Opening Apps from Terminal

Use the open -a command followed by the app name:

open -a VLC
open -a "Google Chrome"
open -a "Visual Studio Code"

The app name is the filename in /Applications without the .app extension.

How to Find App Names

List all installed apps:

ls /Applications

Search for a specific app:

ls /Applications | grep -i vlc

Examples

App PathTerminal Command/Applications/VLC.appopen -a VLC/Applications/Google Chrome.appopen -a "Google Chrome"/Applications/Safari.appopen -a Safari/Applications/Visual Studio Code.appopen -a "Visual Studio Code"

Summary

• ls /Applications — lists all installed apps
• open -a AppName — opens the app (use quotes if the name has spaces)
• The name to use is the .app filename minus the extension