Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/termux/termux-app/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
The termux.properties file is the primary way to customize Termux behavior. It controls everything from keyboard shortcuts and extra keys to session handling, URL opening, and display preferences. Termux reads the file once at startup, so any changes require reloading via Settings → Reload settings or by restarting the app.
File location
Termux searches for the file at these paths in order, using the first one found:
| Priority | Path |
|---|
| Primary | ~/.termux/termux.properties |
| Secondary | ~/.config/termux/termux.properties |
mkdir -p ~/.termux
nano ~/.termux/termux.properties
Boolean properties
All boolean properties accept true or false.
| Property | Default | Description |
|---|
allow-external-apps | false | Allow third-party apps to execute commands in Termux via RUN_COMMAND intent. Enable with caution — this grants external apps shell access. |
ctrl-space-workaround | false | Fix Ctrl+Space not working on some custom ROMs. |
disable-file-share-receiver | false | Disable the activity that receives files shared into Termux from other apps. |
disable-file-view-receiver | false | Disable the activity that handles files opened with Termux as a viewer. |
disable-hardware-keyboard-shortcuts | false | Disable all hardware keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Ctrl+T for new session). |
disable-terminal-session-change-toast | false | Suppress the toast notification that appears when switching between sessions. |
enforce-char-based-input | false | Force character-by-character input. Fixes missing characters on some Samsung devices where letters only appear after pressing Enter. |
extra-keys-text-all-caps | true | Automatically uppercase the labels on extra key buttons. |
fullscreen | false | Run Termux in fullscreen mode, hiding the Android status bar. |
hide-soft-keyboard-on-startup | false | Do not show the soft keyboard when Termux first opens. |
run-termux-am-socket-server | true | Start the termux-am socket server on app launch, enabling am commands from within Termux sessions. |
terminal-onclick-url-open | false | Open URLs in a browser on a single tap instead of requiring a long-press. |
use-fullscreen-workaround | false | Apply a workaround for fullscreen issues on some Android versions. |
Setting allow-external-apps=true lets any app with the com.termux.permission.RUN_COMMAND permission execute arbitrary commands in your Termux environment. Only enable this if you understand the security implications.
String properties
back-key
Controls what the hardware Back key does inside a terminal session.
| Value | Behavior |
|---|
back | Standard Android back navigation (default) |
escape | Send an Escape key event to the terminal |
bell-character
Defines how Termux responds to the terminal bell character (\a / ^G).
| Value | Behavior |
|---|
vibrate | Vibrate the device (default) |
beep | Play a short beep sound |
ignore | Do nothing |
night-mode
Controls the app color theme. See the terminal appearance page for more detail.
| Value | Behavior |
|---|
system | Follow the Android system dark/light mode setting (default) |
true | Force dark (night) mode |
false | Force light mode |
soft-keyboard-toggle-behaviour
Defines what happens when the keyboard toggle button is tapped.
| Value | Behavior |
|---|
show/hide | Show or hide the keyboard (default) |
enable/disable | Enable or disable the keyboard entirely |
soft-keyboard-toggle-behaviour=enable/disable
volume-keys
Controls whether the hardware volume keys act as volume controls or as virtual modifier keys within the terminal.
| Value | Behavior |
|---|
virtual | Volume-up acts as a special key for shortcuts; volume-down opens special input (default) |
volume | Volume keys control media volume as normal |
default-working-directory
The directory that new terminal sessions start in. Defaults to $HOME (/data/data/com.termux/files/home).
default-working-directory=/data/data/com.termux/files/home/projects
Numeric properties
terminal-cursor-blink-rate
Blink interval for the terminal cursor in milliseconds. Set to 0 to disable blinking.
- Default:
0 (no blink)
- Range:
0, or 100–2000
terminal-cursor-blink-rate=600
terminal-margin-horizontal
Left and right padding inside the terminal view, in dp units.
terminal-margin-horizontal=8
terminal-margin-vertical
Top and bottom padding inside the terminal view, in dp units.
terminal-margin-vertical=4
terminal-transcript-rows
Number of rows kept in the scrollback buffer.
- Default:
2000
- Range:
100–50000
terminal-transcript-rows=5000
- Default:
1.0
- Range:
0.4–3.0
terminal-toolbar-height=1.5
delete-tmpdir-files-older-than-x-days-on-exit
How many days old a file in $TMPDIR must be before it is deleted when Termux exits.
- Default:
3
- Range:
-1–100000
-1 disables deletion entirely; 0 deletes all files in $TMPDIR on exit.
delete-tmpdir-files-older-than-x-days-on-exit=7
Keyboard shortcut properties
These integer properties assign keyboard shortcuts (as key codes) to session actions. Each property takes a hardware key code integer.
| Property | Action |
|---|
shortcut.create-session | Create a new terminal session |
shortcut.next-session | Switch to the next session |
shortcut.previous-session | Switch to the previous session |
shortcut.rename-session | Rename the current session |
The extra-keys property configures the row of buttons displayed above the soft keyboard. See the extra keys page for complete syntax and examples.
extra-keys=[['ESC','/',{key: '-', popup: '|'},'HOME','UP','END','PGUP'], \
['TAB','CTRL','ALT','LEFT','DOWN','RIGHT','PGDN']]
extra-keys-style property controls which Unicode symbols are used as button labels:
| Value | Description |
|---|
default | Classic arrows + well-known symbols (default) |
arrows-only | Only arrow symbols use glyphs; other keys show text |
arrows-all | Arrows and navigation keys use glyphs |
all | All keys with ISO symbols use them |
none | All keys display as plain text |
Complete sample file
# ~/.termux/termux.properties
###############################################################################
# Keyboard
###############################################################################
# Treat hardware back key as escape
back-key=back
# What volume keys do inside the terminal
volume-keys=virtual
# Disable hardware keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+T, Ctrl+N, etc.)
disable-hardware-keyboard-shortcuts=false
# Show/hide or enable/disable soft keyboard toggle button behavior
soft-keyboard-toggle-behaviour=show/hide
# Hide soft keyboard when app starts
hide-soft-keyboard-on-startup=false
# Fix Ctrl+Space on some ROMs
ctrl-space-workaround=false
# Force character-based input (fixes Samsung key input issues)
enforce-char-based-input=false
###############################################################################
# Extra keys toolbar
###############################################################################
extra-keys=[['ESC','/',{key: '-', popup: '|'},'HOME','UP','END','PGUP'], \
['TAB','CTRL','ALT','LEFT','DOWN','RIGHT','PGDN']]
extra-keys-style=default
extra-keys-text-all-caps=true
###############################################################################
# Terminal appearance
###############################################################################
# Dark mode: system | true | false
night-mode=system
# Cursor style: block | underline | bar
terminal-cursor-style=block
# Cursor blink rate in ms (0 = disabled, valid range: 100-2000)
terminal-cursor-blink-rate=0
# Horizontal padding in dp (0-100)
terminal-margin-horizontal=3
# Vertical padding in dp (0-100)
terminal-margin-vertical=0
# Toolbar height scale factor (0.4-3.0)
terminal-toolbar-height=1.0
# Scrollback rows (100-50000)
terminal-transcript-rows=2000
###############################################################################
# Session behavior
###############################################################################
# Default directory for new sessions
default-working-directory=/data/data/com.termux/files/home
# Bell response: vibrate | beep | ignore
bell-character=vibrate
# Open URLs on tap (instead of long-press)
terminal-onclick-url-open=false
# Show toast when switching sessions
disable-terminal-session-change-toast=false
###############################################################################
# Files and storage
###############################################################################
# Delete $TMPDIR files older than N days on exit (-1=never, 0=all)
delete-tmpdir-files-older-than-x-days-on-exit=3
# Disable file share/view receivers
disable-file-share-receiver=false
disable-file-view-receiver=false
###############################################################################
# Display
###############################################################################
# Run in fullscreen (hides status bar)
fullscreen=false
# Fullscreen workaround for some Android versions
use-fullscreen-workaround=false
###############################################################################
# Security
###############################################################################
# Allow third-party apps to run commands via RUN_COMMAND intent
allow-external-apps=false
###############################################################################
# Termux-AM socket server
###############################################################################
# Start the termux-am socket server on launch
run-termux-am-socket-server=true
