The GUI Shell

Using the GUI Shell in TrueNAS.

  2 minute read

The web interface has a web shell that makes it convenient to run command line tools from the web browser as the root user.



The prompt shows that the current user is root, the hostname is freenas, and the current working directory is ~, the home directory of the logged-in user.

The default shell for a new installations is zsh. The default shell can be changed in Accounts > Users. Click the three dot menu (Options) and Edit for the root user. Choose the desired shell from the Shell drop-down and click SAVE.

The Set font size slider adjusts the size of text displayed in the Shell. Click RESTORE DEFAULT to reset the shell font and size.

Shell command history is available for the current session. Use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through previously entered commands. Edit the command if desired, then press Enter to re-enter the command. Navigating away from the Shell screen clears the command history.

Home, End, and Delete keys are supported. Tab completion is also available. Type a few letters and press Tab to complete a command name or filename in the current directory. Right-clicking in the terminal window displays a reminder about using Command+c and Command+v or Ctrl+Insert and Shift+Insert for copy and paste operations in the shell.

Entering exit leaves the session. Click Reconnect to start a new session.

Clicking other web interface menus closes the shell session and stops commands running in the shell. tmux provides the ability to detach shell sessions and then reattach to them later. Commands continue to run in a detached session.

Most FreeBSD command line utilities are available in the Shell, including additional troubleshooting applications for TrueNAS Core and Enterprise.
For TrueNAS Scale, most Linux command line utilities are available in the shell.


Last modified August 3, 2020: Update gui-shell.md (7eab7412)