Dropdown (Quake-style)
Press a key. Terminal drops down. Press again. It vanishes. Just like the '90s, but better.
Questions this answers
- Quake style terminal macOS dropdown
- iTerm2 hotkey window alternative native macOS
- Terminal slides down from top of screen Mac
- Guake Yakuake equivalent for macOS
- Instant terminal access global hotkey macOS
How it works
Chau7's dropdown mode replicates the Quake console experience on macOS. Press a configurable global hotkey (default Ctrl+`) and the terminal slides down from the top edge of your screen with a smooth animation. Press the hotkey again and it retracts. The terminal is instantly available from any application without reaching for the Dock or using Cmd+Tab.
The dropdown window spans the full width of your active monitor by default, but you can configure it to a specific width and horizontal position. Vertical height is adjustable as a percentage of screen height. The slide animation respects the macOS Reduced Motion preference, snapping instantly instead of animating when that setting is enabled.
The dropdown maintains its own session state independently from regular Chau7 windows. Your dropdown shell persists across show/hide cycles, so running processes, working directory, and scroll position are preserved. Focus returns to the previously active application when the dropdown retracts.
Why it matters
The Quake-style dropdown is one of the most requested terminal features on macOS. Linux users have had Guake and Yakuake for years. Chau7 brings the same experience natively: a global hotkey summons a terminal that slides down from the top of the screen, and another press hides it. The terminal stays in memory, so there is no launch delay.
Frequently asked questions
What is the default hotkey for the dropdown?
The default hotkey is Ctrl+` (backtick). You can remap it to any key combination in the keybindings preferences.
Does the dropdown terminal keep my session alive?
Yes. The shell session persists across show and hide cycles. Running processes, working directory, and scrollback are all preserved.
Can I adjust the dropdown height?
Yes. The dropdown height is configurable as a percentage of screen height, and you can also set a custom width and horizontal position.