Powerlevel10k FAQ: Updating, Colors, Git Status, and More

How do I update Powerlevel10k?

The update command depends on how Powerlevel10k was installed.

Installation	Update command
Manual	`git -C ~/powerlevel10k pull`
Oh My Zsh	`git -C "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k" pull`
Prezto	`zprezto-update`
Zim	`zimfw update`
Antigen	`antigen update`
Antidote	`antidote update`
Zplug	`zplug update`
Zgen	`zgen update`
Zplugin	`zplugin update`
Zinit	`zinit update`
Zi	`zi update`
Zap	`zap update`
Homebrew	`brew update && brew upgrade`
Arch Linux	`yay -S --noconfirm zsh-theme-powerlevel10k-git`
Alpine Linux	`apk update && apk upgrade`

Important: Restart Zsh after updating. Use exec zsh rather than source ~/.zshrc.

How do I uninstall Powerlevel10k?

Follow these steps in order:

Remove all references to p10k from ~/.zshrc. The configuration wizard adds a snippet at the top:

if [[ -r "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh" ]]; then
  source "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh"
fi

And at the bottom:

[[ ! -f ~/.p10k.zsh ]] || source ~/.p10k.zsh

Remove both.

Remove all references to powerlevel10k from ~/.zshrc, ~/.zpreztorc, and ~/.zimrc.

Verify no references remain:

grep -E 'p10k|powerlevel10k' ~/.zshrc ~/.zpreztorc ~/.zimrc 2>/dev/null

Delete the configuration file:
```
rm -f ~/.p10k.zsh
```

Delete the source files. The command depends on your installation method:

Installation	Uninstall command
Manual	`rm -rf ~/powerlevel10k`
Oh My Zsh	`rm -rf -- "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k"`
Prezto	n/a
Zim	`zimfw uninstall`
Antigen	`antigen purge romkatv/powerlevel10k`
Antidote	`antidote purge romkatv/powerlevel10k`
Zplug	`zplug clean`
Zgen	`zgen reset`
Zplugin	`zplugin delete romkatv/powerlevel10k`
Zinit	`zinit delete romkatv/powerlevel10k`
Zi	`zi delete romkatv/powerlevel10k`
Zap	`zsh -ic 'zap clean'`
Homebrew	`brew uninstall powerlevel10k`
Arch Linux	`yay -R --noconfirm zsh-theme-powerlevel10k-git`
Alpine Linux	`apk del zsh-theme-powerlevel10k`

Restart Zsh with exec zsh (do not use source ~/.zshrc).

Delete cache files:

rm -rf -- "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}"/p10k-*(N) "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}"/gitstatus

How do I install Powerlevel10k on a machine without Internet access?

On the offline machine, run:
```
uname -sm | tr '[A-Z]' '[a-z]'
```

On a machine with Internet access, replace target_uname with the output from step 1:

target_uname="replace this with the output of the previous command"
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git ~/powerlevel10k
GITSTATUS_CACHE_DIR="$HOME"/powerlevel10k/gitstatus/usrbin \
  ~/powerlevel10k/gitstatus/install -f \
  -s "${target_uname% *}" -m "${target_uname#* }"

Copy ~/powerlevel10k from the online machine to the offline machine.

On the offline machine, add the source line to ~/.zshrc:

echo 'source ~/powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k.zsh-theme' >>~/.zshrc

If ~/.zshrc sets ZSH_THEME, remove that line:
```
sed -i.bak '/^ZSH_THEME=/d' ~/.zshrc
```

To update, remove ~/powerlevel10k on both machines and repeat steps 1–3.

Where can I ask for help and report bugs?

The best way to ask for help and report bugs is to open an issue on GitHub.Gitter is another option for real-time discussion.If all else fails, email roman.perepelitsa@gmail.com. For sensitive communication, encrypt with the project’s PGP key.

The project currently has very limited support. Most bug reports will go unfixed and help requests may be ignored. Check existing issues before opening a new one.

Which aspects of shell and terminal does Powerlevel10k affect?

Powerlevel10k defines prompt and nothing else. It sets prompt-related options and the PS1 and RPS1 parameters.Everything Powerlevel10k does not affect:

Terminal window/tab title
Colors used by ls
The behavior of git
Tab completion content and style
Command line colors (syntax highlighting, autosuggestions, etc.)
Key bindings
Aliases
Prompt parameters other than PS1 and RPS1
Zsh options other than those related to prompting
The set of available commands — the only exception is the p10k command itself

I'm using Powerlevel9k with Oh My Zsh. How do I migrate?

Run this single command block:

# Add powerlevel10k to the list of Oh My Zsh themes.
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git \
  "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k"

# Replace ZSH_THEME="powerlevel9k/powerlevel9k" with "powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k".
sed -i.bak 's/powerlevel9k/powerlevel10k/g' ~/.zshrc

# Restart Zsh.
exec zsh

All existing POWERLEVEL9K_* configuration parameters continue to work without modification. Optionally, install the recommended font and run p10k configure to choose a new prompt style.

Is it really fast?

Yes. See zsh-bench for a rigorous benchmark, or watch direct comparisons with Powerlevel9k and Spaceship.Powerlevel10k is designed so that pressing Enter always produces the next prompt instantly. There is no prompt lag regardless of which segments are enabled or how complex the current directory is.

How do I configure instant prompt?

Instant prompt eliminates Zsh startup lag even when slow plugins are loaded. Enable it by adding this snippet at the very top of ~/.zshrc:

# Enable Powerlevel10k instant prompt. Should stay close to the top of ~/.zshrc.
# Initialization code that may require console input (password prompts, [y/n]
# confirmations, etc.) must go above this block; everything else may go below.
if [[ -r "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh" ]]; then
  source "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh"
fi

Copy these lines verbatim. Do not replace source with anything else, call zcompile, or redirect output.When instant prompt is active, stdin is redirected to /dev/null and stdout/stderr go to a temporary file for the duration of initialization. Once Zsh is fully initialized, the descriptors are restored and the buffered output is printed.Control verbosity via POWERLEVEL9K_INSTANT_PROMPT in ~/.p10k.zsh:

verbose (default) — prints a warning when console output is detected during initialization.
quiet — silences the warning without suppressing the output.
off — disables instant prompt completely.

Instant prompt requires Zsh >= 5.4. Enabling it on an older version is harmless — it simply has no effect.

How do I initialize direnv when using instant prompt?

When instant prompt is enabled, add one line before and one line after the instant prompt block in ~/.zshrc:

(( ${+commands[direnv]} )) && emulate zsh -c "$(direnv export zsh)"

if [[ -r "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh" ]]; then
  source "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/p10k-instant-prompt-${(%):-%n}.zsh"
fi

(( ${+commands[direnv]} )) && emulate zsh -c "$(direnv hook zsh)"

The first line applies the current environment export before the instant prompt captures output. The second line registers the direnv hook after initialization completes.

How do I export GPG_TTY when using instant prompt?

Add this line anywhere in ~/.zshrc:

export GPG_TTY=$TTY

This works whether instant prompt is enabled or not, and even without Powerlevel10k. It is also significantly faster than the commonly used export GPG_TTY=$(tty) because it avoids spawning a subshell.

What do different symbols in Git status mean?

When using Lean, Classic, or Rainbow style, Git status may look like:

feature:master wip ⇣42⇡42 ⇠42⇢42 *42 merge ~42 +42 !42 ?42

Symbol	Meaning	Source
`feature`	current branch; replaced with `#tag` or `@commit` if not on a branch	`git status --ignore-submodules=dirty`
`master`	remote tracking branch; shown only when different from local	`git rev-parse --abbrev-ref --symbolic-full-name @{upstream}`
`wip`	latest commit summary contains “wip” or “WIP”	`git show --pretty=%s --no-patch HEAD`
`=`	up to date with the remote	`git rev-list --count HEAD...@{upstream}`
`⇣42`	this many commits behind the remote	`git rev-list --right-only --count HEAD...@{upstream}`
`⇡42`	this many commits ahead of the remote	`git rev-list --left-only --count HEAD...@{upstream}`
`⇠42`	this many commits behind the push remote	`git rev-list --right-only --count HEAD...@{push}`
`⇢42`	this many commits ahead of the push remote	`git rev-list --left-only --count HEAD...@{push}`
`*42`	this many stashes	`git stash list`
`merge`	repository state	`git status --ignore-submodules=dirty`
`~42`	this many merge conflicts	`git status --ignore-submodules=dirty`
`+42`	this many staged changes	`git status --ignore-submodules=dirty`
`!42`	this many unstaged changes	`git status --ignore-submodules=dirty`
`?42`	this many untracked files	`git status --ignore-submodules=dirty`
`─`	count of staged/unstaged/untracked files is unknown	`echo $POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_MAX_INDEX_SIZE_DIRTY`

How do I change the format of Git status?

Open ~/.p10k.zsh, search for my_git_formatter, and edit its source code directly. The function is fully commented and controls every detail of what the vcs segment displays.

Why is Git status from $HOME/.git not displayed in prompt?

When using Lean, Classic, or Rainbow style, ~/.p10k.zsh contains this parameter by default:

# Don't show Git status in prompt for repositories whose workdir matches this pattern.
# For example, if set to '~', the Git repository at $HOME/.git will be ignored.
# Multiple patterns can be combined with '|': '~(|/foo)|/bar/baz/*'.
typeset -g POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_DISABLED_WORKDIR_PATTERN='~'

To see Git status for $HOME/.git, open ~/.p10k.zsh and remove (or comment out) the POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_DISABLED_WORKDIR_PATTERN parameter.

Why does Git status sometimes appear grey and then get colored after a short period?

When Git status in the prompt is greyed out, it means Powerlevel10k is computing up-to-date Git status in the background. The prompt refreshes automatically when the computation completes.If computing Git status takes longer than POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_MAX_SYNC_LATENCY_SECONDS (default: 10 milliseconds), Powerlevel10k displays the last known status in grey and continues updating asynchronously.In Rainbow style, the loading background can be hard to read. To adjust it, open ~/.p10k.zsh, find POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_LOADING_BACKGROUND, and change the value:

typeset -g POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_LOADING_BACKGROUND=244

Run source ~/.p10k.zsh to apply the change to your current session.

How do I add username and/or hostname to prompt?

Open ~/.p10k.zsh and ensure context is in POWERLEVEL9K_RIGHT_PROMPT_ELEMENTS (it is included but governed by a condition by default). Then find this block:

# Don't show context unless running with privileges or in SSH.
# Tip: Remove the next line to always show context.
typeset -g POWERLEVEL9K_CONTEXT_{DEFAULT,SUDO}_{CONTENT,VISUAL_IDENTIFIER}_EXPANSION=

Remove or comment out the last line to always show username@hostname. You can also adjust nearby parameters to change the display format or colors, or move context to POWERLEVEL9K_LEFT_PROMPT_ELEMENTS.

Why do some prompt segments appear and disappear while typing?

Segments configured with POWERLEVEL9K_<SEGMENT>_SHOW_ON_COMMAND are shown only when the command you are currently typing matches a given pattern. For example:

# Show prompt segment "kubecontext" only when the command you are typing invokes kubectl, helm, or kubens.
typeset -g POWERLEVEL9K_KUBECONTEXT_SHOW_ON_COMMAND='kubectl|helm|kubens'

To disable this behavior, open ~/.p10k.zsh, search for SHOW_ON_COMMAND, and either remove those parameters (to always show the segment) or change their values.You can also define a toggle function to switch between always-shown and on-command modes at runtime:

function kube-toggle() {
  if (( ${+POWERLEVEL9K_KUBECONTEXT_SHOW_ON_COMMAND} )); then
    unset POWERLEVEL9K_KUBECONTEXT_SHOW_ON_COMMAND
  else
    POWERLEVEL9K_KUBECONTEXT_SHOW_ON_COMMAND='kubectl|helm|kubens'
  fi
  p10k reload
  if zle; then
    zle push-input
    zle accept-line
  fi
}

zle -N kube-toggle
bindkey '^]' kube-toggle  # ctrl-] to toggle

How do I change prompt colors?

There are two approaches:1. Change your terminal’s color paletteThis affects colors 0–15. For the change to be visible in your prompt, use a style that references low-numbered colors: Rainbow, Lean → 8 colors, or Pure → Original.2. Set colors in ~/.p10k.zshOpen ~/.p10k.zsh and search for “color”, “foreground”, or “background”. For example:

typeset -g POWERLEVEL9K_TIME_FOREGROUND=160

Colors are specified as numbers 0–255. Colors 0–15 vary by terminal theme; colors 16–255 are always the same. If your terminal supports truecolor, you can also use #RRGGBB:

typeset -g POWERLEVEL9K_TIME_FOREGROUND='#FF0000'

To preview all 256 colors in your terminal, run:

for i in {0..255}; do print -Pn "%K{$i}  %k%F{$i}${(l:3::0:)i}%f " ${${(M)$((i%6)):#3}:+$'\n'}; done

Run source ~/.p10k.zsh to apply changes to the current session.

Why does Powerlevel10k spawn extra processes?

Powerlevel10k uses gitstatus as the backend for the vcs segment. Gitstatus spawns gitstatusd and zsh for its operations. Powerlevel10k may also spawn zsh processes to perform background computations without blocking the prompt.These processes are not shared between interactive shells and terminate automatically when the parent zsh process exits or calls exec(3).

Are there configuration options that make Powerlevel10k slow?

No. Powerlevel10k is always fast regardless of configuration. If you experience noticeable prompt latency, please open an issue with details about your setup.

Is Powerlevel10k fast to load?

Yes. See zsh-bench for measured startup times. Powerlevel10k adds very little to Zsh startup time, and with instant prompt enabled, startup lag is effectively eliminated even when slow plugins are present.

What is the relationship between Powerlevel9k and Powerlevel10k?

Powerlevel10k was forked from Powerlevel9k in March 2019 after a week-long discussion in powerlevel9k#1170. The fork was created to iterate on performance improvements and new features at a much higher pace than the mature Powerlevel9k release cycle allowed.The two projects are independent. When using one, you should not install the other. All parameter names in Powerlevel10k begin with POWERLEVEL9K_ for backward compatibility.Virtually all code in Powerlevel10k has been rewritten. There is no meaningful overlap in implementation between the two projects today. Powerlevel10k is committed to maintaining backward compatibility with all Powerlevel9k configuration parameters indefinitely.

Does Powerlevel10k always render exactly the same prompt as Powerlevel9k given the same config?

Almost, but not exactly. Notable differences:

Only the git vcs backend is enabled by default in Powerlevel10k. To add svn and hg, set POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_BACKENDS. These backends are not yet optimized and will make the prompt slow.
POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_SHOW_SUBMODULE_DIRTY=true is not supported.
POWERLEVEL9K_MODE defined before sourcing the theme is ignored by Powerlevel9k but honored by Powerlevel10k.
Powerlevel10k respects ZLE_RPROMPT_INDENT (Powerlevel9k does not), which can result in an extra trailing space on the right prompt. Add ZLE_RPROMPT_INDENT=0 to ~/.zshrc to remove it.
Spacing around icons is consistent in Powerlevel10k. Add POWERLEVEL9K_LEGACY_ICON_SPACING=true to ~/.zshrc to restore Powerlevel9k’s inconsistent spacing.

What is the best prompt style in the configuration wizard?

There is no single best style — it comes down to personal preference. A few considerations:

Pure style replicates the Pure Zsh theme and is primarily for users migrating from it. If you are not, choose Lean instead.
To confine colors to your terminal’s color palette (e.g., Solarized Dark), use Rainbow, Lean → 8 colors, or Pure → Original.
All styles support an ASCII charset option for maximum compatibility.
If you use transient prompt, a two-line prompt gives you extra typing space without sacrificing scrollback readability.
If you use vi mode, choose a style with prompt_char (shown as ❯ in the wizard).
For minimal horizontal space usage: use Lean, disable current time and frame, choose “few icons.”

You can run p10k configure as many times as you like to experiment.

How to make Powerlevel10k look like robbyrussell Oh My Zsh theme?

Use this config. Download and save it as ~/.p10k.zsh, then source it from ~/.zshrc:

[[ ! -f ~/.p10k.zsh ]] || source ~/.p10k.zsh

Alternatively, source the file directly from your cloned Powerlevel10k repository.

Can prompts for completed commands display error status for those commands instead of the commands preceding them?

No. When you press Enter and a command starts running, its exit status is not yet known — so it cannot be shown in the prompt for that command. When the command completes, it is no longer possible to update the prompt that was displayed for it. This is why the error status for every command is reflected in the next prompt.For a deeper explanation, see this post on r/zsh.

What is the minimum supported Zsh version?

Zsh 5.3 or newer should work. Fast startup requires Zsh >= 5.4. It is safe to enable instant prompt even on older versions — it simply has no effect.

How were the screenshots and animated gifs created?

All screenshots and animated gifs were recorded in GNOME Terminal with the recommended font and the Tango Dark color palette with a custom background color (#171A1B instead of #2E3436 — twice as dark).Syntax highlighting was provided by zsh-syntax-highlighting.

How was the recommended font created?

The recommended font (MesloLGS NF) originates from Bitstream Vera Sans Mono, which spawned Menlo, which in turn spawned Meslo. Extra glyphs were added with scripts forked from Nerd Fonts. The font is released under the Apache License.To recreate the font (requires git and docker):

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/nerd-fonts.git
cd nerd-fonts
./build 'Meslo/S/*'

Four .ttf files will appear in ./out if the build succeeds.

How to package Powerlevel10k for distribution?

It is currently neither easy nor recommended to package and distribute Powerlevel10k. There are no instructions that would allow you to easily keep a package in sync with new upstream releases. This may change in the future.

Get Started

Configuration

Prompt Features

Compatibility

Reference

Powerlevel10k FAQ: Updating, Colors, Git Status, and More

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Configuration

Prompt Features

Compatibility

Reference

Documentation Index

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love