Powerlevel10k

Powerlevel10k is a theme for ZSH. It's a backward-compatible modern reimplementation of Powerlevel9k with lower latency, better prompt responsiveness and scores of extra features.

Powerlevel10k can be used as a drop-in replacement for Powerlevel9k. When given the same configuration options it will generate the same prompt. It will be much faster though.

Table of Contents

1. Installation
   1. Manual
   2. Oh My Zsh
   3. Prezto
   4. Antigen
   5. Zplug
   6. Zgen
   7. Antibody
2. Configuration
   1. For new users
   2. For existing users
3. Fonts
4. Try it in Docker
5. Is it really faster?
6. License
7. FAQ
   1. Why does Powerlevel10k spawn extra processes?
   2. Are there configuration options that make Powerlevel10k slow?
   3. Is Powerlevel10k fast to load?
   4. Does Powerlevel10k always render exactly the same prompt as Powerlevel9k given the same config?
   5. Is there an AUR package for Powerlevel10k?
   6. I cannot make Powerlevel10k work with my plugin manager. Help!
   7. What is the minimum supported ZSH version?

Installation

Manual

git clone https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git ~/powerlevel10k
echo 'source ~/powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k.zsh-theme' >>! ~/.zshrc

This is the simplest kind of installation and it works even if you are using a plugin manager. Just make sure to disable your current theme in your plugin manager. See FAQ for help.

Oh My Zsh

git clone https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git $ZSH_CUSTOM/themes/powerlevel10k

Set ZSH_THEME=powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k in your ~/.zshrc.

Prezto

Add zstyle :prezto:module:prompt theme powerlevel10k to your ~/.zpreztorc.

Antigen

Add antigen theme romkatv/powerlevel10k to your ~/.zshrc. Make sure you have antigen apply somewhere after it.

Zplug

Add zplug romkatv/powerlevel10k, use:powerlevel10k.zsh-theme to your ~/.zshrc.

Zgen

Add zgen load romkatv/powerlevel10k powerlevel10k to your ~/.zshrc.

Antibody

Add antibody bundle romkatv/powerlevel10k to your ~/.zshrc.

Configuration

For new users

On the first run Powerlevel10k configuration wizard will ask you a few questions and configure your prompt. If it doesn't trigger automatically, type p9k_configure.

For existing users

If you've been using Powerlevel9k before, do not remove the configuration options. Powerlevel10k will pick them up and provide you with the same prompt UI you are used to. Powerlevel10k recognized all configuration options used by Powerlevel9k. See Powerlevel9k configuration guide.

To go beyond the functionality of Powerlevel9k, type p9k_configure and explore unique styles and features Powerlevel10k has to offer.

Fonts

Powerlevel10k doesn't require custom fonts but it can take advantage of them if they are available. Some of the style options in Powerlevel10k are available only when using Nerd Fonts.

If you don't know which font to use, download these 4 fonts and install them. In most systems you can install fonts simply by clicking on the ttf files. Then change your terminal's font to MesloLGS NF (NF stands for Nerd Fonts).

• iTerm2: Open Preferences → Profiles → Text → Change Font. Set Font to MesloLGS NF.
• GNOME: Type this command:

sudo apt install libglib2.0-bin
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface monospace-font-name 'MesloLGS NF 11'

• Windows Command Prompt (the default terminal app): Use this script.
• Visual Studio Code (builtin terminal): Open File → Preferences → Settings, enter terminal.integrated.fontFamily in the search box and set the value to MesloLGS NF.

(Using a different terminal and know how to set font for it? Share your knowledge by sending a PR expanding the list!)

Try it in Docker

Try Powerlevel10k in Docker. You can safely make any changes to the file system while trying out the theme. Once you exit zsh, the image is deleted.

docker run -e LANG=C.UTF-8 -e LC_ALL=C.UTF-8 -e TERM -it --rm ubuntu bash -uexc '
  cd && apt update && apt install -y zsh git
  git clone https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git
  echo "source ~/powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k.zsh-theme" >>~/.zshrc
  cd ~/powerlevel10k
  exec zsh'

Is it really fast?

Yes.

Benchmark results obtained with zsh-prompt-benchmark on Intel i9-7900X running Ubuntu 18.04 with the config from the demo.

Theme	Prompt Latency
powerlevel9k/master	1046 ms
powerlevel9k/next	1005 ms
powerlevel10k	8.7 ms

Powerlevel10k is over 100 times faster than Powerlevel9k in this benchmark.

In fairness, Powerlevel9k has acceptable latency when given a spartan configuration. If all you need is the current directory without truncation or shortening, Powerlevel9k can render it for you in 17 ms. Powerlevel10k can do the same 30 times faster but it won't matter in practice because 17 ms is fast enough (the threshold where latency becomes noticeable is around 50 ms). You have to be careful with Powerlevel9k configuration as it's all too easy to make prompt frustratingly slow. Powerlevel10k, on the other hand, doesn't require trading latency for utility -- it's virtually instant with any configuration. It stays way below the 50 ms mark, leaving most of the latency budget for other plugins you might install.

License

Powerlevel10k is released under the MIT license. Contributions are covered by the same license.

FAQ

Why does Powerlevel10k spawn extra processes?

Powerlevel10k uses gitstatus as the backend behind vcs prompt; gitstatus spawns gitstatusd and zsh. See gitstatus for details. Powerlevel10k may also spawn zsh to trigger async prompt refresh.

Are there configuration options that make Powerlevel10k slow?

No, Powerlevel10k is always fast, with any configuration you throw at it. If you have noticeable prompt latency when using Powerlevel10k, please open an issue.

Is Powerlevel10k fast to load?

The short answer is no. The amount of time it takes for Powerlevel10k to render the first prompt is in the same ballpark as for Powerlevel9k.

Time to first prompt can be measured with the following benchmark:

time (repeat 100 zsh -dfis <<< 'source ~/powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k.zsh-theme')

On the same machine as in the prompt benchmark this results in 147 ms per invocation when executed in a small git repository (I used the powerlevel10k repo itself). For comparison, the same benchmark gives 170 ms for powerlevel9k/master and 505 ms for powerlevel9k/next.

If your workflow requires that you open a terminal tab, type a command or two and close the tab, Powerlevel10k isn't the best choice. Powerlevel10k is optimized for long-lived ZSH sessions.

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

This is the goal. You should be able to switch from Powerlevel9k to Powerlevel10k with no visible changes except for performance. There are, however, several differences.

• By default only git vcs backend is enabled in Powerlevel10k. If you need svn and hg, you'll need to set POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_BACKENDS.
• Powerlevel10k is bug-compatible with Powerlevel9k except for egregious bugs. If you accidentally rely on these bugs, your prompt will differ between Powerlevel9k and Powerlevel10k. Some examples:
  • Powerlevel9k doesn't respect ZLE_RPROMPT_INDENT. As a result, right prompt in Powerlevel10k can have an extra space compared to Powerlevel9k. Set ZLE_RPROMPT_INDENT=0 if you don't want that space.
  • Powerlevel9k ignores some options that are set after the theme is sources while Powerlevel10k respects all options. If you see different icons in Powerlevel9k and Powerlevel10k, you've probably defined POWERLEVEL9K_MODE before sourcing the theme. This parameter gets ignored by Powerlevel9k but not Powerlevel10k. If you want your prompt to look in Powerlevel10k the same as in Powerlevel9k, remove POWERLEVEL9K_MODE.
  • There are dozens more bugs in Powerlevel9k that don't exist in Powerlevel10k.

If you notice any other changes in prompt appearance when switching from Powerlevel9k to Powerlevel10k, please open an issue.

Is there an AUR package for Powerlevel10k?

Yes, zsh-theme-powerlevel10k-git. This package is owned by an unaffiliated volunteer.

I cannot make Powerlevel10k work with my plugin manager. Help!

If the installation instructions didn't work for you, try disabling your current theme (so that you end up with no theme) and then installing Powerlevel10k manually.

1. Disable the current theme in your framework / plugin manager.

• zplug: Open ~/.zshrc and remove the zplug command that refers to your current theme. For example, if you are currently using Powerlevel9k, look for zplug bhilburn/powerlevel9k, use:powerlevel9k.zsh-theme.
• prezto: Open ~/.zpreztorc and put zstyle :prezto:module:prompt theme off in it. Remove any other command that sets theme such as zstyle :prezto:module:prompt theme powerlevel9k.
• oh-my-zsh: Open ~/.zshrc and remove the line that sets ZSH_THEME, such as ZSH_THEME=powerlevel9k/powerlevel9k.
• antigen: Open ~/.zshrc and remove the line that sets antigen theme, such as antigen theme bhilburn/powerlevel9k powerlevel9k.

2. Install Powerlevel10k manually.

git clone https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git ~/powerlevel10k
echo 'source ~/powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k.zsh-theme' >>! ~/.zshrc

This method of installation won't make anything slower or otherwise sub-par.

What is the minimum supported ZSH version?

ZSH 5.1 or newer should work.

However, there are too many version, OS, platform, terminal and option configurations to test. If Powerlevel10k doesn't work for you, please open an issue.