There are two different versions you can download the standard Windows Terminal and the Windows Terminal Preview.įor the purposes of this article, you can use either one. There are a few different ways to install the new Windows Terminal, but the easiest by far (and the Microsoft-recommended way) is to install it from the Microsoft Store.

Shell: The program between the terminal and the operating system.

Console: Any console host application that is not the Windows Terminal.

Terminal: The Windows Terminal application.

Scott Hanselman has a great blog post on the definitions of each, but here is how they’ll be used in this article:

The C++ (v142) Universal Windows Platform Tools Component Installedīecause we’ll be covering many terms in this article, it’s important to first get a grasp on some terminology differences so you don’t get confused.Įven though the concepts are similar, it’s important to note that a terminal is not a console is not a shell.

The Universal Windows Platform Development Component Installed.The Desktop Development with C++ Component Installed.Python with the rich text library installed.The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) feature enabled with a Linux distribution installed (all demos shown are using Ubuntu 20.04).If you want to follow along with all of the demos in this article, you’ll need a few other tools installed as well: All you need is a Windows 10 machine with build 1903 (May 2019) or later. The requirements to install and use the Windows Terminal itself are pretty basic. Customizing how the Windows Terminal is Opened.The settings.json file: Customizing all the things.It will be a hands on tutorial throughout so be prepared to get to work! This article will be a walkthrough on many Windows Terminal capabilities. You can even have a full Linux shell running alongside Windows PowerShell or cmd.exe without having to switch between console sessions. Windows Terminal enhances the console experience with modern terminal features like tabs, panes, and even background images. You will learn how it can help you get things on Windows at the command line. You’re going to get a full rundown of nearly all features of Windows Terminal. In this Ultimate Guide, you’re going to learn about one of the best consoles around for developers the Windows Terminal. One of the tools any developer will use the most is the console. How these tools look and feel can mean all the difference when spending hours at a time looking for that one hard to find bug. It’s no wonder that software engineers build such strong relationships with the tools they use! It will also make you start over because you put a capital letter in the wrong place. At the end of the day, the entire job is about writing instructions in a strange language for a picky interpreter that will shut down everything you’ve worked on.

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