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Windows Terminal
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>Windows Terminal was announced<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> at Microsoft's <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Build/nVnk6tUD">Build 2019</a> developer conference in May 2019<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> as a modern alternative for <a href="/facts/Windows_Console/p8vz2Cdk">Windows Console</a>, and Windows Terminal's source code first appeared on GitHub on May 3, 2019.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> The first preview release was version 0.2, which appeared on July 10, 2019.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> The first stable version of the project (version 1.0) was on May 19, 2020, at which point, Microsoft started releasing preview versions as the Windows Terminal Preview app, which could be installed side-by-side with the stable version.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="features">Features</h2> <p>Terminal is a command-line front-end. It can run multiple command-line apps, including text-based shells in a <a href="/facts/Tab_(interface)/YswKP5Mg">multi-tabbed window</a>. It has out-of-the-box support for <a href="/facts/Windows_Command_Prompt/FUmTvew6">Command Prompt</a>, <a href="/facts/PowerShell/G1d10lwn">PowerShell</a>, and <a href="/facts/Bash_(Unix_shell)/RrYLtEJT">Bash</a> on <a href="/facts/Windows_Subsystem_for_Linux/ou97bFN2">Windows Subsystem for Linux</a> (WSL).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> It can natively connect to <a href="/facts/Azure_Cloud_Shell/CCnIHTHd">Azure Cloud Shell</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> </p><p>Terminal augments the text-based command experience by providing support for: </p> <ul><li>Notebook tabs, to hold multiple instances in a single window</li> <li><a href="/facts/ANSI_escape_code/29l9Yalv">ANSI VT sequence</a> support</li> <li><a href="/facts/UTF-8/xlaVHSyf">UTF-8</a> and <a href="/facts/UTF-16/ofSmbCem">UTF-16</a> (including <a href="/facts/CJK_Unified_Ideographs/780Y4fvJ">CJK ideograms</a> and <a href="/facts/Emoji/Qkp7gwBH">emojis</a>)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Hardware_acceleration/ej5sM7hB">Hardware-accelerated</a> text rendering via <a href="/facts/DirectWrite/nSP4w7pj">DirectWrite</a></li> <li>Modern font and font feature support (see below)</li> <li><a href="/facts/24-bit_color/0X7zI9BP">24-bit color</a></li> <li>Window <a href="/facts/Transparency_(graphic)/Xnahvu65">transparency</a> effects</li> <li><a href="/facts/Theme_(computing)/N08U51pq">Themes</a>, background images and tab color settings<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a></li> <li>Different window modes (e.g. fullscreen mode, focus mode, always on top mode)</li> <li>Split panes</li> <li>Command palette<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Jump_list_(computing)/qT863ady">Jump list</a> support<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Microsoft_Narrator/64S00UpI">Microsoft Narrator</a> compatibility via a <a href="/facts/Microsoft_UI_Automation/udpyW063">User Interface Automation</a> (UIA) tree<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a></li> <li>Support for embedded <a href="/facts/Hyperlink/LqNsa84e">hyperlinks</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a></li> <li>Copying text to <a href="/facts/Clipboard_(computing)/CI8zUmP2">clipboard</a> in <a href="/facts/HTML/sSc3fT78">HTML</a> and <a href="/facts/Rich_Text_Format/hsVH9Jot">RTF</a> format</li> <li>Mouse input</li> <li>Customizable <a href="/facts/Key_binding/mjeb82kI">key bindings</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Incremental_search/1cn56QBk">Incremental search</a></li> <li>Terminal shortcut<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a></li> <li>Sixel support<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a></li></ul> <h3>Cascadia Code</h3> <p class="note">Main article: <a href="/facts/Cascadia_Code/mHudealc">Cascadia Code</a></p> <p>Cascadia Code is a purpose-built <a href="/facts/Monospaced_font/or1TCAoh">monospaced font</a> by Aaron Bell of Saja Typeworks for the new command-line interface. It includes programming <a href="/facts/Orthographic_ligature/urMIGfmN">ligatures</a> and was designed to enhance the look and feel of Windows Terminal, terminal applications and text editors such as <a href="/facts/Visual_Studio/omNe6Lej">Visual Studio</a> and <a href="/facts/Visual_Studio_Code/YsBDgKlK">Visual Studio Code</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a> The font is open-source under the <a href="/facts/SIL_Open_Font_License/VrMmU7G2">SIL Open Font License</a> and available on GitHub.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a> It is bundled with Windows Terminal since version 0.5.2762.0.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Free and open-source software portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_terminal_emulators/aB1W5jqW">List of terminal emulators</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Comparison_of_command_shells/VjrMgygY">Comparison of command shells</a></li></ul> <h2 id="notes">Notes</h2> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <ul><li>Fuqua, Will (2021). <i>Windows Terminal Tips, Tricks, and Productivity Hacks: Optimize your command-line usage and development processes with pro-level techniques</i>. <a href="/facts/Packt_Publishing/eT0RTSSK">Packt Publishing</a>. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1800207561.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/introducing-windows-terminal/">Introductory post</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/Microsoft/Terminal">Terminal</a> on <a href="/facts/GitHub/n1hNCsc3">GitHub</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/">Windows Terminal overview</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Warren, Tom (May 6, 2019). "Microsoft unveils Windows Terminal, a new command line app for Windows". The Verge. <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18527870/microsoft-windows-terminal-command-line-tool" target="_blank">https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18527870/microsoft-windows-terminal-command-line-tool</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Cinnamon, Kayla (May 6, 2019). "Introducing Windows Terminal". Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved November 20, 2020. <a href="https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/introducing-windows-terminal/" target="_blank">https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/introducing-windows-terminal/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Bright, Peter (May 6, 2019). "Coming soon: Windows Terminal—finally a tabbed, emoji-capable Windows command-line". Ars Technica. <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/05/coming-soon-windows-terminal-finally-a-tabbed-emoji-capable-windows-command-line/" target="_blank">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/05/coming-soon-windows-terminal-finally-a-tabbed-emoji-capable-windows-command-line/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Bhojwani, Pankaj (August 2, 2019). "The Azure Cloud Shell Connector in Windows Terminal". Windows Command Line. Microsoft – via DevBlogs. <a href="https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/the-azure-cloud-shell-connector-in-windows-terminal/" target="_blank">https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/the-azure-cloud-shell-connector-in-windows-terminal/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>nguyen-dows (September 28, 2023). "Windows Terminal SSH". learn.microsoft.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023. <a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/tutorials/ssh" target="_blank">https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/tutorials/ssh</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Windows Terminal v1.11.2921.0". Microsoft / terminal repo. Microsoft. October 20, 2021 – via GitHub. <a href="https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.11.2921.0" target="_blank">https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.11.2921.0</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Windows Terminal is now the Default in Windows 11". <a href="https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/windows-terminal-is-now-the-default-in-windows-11/" target="_blank">https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/windows-terminal-is-now-the-default-in-windows-11/</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Command Prompt and Windows Powershell for Windows 11". <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/command-prompt-and-windows-powershell-for-windows-11-6453ce98-da91-476f-8651-5c14d5777c20" target="_blank">https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/command-prompt-and-windows-powershell-for-windows-11-6453ce98-da91-476f-8651-5c14d5777c20</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Cinnamon, Kayla (May 6, 2019). "Introducing Windows Terminal". Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved November 20, 2020. <a href="https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/introducing-windows-terminal/" target="_blank">https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/introducing-windows-terminal/</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Warren, Tom (May 6, 2019). "Microsoft unveils Windows Terminal, a new command line app for Windows". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved November 20, 2020. <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18527870/microsoft-windows-terminal-command-line-tool" target="_blank">https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18527870/microsoft-windows-terminal-command-line-tool</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Howett, Dustin L (May 3, 2019). "v0.1.1002.0: Initial release of the Windows Terminal source code". microsoft / terminal repo. Microsoft – via GitHub. <a href="https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v0.1.1002.0" target="_blank">https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v0.1.1002.0</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Howett, Dustin L (July 10, 2019). "Windows Terminal - Preview v0.2". microsoft / terminal repo. Microsoft – via GitHub. <a href="https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v0.2.1715.0" target="_blank">https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v0.2.1715.0</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Howett, Dustin L (May 19, 2020). "Windows Terminal v1.0.1401.0". microsoft / terminal repo. Microsoft – via GitHub. <a href="https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.0.1401.0" target="_blank">https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.0.1401.0</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Bright, Peter (May 6, 2019). "Coming soon: Windows Terminal—finally a tabbed, emoji-capable Windows command-line". Ars Technica. <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/05/coming-soon-windows-terminal-finally-a-tabbed-emoji-capable-windows-command-line/" target="_blank">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/05/coming-soon-windows-terminal-finally-a-tabbed-emoji-capable-windows-command-line/</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Bhojwani, Pankaj (August 2, 2019). "The Azure Cloud Shell Connector in Windows Terminal". Windows Command Line. Microsoft – via DevBlogs. <a href="https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/the-azure-cloud-shell-connector-in-windows-terminal/" target="_blank">https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/the-azure-cloud-shell-connector-in-windows-terminal/</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Requires an appropriate font to be selected for rendering. <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>"Windows Terminal Preview 1.4 brings embedded hyperlinks support, version 1.3 generally available - Neowin". Neowin. September 23, 2020. <a href="https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-terminal-preview-14-brings-embedded-hyperlinks-support-version-13-generally-available" target="_blank">https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-terminal-preview-14-brings-embedded-hyperlinks-support-version-13-generally-available</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>"Windows Terminal Preview 1.4 brings embedded hyperlinks support, version 1.3 generally available - Neowin". Neowin. September 23, 2020. <a href="https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-terminal-preview-14-brings-embedded-hyperlinks-support-version-13-generally-available" target="_blank">https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-terminal-preview-14-brings-embedded-hyperlinks-support-version-13-generally-available</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>"Windows Terminal Preview 1.4 brings embedded hyperlinks support, version 1.3 generally available - Neowin". Neowin. September 23, 2020. <a href="https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-terminal-preview-14-brings-embedded-hyperlinks-support-version-13-generally-available" target="_blank">https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-terminal-preview-14-brings-embedded-hyperlinks-support-version-13-generally-available</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Microsoft Issues Major Update to Windows Terminal – Thurrott.com <a href="https://www.thurrott.com/dev/211645/microsoft-issues-major-update-to-windows-terminal" target="_blank">https://www.thurrott.com/dev/211645/microsoft-issues-major-update-to-windows-terminal</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>"Windows Terminal Preview 1.4 brings embedded hyperlinks support, version 1.3 generally available - Neowin". Neowin. September 23, 2020. <a href="https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-terminal-preview-14-brings-embedded-hyperlinks-support-version-13-generally-available" target="_blank">https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-terminal-preview-14-brings-embedded-hyperlinks-support-version-13-generally-available</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>"Windows Terminal Shortcut". Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240302070825/https://www.harry.coffee/windows-terminal-shortcut/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20240302070825/https://www.harry.coffee/windows-terminal-shortcut/</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>"Add support for Sixel images in conhost by j4james · Pull Request #17421 · microsoft/terminal". GitHub. Retrieved September 12, 2024. <a href="https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/pull/17421" target="_blank">https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/pull/17421</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:24"><p>Cascadia Code | Windows Command Line Tools For Developers <a href="https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/cascadia-code/" target="_blank">https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/cascadia-code/</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:25"><p>GitHub - microsoft/cascadia-code <a href="https://github.com/microsoft/cascadia-code/" target="_blank">https://github.com/microsoft/cascadia-code/</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:26"><p>"Release Windows Terminal Preview v0.5.2762.0 · microsoft/terminal · GitHub". GitHub Windows Terminal repository. October 4, 2019. <a href="https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v0.5.2762.0" target="_blank">https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v0.5.2762.0</a> <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>