We're excited to announce the new Termius app on desktop, featuring the new command palette and refreshed horizontal navigation for Vaults, SFTP, and connections. This update is not just another redesign; it fully reimagines what the modern SSH client should look like.

A bit of Termius history

In 2018, we introduced a sidebar that streamlined navigation between Hosts, Snippets, and terminal tabs. By then, 16:9 screens had become the industry standard, making screen width less of an issue on desktops. This change in screen dimensions enabled us to list tabs and connection history within the sidebar, allowing users to view even the long labels of their tabs and history items.

Since then, we have continuously developed Termius by adding features like SFTP, Keychain, Known Hosts, and Vaults. But each new element increased navigation complexity, so we kept Keychain and Known Hosts in the settings for years to maintain a clear UI.

The recent release of Vaults made the sidebar even more cumbersome. It doesn't contain all data stored in Vaults and also mixed in active connections and SFTP, leading to confusing navigation and a cluttered interface.

Tabbed navigation

In the new Termius version, our goal was to build intuitive navigation within the app. We focused on separating your data from your terminals. All your data is now consolidated under the Vaults tab, allowing you to access your data in a single place without clutter.

Why did we switch to horizontal tabs? We noticed that many users needed more space for focused work in the terminal and that a minimalistic sidebar was becoming increasingly popular. However, a significant group of users still required visibility of long terminal labels. Considering these factors, we reworked the navigation to support horizontal tabs.

Now, Termius has more space for your day-to-day terminal experience while reducing the mental effort to switch between Termius and your browser because navigation is built the same.

CMD+K for Command Palette

But what about those who use tens of tabs with long labels simultaneously? We address this with the Command Palette.

Use CMD+J on macOS or CTRL+J on Windows/Linux to jump between opened tabs and CMD+T/CTRL+T to start a new connection. The Command Palette is wide enough to fit all your naming conventions, including client names, host regions, and environments. No clicks are needed—just hit a shortcut, type the hostname into the fuzzy-powered search, and hit Enter to connect or jump to a tab.

We're excited to improve the Command Palette in Termius to boost your productivity. Please let us know which actions you want to see in CMD+K/CTRL+K in the future Termius versions.

Try Termius beta with new horizontal tabs, a powerful command palette, and streamlined Vaults navigation. Managing your infrastructure has never been easier.