Microsoft recently unveiled the Windows Terminal as a command-line application that provides access to various shell environments, such as PowerShell, Command Prompt, WSL distributions such as Ubuntu and Azure Cloud Shell.
The app supports multiple tabs and offers customizable settings, using GPU-accelerated text rendering to display CJK ideograms, emoji, icons, programming ligatures, and symbols.
Multiple command-line emulators
Windows OS users have long lamented the lack of a comprehensive command line interface, forcing programmers and system administrators to rely on third-party applications that replicate Unix style terminal consoles for programming or system administration tasks. Microsoft recently unveiled Windows Terminal at Build 2019 developer conference as an answer. Designed as a modern, fast, efficient, and powerful terminal emulator for developers and IT professionals alike; features include split window design with multiple tabs, customizable fonts, GPU accelerated text rendering engine that supports Unicode/UTF-8 characters as well.
The software is free and open source, which means it can be customized and extended with plugins to meet the individual needs of its users. Available to download on GitHub before being made available to purchase in Windows Store, creating your own terminal from scratch is also an option so that it meets those specific requirements of each individual.
Mintty, a free and open-source terminal for Windows 10, works seamlessly with Cygwin, offering a clean display supporting images, sixel graphics, emojis and various fonts. Furthermore, Mintty features split windows, tiled panes and themes; its ability to connect remotely via SSH makes it an invaluable asset for system administrators and developers working remotely.
Hyper is designed specifically for Windows and stands out as being lightweight and compact, making it a great way to explore Linux-based terminals on a Windows machine. You can run multiple command lines simultaneously in a single tab for maximum productivity; SSH, Telnet, Rlogin and SUPDUP protocols support ensure secure remote access while offering you an opportunity to learn Linux commands as you work them directly on your own PC.
Terminal Emulators have quickly become one of the most powerful terminal emulators on Windows. Fast and stable, with plenty of features for both advanced and novice users alike, Terminal Plus is easy to set up using standard keyboard shortcuts – available for Windows 10 or later versions.
Quake mode
Microsoft’s recent update for Windows Terminal Preview includes a Quake mode that enables users to launch applications using keyboard shortcuts – similar to how PC FPS game Quake opens its console by pressing a hotkey – this feature is particularly beneficial for those using their computers for development or script testing purposes.
Windows Terminal Preview’s most recent update offers several features designed to make it more productive, including creating custom keyboard shortcuts for opening particular profiles or tabs, using acrylic background effects on individual profiles, and supporting acrylic background effects so users can quickly change their appearance without opening new windows.
Windows Terminal is a modern command-line shell host application available with Windows 11 for users of Command Prompt, PowerShell and the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). The app offers multiple tabs and panes as well as Unicode/UTF-8 character support and GPU-accelerated text rendering – as well as customizable themes, styles and configuration options to provide a comfortable experience for command-line shell users.
Windows Terminal version 1806 now also introduces a focus mode that will obscure title bar and tabs so you can focus on your work uninterrupted. To activate it, open the command palette and enter “focus mode.” Press Ctrl + Shift + P to select it; to exit focus mode simply type fm again in command palette.
Use the –quake switch to force Tilix into quake mode and ensure that its window always receives attention regardless of other programs or applications being active, and prevent it from being hidden by other applications. This ensures it remains accessible.
If you wish to run Tilix in Quake mode, make sure your OS is configured so X11 is available – this can be accomplished either by editing your.profile file to set GDK_BACKEND=x11 or by including a /Quake switch in your Tilix setup file.
Customization options
The Windows Terminal offers many useful features. Customization options, such as changing themes and settings, can be customized. Furthermore, split windows for improved multitasking; PowerShell on one side and Command Prompt on another can be opened simultaneously using Alt + Shift + shortcut; this way the app will auto-split panes.
Windows Terminal can be customized by altering its background and fonts, adding custom color schemes or preset themes, or editing the JSON file storing these settings. To begin customizing, navigate to Windows Terminal’s Settings menu and click “Open JSON file” in its sidebar – notepad will then open to show this file for editing.
Once you have modified the appearance of your Terminal, save and save again to keep changes. Set different default profiles for each profile. Set a start directory specific for a profile by navigating left side menu and expanding “Default profile.”
Winfetch makes it simple to see what settings are currently active on your system, as well as recently used settings and Terminal version information. This software can help when testing out different options available to you.
Windows Terminal’s ability to support multiple profiles within one tab is another noteworthy benefit of its use, enabling you to launch different sets of commands for each profile; you could, for instance, launch both PowerShell and Command Prompt simultaneously; you could also launch WSL and Command Prompt profiles concurrently.
Windows Terminal’s latest iteration provides many new customization features, including using images as background and selecting from various fonts and colors for fonts and colors. Furthermore, this version can automatically remove trailing white spaces when copying text to clipboard for copy-pasting into another program – these features make Windows Terminal an invaluable resource for developers and power users.
Keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts provide a fast way to launch and minimize Windows Terminal quickly and minimize screen space usage. They can also be used to change its appearance, add custom keyboard shortcuts and personalize keystroke mappings – these keyboard shortcuts may come in particularly handy for users without a mouse and limited screen real estate. To create one right-click on your desktop and select New > Shortcut in the dialog box; type wt into it before hitting Enter; select an icon from your taskbar as its pin point and pin it there!
Windows Terminal’s keyboard shortcuts are similar to those found in applications like Notepad and Word, allowing you to select text characters by characters, words or lines with ease without using your mouse. Common shortcuts for moving around without mouse are Ctrl + A, Ctrl + F and Alt + E which can make navigating a terminal much simpler when working with large amounts of text.
Windows Terminal makes life easy by allowing you to drag and drop folders onto a tab’s plus symbol; this will open it directly within its starting directory without needing a cd command. Furthermore, use “Ctrl + Shift + Profile Number” keyboard shortcut to quickly navigate directly to any specific tab.
If you want more advanced features, a shortcut to open Windows Terminal with administrative permissions is an ideal way to do it. To do this, start from the Windows logo and select All apps before scrolling down until finding Windows Terminal and pressing W or Enter. From there you can use Create Shortcut wizard to customize its target and icon before pinning it directly to the taskbar for easier launching.
Use the Create Shortcut wizard to quickly and easily create a shortcut that opens a specific command in Windows Terminal, saving both steps and ensuring it runs with administrative privileges.
