Windows Terminal Review: Microsoft’s Free Modern Terminal for Developers

Table of Contents

1. What Is Windows Terminal?
2. How to Download and Install Windows Terminal
3. Windows Terminal vs Alternatives
4. Pros and Cons
5. Common Questions
6. Conclusion

Developer	Microsoft
License	Open Source (MIT License)
Platform	Windows 10 (19041+), Windows 11
Official Site	aka.ms/terminal

The default Windows command prompt and PowerShell window have served developers for decades, but they were never designed for modern workflows. Windows Terminal changes that entirely. Built by Microsoft and released as a free, open-source application, Windows Terminal brings multiple tabs, split panes, GPU-accelerated text rendering, full Unicode support, and deep customization to every command-line shell on your system. The latest stable release is version 1.24, and it is the single terminal every Windows developer should be running.

What Is Windows Terminal?

Windows Terminal is a free, open-source terminal application for Windows developed by Microsoft. It acts as a unified host for all your command-line shells — Command Prompt (cmd.exe), PowerShell, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), Azure Cloud Shell, and any other shell you install — accessible from a single window with tabs, just like a modern browser.

Unlike the legacy console host (conhost.exe) that has powered Windows command-line tools since the 1980s, Windows Terminal was built from the ground up with a GPU-accelerated rendering engine (DirectWrite and Direct2D), delivering crisp text at any font size without the rendering artifacts common in older terminals. It is fully open source on GitHub (microsoft/terminal) and requires Windows 10 version 19041 or later.

Key Features of Windows Terminal

• Multiple tabs and split panes — Open any combination of shells side by side; split horizontally or vertically with Alt+Shift+D or via the command palette
• GPU-accelerated rendering — Uses DirectWrite for smooth, high-DPI text rendering; version 1.24 includes Profile Guided Optimization (PGO) delivering an estimated 10–25% throughput improvement
• Full Unicode and emoji support — Display CJK characters, RTL text, emoji, and powerline glyphs correctly; essential for working in non-English environments or with modern developer fonts
• Deep customization via JSON — Every aspect of the terminal — color schemes, fonts, background images, opacity, cursor shape, key bindings — is controlled through a JSON settings file
• Command palette — Press Ctrl+Shift+P to search and execute any terminal command or action by name, including fuzzy search across your display language and English simultaneously
• Themes and color schemes — Ships with popular schemes (One Half Dark, Solarized, Campbell) and supports custom schemes; full support for dark mode and system theme switching
• Background images and acrylic transparency — Set per-profile background images or enable translucent acrylic blur effects for stylish, personalized workspaces
• Extensions support — A new extensions management page (introduced in v1.24) lets you view and control installed fragment extensions and profile detectors
• Quake mode — Summon the terminal from anywhere with a global hotkey as a drop-down window, similar to the Quake/Guake-style terminals popular on Linux

How to Download and Install Windows Terminal

Windows Terminal can be installed in several ways:

1. Microsoft Store (recommended): Open the Microsoft Store, search for “Windows Terminal,” and click Install. This method gives you automatic updates as new versions are released. Direct Store link: aka.ms/terminal.
2. Windows Package Manager (winget): Open any existing terminal (PowerShell or cmd) and run the following command. This is the fastest one-liner method and also supports automated updates via winget upgrade.

winget install --id Microsoft.WindowsTerminal

3. GitHub Releases: Download the latest .msixbundle installer directly from the GitHub Releases page for offline or enterprise installations. Double-click the bundle to install.
4. After installation, Windows Terminal appears in your Start menu. Pin it to your taskbar for quick access.
5. On first launch, the default profile is PowerShell. To open a new tab in a different shell, click the dropdown arrow (∨) next to the new-tab button and select CMD, a WSL distribution, or any other detected shell.
6. Customize your setup by pressing Ctrl+, to open Settings. Use the GUI settings panel to change your default profile, font, color scheme, and startup behavior without editing JSON manually.
7. To edit the raw JSON settings for advanced customization, click the Open JSON file link at the bottom of the Settings panel.

System requirements: Windows 10 version 19041.0 (May 2020 Update) or higher, or Windows 11. Windows Terminal is a 64-bit application and requires approximately 30 MB of disk space. It is not available on Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Windows Terminal vs Alternatives

Several third-party terminals compete for Windows developer attention:

• Windows Terminal vs ConEmu / Cmder — ConEmu and its Cmder distribution were the go-to enhanced terminals before Windows Terminal existed. They are highly configurable and include their own Unix-like utilities, but they are third-party projects with slower update cycles. Windows Terminal is now the officially maintained, first-party option with a faster rendering engine.
• Windows Terminal vs iTerm2 (macOS) — iTerm2 is macOS-only and widely regarded as the gold standard terminal for Mac. Windows Terminal matches or exceeds most of iTerm2’s features for Windows users, including split panes, profiles, search, and extensive key binding customization.
• Windows Terminal vs Hyper — Hyper is an Electron-based terminal built on web technologies, offering a familiar JavaScript/CSS customization model. It is cross-platform but heavier and slower than Windows Terminal’s native GPU-accelerated renderer. Windows Terminal is the better choice for performance-sensitive workloads.
• Windows Terminal vs built-in PowerShell / CMD window — The legacy console window has no tabs, limited font support, poor Unicode rendering, and minimal customization. Switching to Windows Terminal costs nothing and provides an immediately better experience.

Pros and Cons

Common Questions

Does Windows Terminal replace PowerShell or Command Prompt?

No. Windows Terminal is a host application — it displays and manages shells, but it does not replace them. PowerShell, cmd.exe, and WSL distributions continue to function exactly as before; Windows Terminal simply gives them a much better window to run in with tabs, panes, and modern rendering.

Can I use Windows Terminal with WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)?

Yes, and it is one of the best reasons to install it. When you install a WSL distribution (Ubuntu, Debian, Kali, etc.), Windows Terminal automatically detects it and adds a new profile for it. You can run Linux commands in a WSL tab right alongside a PowerShell tab and a CMD tab in the same window.

How do I set a custom font in Windows Terminal?

Install a Nerd Font (such as Cascadia Code NF, FiraCode NF, or Hack NF) from nerdfonts.com for the best experience with powerline prompts and developer icons. Then open Windows Terminal Settings, select your profile, go to Appearance → Font face, and type the font name. For powerline and Oh My Posh prompt themes, Nerd Fonts are effectively required.

Is Windows Terminal available on Windows 10?

Yes. Windows Terminal supports Windows 10 version 19041 (the May 2020 Update) and later. On Windows 11, it is pre-installed as the default terminal application. Windows 10 users can install it for free from the Microsoft Store or via winget as described above.

Conclusion

Windows Terminal is Microsoft’s definitive answer to the aging Windows console experience. Tabbed shells, split panes, GPU-accelerated rendering, full Unicode support, and a powerful JSON-driven customization system make it an useful tool for any developer working on Windows. It is free, open source, and actively maintained by Microsoft — there is no reason not to make the switch today. Download Windows Terminal from the Microsoft Store or install it with a single winget command.

Looking for more free developer tools and software guides? Browse the full collection at Dev & IT Ops on Hubkub. For more terminal customization tips and Windows developer guides, explore our How-To guides on Hubkub.

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See also: Best Free Software Downloads: The Complete Collection for 2026 — browse all Downloads articles on Hubkub.

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Last Updated: April 13, 2026