Shell

zsh

Z shell — feature-rich shell with advanced completion, theming, and plugin support.

Synopsis

syntax
zsh [OPTION]... [FILE [ARG]...]

Examples

Start a zsh session
zsh
Print PATH entries one per line
zsh -c 'print -l ${(s/:/)PATH}'
Set zsh as default shell
chsh -s $(which zsh)

Common options

FlagDescription
-cExecute commands from string
-xPrint commands as executed
-lAct as login shell
-iForce interactive mode

About zsh

The `zsh` command z shell — feature-rich shell with advanced completion, theming, and plugin support. Shell commands configure your interactive environment — variables, aliases, history, and shell options.

The shell is your primary interface with Linux, and customizing it improves productivity. These commands work across bash, zsh, and other POSIX-compatible shells with minor differences.

The command accepts 4 commonly used flags shown above, though the full set of options is available in the man page (`man zsh`). The 3 examples on this page cover typical real-world usage patterns that you can copy and adapt for your own workflows.

Related commands

More Shell Commands

Other commands in the Shell category

Related tools