Change default shell to zsh

The correct syntax to switch to the Zsh shell from your original Bash shell is in the Terminal. Your admin password is required for the following and nothing will echo at the password prompt.

sudo /usr/bin/chsh -s /bin/zsh

Do not add zsh in the Terminal preferences as the Terminal knows what shell to run from the $SHELL environment variable.

Although some Bash syntax works in Zsh, the Terminal prompt codes are different and the dotfiles have differences too, so resist copying your Bash dot files to Zsh dot files. All you really need is a $HOME/.zshrc dot file and Zsh is a happy camper.

Here is a Zsh HERE document that when copy/pasted into the Terminal will write a new $HOME/.zshrc file for you with a basic PATH and Terminal prompt. Press return after you paste it.

<<"EOF" > ~/.zshrc
export PATH=".:${PATH}"
PS1="%m: %~ %% "
EOF

At the new Terminal prompt after this script finishes, type the following:

source ~/.zshrc

and your PATH and Terminal prompt are set, and will be set each time you launch the Terminal.

Zsh is a large and powerful shell. In addition to the online documentation manual, there are UNIX man pages available via:

man zsh
man zshall

Terminal Preferences are not required to set the default shell. Actually, it doesn't set the default shell, just the one you use for that session.

If the change shell command didn't work, something is blocking it. You could try setting the default shell in your user account. Users & Groups System Settings > Ctrl-click on user and select Advanced Options…

You can select the default shell from there.

... when I type chsh -s /bin/zsh it doesn't do a thing; just goes on using bash.

The chsh command should ask you for your Admin password before doing anything else. If that isn't happening then deeper problems exist.

echo $0

What does that return?

There should be nothing set in the login shell in Terminal preferences. Did you change it from /bin/bash or did it not have anything in that and the default shell radio button was selected?

If the default shell button was selected and you were getting bash, it might be in the .zshrc or .zprofile file.

ksmithcamp wrote:

Well, it turns out that exec zsh does the trick.

Why do I have to search all over the internet to find that out?

You shouldn’t have to do that at all. As already noted, there seems to be something wrong with your configuration.

I don't know the details, but there are subtle differences in bash and zsh, so just copying the those config files will likely not work.