm2 image protocol with built-in `imgcat` command
* Kitty graphics protocol
* Sixel graphics support

## Platform Support

WezTerm runs on all major platforms:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Linux">
    * **Package formats**: DEB, RPM, Flatpak, AppImage, Arch AUR
    * **Package managers**: APT, DNF, Copr, Homebrew, Nix, Pacman
    * **Distributions**: Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, Arch, openSUSE, NixOS
    * **Architectures**: x86\_64, ARM64
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="macOS">
    * **Minimum version**: macOS Mojave (10.14) or later
    * **Architecture**: Universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel)
    * **Installation**: Direct download, Homebrew, MacPorts
    * **Integration**: Native macOS app bundle
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows">
    * **Minimum version**: Windows 10.0.17763 (October 2018 Update)
    * **Installation**: Setup.exe installer or portable ZIP
    * **Package managers**: winget, Scoop, Chocolatey
    * **Requires**: ConPTY (Pseudo Console) support
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="BSD">
    * **FreeBSD**: Available via ports system
    * **NetBSD**: Supported platform
    * **Build from source**: Full documentation available
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Getting Started

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install WezTerm">
    Follow the [installation guide](/installation) for your operating system. Most platforms offer multiple installation methods including package managers.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Launch the Terminal">
    Open WezTerm from your applications menu, or run `wezterm` from the command line.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Your Config">
    Follow the [quick start guide](/quickstart) to create a `.wezterm.lua` configuration file and customize your terminal.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Explore Features">
    Try creating tabs with `Super+T`, split panes with `Ctrl+Shift+Alt+%`, and explore the command palette with `Ctrl+Shift+P`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Community and Support

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="GitHub Issues" icon="github" href="https://github.com/wezterm/wezterm/issues">
    Report bugs and request features
  </Card>

  <Card title="GitHub Discussions" icon="comments" href="https://github.com/wezterm/wezterm/discussions">
    Ask questions and chat with other users
  </Card>

  <Card title="Matrix Chat" icon="message" href="https://app.element.io/#/room/#wezterm:matrix.org">
    Real-time community chat on Matrix/Element
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sponsor the Project" icon="heart" href="https://github.com/sponsors/wez">
    Support WezTerm development
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Info>
  WezTerm is free and open source software. If you use and enjoy WezTerm, consider [sponsoring the project](https://wezterm.org/sponsor.html) to help cover maintenance costs and validate the time spent on development.
</Info>

## What's Next?

Ready to get started? Head to the [installation guide](/installation) to install WezTerm on your system, or jump straight to the [quick start guide](/quickstart) if you already have it installed.