# QTerminal

> LXQt's Qt terminal built on QTermWidget, with tabs, split views, a drop-down mode and a bookmarks pane for saved commands.

Stars: 723 · Language: C++ · License: GPL-2.0 · Platforms: Linux, BSD · Config: ini

Features: built-in multiplexer, configurable

- Repository: https://github.com/lxqt/qterminal
- Page: https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/qterminal

## Overview

QTerminal is a Qt terminal emulator maintained by the LXQt project, written in C++ and licensed under GPLv2 or later. It is built on QTermWidget, LXQt's terminal widget library, which is derived from KDE's Konsole. It is the default terminal of LXQt but does not depend on the desktop at runtime, only on lxqt-build-tools to build. It suits people who want a light Qt terminal with tabs and splits, especially on LXQt or other Qt-based setups.

Settings are kept in an INI file at `~/.config/qterminal.org/qterminal.ini` and edited in the preferences dialog. Color schemes are selected under Preferences, Appearance, and custom schemes go in `~/.local/share/qterminal/color-schemes/`. Every keyboard shortcut can be changed or disabled. Current releases require Qt 6.6 or later, and the optional libcanberra dependency plays the terminal bell as a sound.

Each window holds tabs, and a tab can be split top-bottom or left-right into subterminals. A bookmarks pane on the side stores frequently used commands that can be sent to the active terminal. `qterminal --drop` (or `-d`) starts it in a drop-down mode like Yakuake or Tilda, toggled with a global shortcut. Windows, tabs and terminals are exposed over D-Bus, so they can be opened and controlled from scripts.

Binary packages are available in the major Linux and BSD distributions, and translations are managed on LXQt's Weblate. QTerminal has no GPU renderer and does not document ligature or inline image support. Version 2.4.0 was released in April 2026.

## Alternatives

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- [Hyper](https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/hyper.md): Electron terminal built on HTML, CSS and JavaScript, themed and extended through npm plugins. (Linux/macOS/Windows, 44.8k stars)
- [Kitty](https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/kitty.md): GPU-rendered terminal written in C and Python, with its own graphics protocol, built-in tabs and splits, and scriptable 'kittens'. (Linux/macOS/BSD, 35.5k stars)

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Canonical: https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/qterminal