How to change default height and width of Windows Terminal

Are you changing the window size every time you open Windows Terminal? If so, use these steps to set new default settings for the height and width settings.

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@Pureinfotech
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Windows Terminal default size settings
Windows Terminal default size settings

Although you can always use the mouse to resize the Windows Terminal console, you can change the settings manually to set a new default height and width every time you launch the command line experience.

The option is available from the Startup settings, and they will apply for all profiles, including for Command Prompt, PowerShell, WSL, and others.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to adjust the size of the new command-line experience on Windows 10.

Change Windows Terminal default size using Settings UI

Use the following steps to increase or decrease the width and height of Windows Terminal:

  1. Open Start on Windows 10.

  2. Search for Windows Terminal and click the top result to open the console.

  3. Click the down-arrow button next to the console tab.

  4. Select the Settings option.

    Quick tip: You can also use the Ctrl + Shift , (comma) keyboard shortcut to open the settings page.

  5. Click on Startup.

  6. Under the “Launch size” section, use the Columns option to adjust the width of the Windows Terminal.

    Startup launch size settings
    Startup launch size settings

  7. Under the “Launch size” section, use the Rows option to adjust the height of the Windows Terminal.

  8. Click the Save button.

Once you complete the steps, reopen the console to see the new startup size.

Change Windows Terminal default size using settings.json

Use the following steps to change the default launch size of the Terminal:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for Windows Terminal and click the top result to open the console.

  3. Click the down-arrow button next to the console tab.

  4. Select the Settings option.

  5. Click on Open JSON file.

  6. After the “actions” bracket, type the following command to change the size of the window:

    "initialCols": 108,
"initialRows": 25,
    settings.json launch size settings
    settings.json launch size settings
    Quick tip: In the command, change 108 and 25 for the width and height, you want to use on the app. If you have more than one line of code inside the bracket, make sure all the lines end with a comma (,) except for the last line. Otherwise, the settings may not save correctly.

  7. Use the Ctrl + S keyboard shortcut to save the file.

After you complete the steps, the command-line tool will now use the size of the window you specified.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].