Windows terminal is the modern host application that integrates all the command-line shells of the Operating System. The application was released on Windows 10 in 2019, and it is now available on Windows 11 as well.
If you are someone who uses command-line tools such as command prompt, windows power shell, or bash, you should know about Windows Terminal and how to use it. In this article, we will be taking a closer look at Windows Terminal, its features, and how to use it.
What is Windows Terminal
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As you may know, a Terminal in the software sense, is just a tool for inputting and outputting texts. The actual processing happens in the underlying shell program. Windows Terminal is a modern application that hosts many command-line shells you are already using, into one place. So, you don’t have to switch between applications to get your project completed.
Windows Terminal usually comes pre-installed on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PCs, or you can download it from Microsoft Store. However, they are not supported on earlier versions of Windows such as Windows 8, or 7.
The application supports any command-line shell programs including PowerShell, Azure Cloud Shell, Command Prompt, and more. It offers several new features, making it a useful way to interact with the computer using commands.
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Major Features of Windows Terminal
Some of the major features of Windows Terminal that make it useful for accessing command-line applications include:
- Multi-tab support
- Panes
- Unicode and UTF-8 character support
- GPU-accelerated text rendering engine
- Custom theme
- Background image support
Multi-tab Support
You can open and use multiple tabs on the terminal either for the same shell or different shells, at the same time just like you open tabs in a browser. This allows you to do different tasks at the same time in the same window.
Tab Tearout
If you want to see the tabs you are working on simultaneously, you can simply drag the tab and drop it anywhere on your screen to create a new Terminal window. You can also do the reverse by dragging and dropping an existing window to another Windows Terminal window.
Custom Theme
Unlike most command-line shell applications, Windows Terminal allows users to customize the colour, text font, and settings. You can access the customization tools by clicking on the down-facing arrow mark you see one Windows Terminal beside a tab and clicking on settings.
Windows Terminal offers many customization tools to make it more suitable for your personal choice. You may also include images in the background, which may motivate you when doing highly taxing tasks.
Custom Shortcuts
Windows Terminal supports a variety of custom commands, making it more seamless to use the application. You can view the shortcuts in the “Action” tab from settings. If you are not happy with the shortcuts, you may simply edit it according to your preference.
Here are some examples of the Windows Terminal default shortcuts:
- Copy text: ctrl+c
- Paste text: ctrl+v
- Close pane: ctrl+shift+w
- Close Window: alt+f4
- Decrease font size: ctrl+minus
- Increase font size: ctrl+plus
- New window: ctrl+shift+n
- New tab: ctrl+tab
- Select all text: ctrl+shift+a
Unicode and UTF-8 Character Support
Now you can use and display Unicode and UTF-8 characters on the command line using Windes Terminal. This includes special characters, currency symbols, and emojis. This helps you improve your user experience and gives you more to work with.
GPU Accelerated Text Rendering
CPU (central processing unit) text rendering often reduces the performance of the computer, often resulting in longer loading times, when doing CPU-intensive tasks. While CPU text rendering is default from many shell applications, Windows Terminal uses GPU (graphics processing unit) accelerated text rendering, reducing the workload of the CPU and boosting its performance significantly.
How to Use Windows Terminal?
As we have discussed in the early sections, Windows Terminal is only available for Windows 10 or Windows 11 users. The application is pre-installed on Windows 11. Whereas, Windows 10 users may have to download it from the Windows Store.
You can open Windows Terminal on Windows 11 in the following ways:
- From the start menu: Click on the start menu and search “Terminal”. You can open it like any other application.
- From Power User Menu: Press Win+x on a keyboard and select terminal from the options that appear.
- From Run Dialogue: Press Win+r, and type in cmd or wt to open Windows Terminal as command prompt or the PowerShell.
On Windows 10, you can open Windows Terminal the same way you would open any other application, using the search bar below or by clicking on the shortcut.
Once you open Windows Terminal, you can switch the command shell by clicking on the downward arrow right beside the tabs. By default, the Windows terminal displays the Windows Powershell tab, but you can change it by going to the “Startup” tab on settings.
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Conclusion
Windows Terminal is an application that aggregates all the command-line applications into one. It supports Windows PowerShell, Command Prompt, Azure Cloud Shell, and all other command line shells.
It offers several features such as customization, multiple tabs and panes, Unicode and UTF-8 character support, and more. In this article, we have explored what Windows Terminal is and how to use it.
