Windows Terminal

Windows Terminal is Microsoft's modern, feature-rich terminal application designed to replace the legacy Windows Console. Built from the ground up with C++ and modern architecture, it brings long-requested features to Windows command-line users including tabbed interfaces, rich text rendering, full Unicode and emoji support, extensive theming and customization options, and GPU-accelerated text rendering. The terminal leverages a modular codebase with reusable components like a DirectWrite-based rendering engine and advanced VT parser.

Windows Terminal is designed for developers, system administrators, and power users who need a productive command-line environment on Windows. It maintains backward compatibility with existing console applications while providing modern features like multiple profiles, custom key bindings, and extensive JSON-based configuration. The application focuses on performance and efficiency, ensuring it remains fast without consuming excessive memory or power.

The project includes not just the main Terminal application but also the Windows Console Host (conhost.exe) source code and shared components that can be reused by other terminal implementations. Microsoft offers multiple distribution channels including the recommended Microsoft Store version for automatic updates, as well as manual installations and package managers for different user preferences.

Installation

# via Microsoft Store
Install from Microsoft Store (Recommended)

# via winget
winget install --id Microsoft.WindowsTerminal -e

# via Chocolatey
choco install microsoft-windows-terminal