Install and get started setting up Windows Terminal

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Install

To try the latest preview features, you may also want to install Windows Terminal Preview.

Annotation

If you don't have access to the Microsoft Store, the builds are published on the GitHub releases page. If yous install from GitHub, Windows Terminal volition not automatically update with new versions. For additional installation options using a packet manager (winget, chocolatey, scoop), see the Windows Terminal product repo.

Set your default terminal awarding (Preview)

To open any command line application with Windows Terminal, set information technology every bit your default terminal application.

  1. Open Windows Terminal and get to the Settings UI window.
  2. Select Startup and cull "Windows Terminal" as the Default terminal application setting.

Screenshot of Windows Terminal Startup default in Settings UI

Ready your default final profile

After installation, when you open Windows Terminal, information technology will showtime with the PowerShell control line as the default profile in the open tab.

To modify the default contour:

  1. Open Windows Terminal and go to the Settings UI window.
  2. Select Startup and cull the Default profile that you adopt.

You tin can likewise prepare your default profile in the Settings.json file associated with Windows Terminal if you adopt.

Screenshot of Windows Terminal Settings default profile

Add new profiles

Windows Terminal volition automatically create profiles for you if you have WSL distributions or multiple versions of PowerShell installed.

Your command line profiles will exist listed in the Settings UI, in addition to the pick to + Add new profiles.

Learn more near dynamic profiles on the Dynamic profiles folio.

Screenshot of Windows Terminal Settings list of profiles

Open a new tab

You can open up a new tab of the default profile by pressing Ctrl+Shift+T or past selecting the + (plus) push button. To open a different profile, select the ˅ (arrow) side by side to the + button to open the dropdown menu. From at that place, you can select which profile to open.

Invoke the control palette

You tin can invoke almost features of Windows Terminal through the command palette. The default key combination to invoke it is Ctrl+Shift+P. You tin can also open up information technology using the Control palette button in the dropdown menu in Windows Terminal Preview.

Example of the command palette in use

Open up a new pane

Yous can run multiple shells side-by-side using panes. To open a pane, you can utilize Alt+Shift++ for a vertical pane or Alt+Shift+- for a horizontal one. Yous can likewise utilize Alt+Shift+D to open a duplicate pane of your focused profile. Acquire more than about panes on the Panes page.

Configuration

To customize the settings of your Windows Concluding, select Settings in the dropdown bill of fare. This will open up the settings UI to configure your settings. Yous can learn how to open the settings UI with keyboard shortcuts on the Actions page.

Settings JSON file

If you prefer to configure your Windows Terminal settings using lawmaking, rather than the graphic user interface, you tin edit the settings.json file.

Select Settings in the Windows Concluding dropdown menu while holding Shift to open the settings.json file in your default text editor. (The default text editor is defined in your Windows settings.)

The path for your Windows Concluding settings.json file may exist found in i of the following directories:

  • Terminal (stable / general release): %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json
  • Terminal (preview release): %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminalPreview_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json
  • Last (unpackaged: Scoop, Chocolately, etc): %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows Terminal\settings.json

Tip

  1. You can access the default settings for Windows Terminal by selecting Settings in the dropdown menu while holding Alt to open the defaults.json file in your default text editor. This file is auto-generated and any changes to it will exist ignored.
  2. It is possible to create a JSON fragment extension in order to shop profile information and color schemes in a dissever file, which can be useful to prevent excessively large configuration files.

Command line arguments

You can launch the concluding in a specific configuration using command line arguments. These arguments let yous open the terminal with specific tabs and panes with custom profile settings. Larn more about control line arguments on the Command line arguments folio.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any difficulties using the last, reference the Troubleshooting page. If you find whatever bugs or have a characteristic request, you can select the feedback link in the Nigh menu of the terminal to go to the GitHub folio where you tin file a new issue.