Windows Terminal is a modern, faster, and highly customizable terminal for Windows that supports multiple shells, tabs, Unicode, emojis, and GPU-accelerated rendering. 1. Install via Microsoft Store by searching "Windows Terminal" and clicking Install, or 2. use winget with the command winget install Microsoft.WindowsTerminal, or 3. download the .msixbundle from GitHub for the preview version. After installation, it automatically detects shells like PowerShell (default), Command Prompt, and WSL distributions. To switch shells, click the dropdown in the tab bar or set a default in Settings (Ctrl ,). Add custom shells like Git Bash by specifying the executable path in Profiles. Use Ctrl Shift T for new tabs, Alt Shift V/H for vertical/horizontal panes, and Alt Arrow keys to navigate panes. Enable "Copy on select" and use Ctrl Shift V to paste. Customize appearance with themes like "Dracula", adjust font and opacity, or add background images. Edit settings.json for custom keyboard shortcuts, such as closing panes with Ctrl Shift W. Use Ctrl Shift F to search terminal history. When using WSL, set a Linux distribution as default, customize its tab icon and color, and run Linux and Windows commands side by side, making Windows Terminal a powerful, user-friendly replacement for the legacy console.

Windows Terminal is a modern, feature-rich terminal application for users of command-line tools and shells like Command Prompt, PowerShell, and WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). It’s faster, more customizable, and supports tabs, Unicode, emojis, and GPU-accelerated text rendering. Here’s how to install and use it effectively.

How to Install Windows Terminal

Installing Windows Terminal is straightforward and can be done in a few ways:

• Via Microsoft Store (Recommended)

  
  1. Open the Microsoft Store app.
  2. Search for "Windows Terminal".
  3. Click Install.
  4. Once installed, launch it from the Start menu.

• Via Microsoft Store (Command Line) You can also install it using the winget package manager (built into Windows 11 and available in Windows 10 1809 ):

  winget install Microsoft.WindowsTerminal

• From GitHub (Optional) If you want the preview version or aren't using the Store:

  
  1. Go to the GitHub releases page.
  2. Download the latest .msixbundle file.
  3. Double-click to install.

Getting Started with Windows Terminal

Once installed, open Windows Terminal from the Start menu or pin it to your taskbar.

When you first open it:

• It automatically detects available shells:
  • PowerShell (default)
  • Command Prompt
  • Azure Cloud Shell (if installed)
  • Any installed Linux distributions via WSL (e.g., Ubuntu)

The default tab opens in PowerShell, but you can switch easily.

Switching and Adding Shells

You can open different shells or add new ones:

• Open a new tab with a specific shell:

  • Click the down arrow ▼ in the tab bar.
  • Select the shell you want (e.g., Command Prompt, Ubuntu, etc.).

• Set a default profile:

  1. Open Settings (Ctrl ,).
  2. Go to the Profiles section.
  3. Under Startup, choose your default profile.
  4. You can also set “Command line” to something like:

     wt -p "Command Prompt"

     to always start with a specific shell.

• Add a custom shell (e.g., Git Bash):

  1. In Settings → Profiles → Add a new profile.
  2. Name it (e.g., "Git Bash").
  3. Set the command line to:

     C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe

     (Adjust path if Git is installed elsewhere.)

  4. Optionally set an icon and starting directory.

Useful Features and Tips

Windows Terminal isn’t just about looks — it’s powerful:

• Tabs and Panes

  • Open new tab: Ctrl Shift T
  • Split pane: Alt Shift H (horizontal), Alt Shift V (vertical)
  • Navigate panes: Alt Arrow keys

• Copy & Paste

  • Highlight text to copy (enable “Copy on select” in settings).
  • Paste: Ctrl Shift V
  • Or right-click to paste (if enabled).

• Customize Appearance

  • Go to Settings → Appearance.
  • Change color schemes, font size, background opacity, or even add a background image.
  • Try built-in themes like "One Half Dark" or "Dracula".

• Keyboard Shortcuts Edit settings.json to customize key bindings. For example:

  { "command": "closePane", "keys": ["ctrl shift w"] }

• Search Press Ctrl Shift F to open the search bar and find text in the terminal buffer.

Bonus: Use Windows Terminal with WSL

If you use WSL (e.g., Ubuntu, Debian):

• Windows Terminal detects it automatically.
• You can set WSL as the default profile.
• Customize the Linux tab with a distro-specific color or icon.
• Run Linux commands side-by-side with PowerShell.

Example: Open a new tab with Ubuntu by selecting it from the dropdown or assigning a shortcut.

Basically, Windows Terminal replaces the old console with a faster, prettier, and more functional experience. Once installed, spend a few minutes tweaking the settings — it makes command-line work much more enjoyable.

The above is the detailed content of How to install and use Windows Terminal. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!