Windows Terminal: A Modern Command-Line App
/terminal
Windows Terminal is Microsoft's terminal application for Windows, developed in the microsoft/terminal repository alongside the Console Host it doesn't replace. The README lists tabs, rich text, globalization, configurable profiles, and theming as its features. Reach for it if you want tabbed, Unicode-friendly command-line sessions on Windows; skip it if you're on an older Windows 10 build, since it needs build 19041 or later.
Understanding Windows Terminal and Console Host
Windows Terminal is a terminal application Microsoft develops inside the microsoft/terminal repository, distinct from the original Console Host, conhost.exe, that ships alongside it. The README describes it as a terminal for command-line users with tabs, rich text, globalization, configurability, and theming. The repo also contains ColorTool and sample projects for the Windows Console APIs.
Key Features for Command-Line Users
- โTabs, rich text, globalization, configurable profiles, and theming: the feature set the README lists for command-line users.
- โRuns alongside the original Console Host (conhost.exe) rather than replacing it; Windows Terminal connects to console apps through the same ConPTY pseudoconsole conhost exposes.
- โC++ implementation leveraging modernized shared components: it offers a DirectWrite-based rendering and layout engine, a text buffer that supports UTF-16 and UTF-8, and a VT parser/emitter for ANSI escape sequences.
- โDistributed through the Microsoft Store (recommended, auto-updates), direct GitHub Releases as a .msixbundle, winget, and the unofficial Chocolatey and Scoop packages.
- โA separate Canary channel ships nightly builds straight from the main branch, available as an auto-updating App Installer package (Windows 11 only) or a non-updating portable ZIP (Windows 10 19041+ and 11).
- โIncludes ColorTool for managing console color schemes and sample projects that show how to consume the Windows Console APIs directly.
- โRepository topics on GitHub include wsl, cmd, console, windows-console, and windows-terminal, alongside contributions-welcome, good-first-issue, and hacktoberfest tags for new contributors.
Installing Windows Terminal
The README recommends installing Windows Terminal from the Microsoft Store, which keeps you on the latest build with automatic upgrades. Store installs auto-update. Manual ones don't. It requires Windows 10 build 19041 (version 2004) or later. If the Store isn't an option, download the Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_<versionNumber>.msixbundle from the repo's Releases page and double-click it, or run `Add-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_<versionNumber>.msixbundle` in PowerShell. winget users can run `winget install --id Microsoft.WindowsTerminal -e`; the README notes dependency support needs winget 1.6.2631 or later to install Terminal 1.18 or later. Chocolatey (`choco install microsoft-windows-terminal`) and Scoop (`scoop bucket add extras` then `scoop install windows-terminal`) are both listed as unofficial channels. Developers who want nightly builds can install Windows Terminal Canary instead, either as an auto-updating App Installer package (Windows 11 only) or a portable ZIP that doesn't auto-update, on Windows 10 19041+ or 11.
Strengths
- โActively maintained by Microsoft plus contributions-welcome and good-first-issue tags for outside contributors.
- โMultiple install paths, including the Microsoft Store, GitHub Releases, and winget, plus unofficial Chocolatey and Scoop packages, so you aren't locked into one distribution channel.
- โMIT license, which imposes no restrictions on how you use or redistribute it.
- โBuilt on modernized, shared C++ components (DirectWrite text rendering, a UTF-16/UTF-8 text buffer, a VT parser) rather than a one-off implementation, so improvements to those pieces benefit both Terminal and Console Host.
- โA Canary channel lets you try main-branch features early if you want a look at what's coming before it reaches Preview or stable.
Why a New Terminal Was Needed
- โณConsole Host's top priority has always been backward compatibility, and the README says that goal kept the team from adding tabs, Unicode text, or emoji to it. That's the specific gap that led to building Windows Terminal as a separate app instead of extending conhost.exe.
- โณSince 2014 the team did add features to Console Host itself: background transparency, line-based selection, ANSI/VT sequence support, 24-bit color, and the ConPTY pseudoconsole. Those additions still stopped short of tabs and rich Unicode rendering, which only Windows Terminal delivers.
- โณWindows Terminal only runs on Windows 10 build 19041 (version 2004) or later, so it isn't an option on older Windows 10 installs.
- โณInstalling it manually from a downloaded .msixbundle, rather than through the Microsoft Store, means it will not auto-update; the README says you have to reinstall new releases yourself to get fixes.
- โณThe Canary channel is explicitly called the least stable build, described as an opportunity to hit bugs before the team finds them.
- โณThe README doesn't give a roadmap or timeline for folding Console Host behavior fully into Terminal, so anyone relying on conhost-specific behavior should expect the two to keep coexisting rather than one replacing the other on a set date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The recommended way is through the Microsoft Store, which keeps Windows Terminal current with automatic upgrades. You can also grab the .msixbundle from the GitHub Releases page, install it via winget with `winget install --id Microsoft.WindowsTerminal -e`, or use the unofficial Chocolatey and Scoop packages.
Windows Terminal needs Windows 10 build 19041, also known as version 2004, or later. On older Windows 10 builds a manual install may also need the VC++ v14 Desktop Framework Package if you hit a missing-framework error, per the README.
It depends on how you install it. The Microsoft Store version auto-updates, but the README says a manually installed .msixbundle will not, so you'd need to reinstall new releases yourself; the Canary App Installer package also auto-updates on Windows 11, while its portable ZIP does not.
Windows Console Host (conhost.exe) is Windows' original command-line host, built to preserve backward compatibility above all else. Windows Terminal is the newer, separate application in the same repo that adds tabs, rich text, and theming, features the README says conhost's compatibility goal kept it from supporting.
Windows Terminal is open source: its code lives in the microsoft/terminal GitHub repository under the MIT license.
Windows Terminal accepts contributions: the README asks you to read the Contributor's Guide (CONTRIBUTING.md) before starting work on a feature or fix, to avoid duplicate effort. The repo also carries good-first-issue and hacktoberfest topic tags for newcomers, and the team takes questions through GitHub issues.
Alternatives
The problem it solves
Command-line users on Windows were stuck picking between two options that each fell short: the built-in Console Host, whose top priority is backward compatibility with decades of existing scripts and tools, or third-party terminal emulators layered on top of it. The README frames Windows Terminal's reason for existing around a specific limitation: Console Host's compatibility mandate meant the team could not safely add tabs, Unicode text, or emoji to it, so they built a separate application instead of retrofitting the console itself.
Best use cases
- โขRunning several shells side by side in one window instead of juggling separate console windows for each.
- โขWorking in a shell that needs correct Unicode rendering or emoji display, which Console Host's backward-compatibility constraints kept it from supporting.
- โขCustomizing the look of your command line through the theming and profile configuration the README lists as core features.
- โขBuilding against or exploring the Windows Console APIs directly, using the sample projects included in the repo.
- โขTrying pre-release Terminal builds through the Canary channel before features reach Preview or the stable release.
Who should try it โ and who should skip
Try Windows Terminal if you regularly work at a Windows command line and want tabs, theming, and configurable profiles instead of juggling separate console windows, and if you're fine installing through the Microsoft Store or winget. Skip it if you're running a Windows 10 build older than 19041 and can't update, since the README lists that as the minimum, or if you specifically depend on Console Host's exact legacy behavior and don't need what Terminal adds on top of it.
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