Windows Terminal is the successor to CMD and PowerShell for Windows 10
Although most users only think of Windows with its GUI, desktop, and windows, the Microsoft operating system has two tools that allow us to operate and configure using commands. On the one hand we have CMD, the old MS-DOS console that is still present in the operating system today, and on the other hand we have PowerShell, the most advanced administration console. Each of them has its own launcher and its own interface. However, Microsoft wanted to revolutionize the way we work with both by launching Windows Terminal .
Windows Terminal is, for many, the ultimate console program that Windows should have had a long time ago. This program is developed as a universal application, UWP, and allows us to open the consoles DCM et PowerShell which we need from the same window. What if we have a cloud in Azure, or Bash in the Windows Subsystem for Linux , it can also be launched from this program window.
This app was developed as open source project , and has received the collaboration of a large number of developers who have helped Microsoft adapt its operation to the needs of the majority of users. Although it has been a long time in development (and its use was not recommended) since the release of version 1.0, Windows Terminal is ready, and we can use it as a replacement for the classic CMD and PowerShell launchers.
Windows Terminal Features
Although it took more than 5 years, Microsoft has finally created the definitive terminal for Windows 10, a modern terminal from which any user can use both consoles according to their needs.
One of the strengths of this program is the customization. Although from CMD and PowerShell we can change some characteristics (such as font or colors), Windows Terminal takes personalization to a new level. We can customize this program to our liking, from creating all kinds of keyboard shortcuts to using a GIF as the terminal background. You can even configure transparency in the purest Linux style.
In its interface we will find a large number of features that will make us wonder how we have been able to live without them before. The first of these, and one of the most striking, are the eyelashes. If we need to open two or more CMD or PowerShell consoles, we will be able to have them all in the same window, separated into tabs.
We can also organize the main window of the program as we wish. For example, we can divide the interface into different panels, open several sessions at the same time and much more. The keyboard shortcuts used for this are:
- Alt + Shift + D, create a new panel.
- Click on a panel, select the panel.
- Ctrl + Shift + W, closes an open panel.
- Alt + Shift + -, create a new panel and split horizontally.
- Alt + Shift + +, create a new panel and split vertically.
- Ctrl + ,, open settings.
- Ctrl + Scroll, increase or decrease the font size.
- Alt + arrows (up, down, left, right), move the panel.
- Alt + Shift + arrows (up, down, left, right), resize a panel.
Another feature of this console is that it supports load the mouse . For example, if we use programs like Midnight Commander which can be controlled from the console with the mouse, we will be able to use it without any problem. This also extends to any other application, or game, that we can run from CMD, even Linux games, since Windows Terminal also integrates with Bash if we enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
This program defaults to the font Cascadia code , a new, very easy-to-read Microsoft font designed especially for programmers. Also note the possibility of creating multiple profiles (and each with a different configuration), support for GPU acceleration (useful if we are compiling code or running PS scripts) and many new features that will gradually reach This program.
Personalization: the best and the worst at the same time
The customization options that this program offers us are immense. We will be able to adjust Windows Terminal according to our tastes and needs so that we feel as comfortable as possible.
Some of the customization possibilities that it offers us are:
- Customize keyboard shortcuts, to change the default shortcuts or create new ones that perform certain tasks.
- Change the color schemes.
- Create profiles. Each profile can have a different setting, theme, and font.
- Assign custom funds to the terminal.
- Enable and configure the transparency of the Windows terminal.
- Set a GIF as the terminal background.
- Activate and select the profile we want to use.
The problem with configuring the Windows terminal is that it is not done from a configuration window, but we have to create it ourselves by editing the setttings.json configuration file supplied with the program.
Fortunately, Microsoft has a very complete documentation where you can see all the possibilities and possible configurations for this file. In github, we can find a guide to edit Windows terminal JSON , as well as documentation complete configuration .
Some examples of configuration you need add to JSON file of the program (in the section "" Profiles ":
- Change the background color: "useAcrylic": true.
- Set the acrylic transparency level: "AcrylicOpacity": 0,5.
- Define an image as the background: "backgroundImage": "path to the image".
- Change the opacity of the background image: "backgroundImageOpacity": 0.2.
- Customize the tab title: "tabTitle": "tab name".
- Choose the default directory when opening the console: "startingDirectory": "directory".
- Change the font: "fontFace": "font name".
- Change the font size: "fontSize": 12.
- Choose a color scheme: "colorScheme": "game name".
- Change the mouse color: "cursorColor": # FFFFFF (changing FFFFFF for the color code to hexadecimal).
Color schemes should be created at the end of the JSON file, in the “diagrams” section. We can see examples of color schemes and how to create our own in the Microsoft documentation .
Download Windows Terminal
Windows Terminal is a program completely free and open source developed by Microsoft. Since it's compiled as a Universal App, UWP, it should be downloaded directly from the Microsoft Store.
Whenever there is a new version, the Windows Store will take care of downloading and installing the new version automatically without us having to do anything.
If we prefer, we can also download the installable directly from its GitHub repository . This will allow us to test beta versions as they are compiled before they arrive in the Store, but we will have to monitor the updates ourselves.
Windows Terminal is also in the Chocolatey repositories, so if we use them to install software, we can install this program with the following command:
choco install microsoft-windows-terminal
Once Windows Terminal is installed, the way you work with the Windows console will have changed forever.
