Getting Started with TermBeam

Prerequisites

Node.js 22 or higher
A terminal (macOS, Linux, or Windows)

Installation

Quick Run (no install)

npx termbeam

Global Install

npm install -g termbeam
termbeam

First Run

For a guided setup that walks you through password, port, access mode, and log level:

termbeam -i

Or start directly with defaults:

Start TermBeam:
Terminal window
```
termbeam
```

You’ll see output like:

  ████████╗███████╗██████╗ ███╗   ███╗██████╗ ███████╗ █████╗ ███╗   ███╗
  ╚══██╔══╝██╔════╝██╔══██╗████╗ ████║██╔══██╗██╔════╝██╔══██╗████╗ ████║
     ██║   █████╗  ██████╔╝██╔████╔██║██████╔╝█████╗  ███████║██╔████╔██║
     ██║   ██╔══╝  ██╔══██╗██║╚██╔╝██║██╔══██╗██╔══╝  ██╔══██║██║╚██╔╝██║
     ██║   ███████╗██║  ██║██║ ╚═╝ ██║██████╔╝███████╗██║  ██║██║ ╚═╝ ██║
     ╚═╝   ╚══════╝╚═╝  ╚═╝╚═╝     ╚═╝╚═════╝ ╚══════╝╚═╝  ╚═╝╚═╝     ╚═╝

  Beam your terminal to any device 📡  v1.22.0

  Shell:    /bin/zsh
  Session:  a1b2c3d4
  Auth:     🔒 password
  Bind:     127.0.0.1 (localhost only)

  Public:   https://abc123.devtunnels.ms
  Local:    http://localhost:3456

  █▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█
  █ (QR code here) █
  █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█

  Scan the QR code or open: https://abc123.devtunnels.ms
  Password: xK9mP2vL8nQ4wR7j

On your phone: Scan the QR code or open the Public URL
Enter the password shown in the terminal output
You’re connected! 🎉

Creating Sessions

The default session uses your current shell and working directory
Tap + New (or + New Session on the hub page) to create additional sessions
Pick a color for each session to tell them apart at a glance
Use the folder browser to pick a working directory
Optionally set an initial command that runs when the session starts — useful for launching tools like htop, vim, docker logs -f, or any long-running command

For a walkthrough of the terminal UI — tabs, split view, search, touch controls, and more — see the Usage Guide.

Running as a Service

Want TermBeam always available in the background? The built-in service installer configures PM2 for you with an interactive wizard:

termbeam service install

After installation, manage the service with termbeam service status, logs, restart, or uninstall. For the full setup guide and alternative methods (systemd, launchd, Windows), see Running in Background.