- Windows Terminal can be the default app for launching PowerShell and Command Prompt from Windows Terminal > General and changing the “Default terminal application” setting.
- On Windows 11, you can also open Settings > System > For Developers and choose “Windows Terminal” in the “Terminal” setting.
- On Windows 10, open Settings > Update & Security > For Developers and choose “Windows Terminal” in the “Terminal” setting.
- It’s also possible to change the default profile through the JSON settings file for the Windows Terminal.
- Finally, you can change the default settings from the Windows Console Host’s “Terminal” tab.
On Windows 11 (and 10), you can now open Command Prompt, PowerShell, and WSL directly into the Windows Terminal app instead of the legacy Windows Console, and in this guide, I will teach you how.
Although the system automatically makes the Windows Terminal the default command-line experience, you can change this behavior manually in case your setup still defaults to the Windows Console or you want to set another version of the terminal as the default. (I personally use the “Windows Terminal Preview” as my default experience.)
In this guide, I will teach you how to make the Windows Terminal experience the default application on Windows.
- Set Terminal default console on Windows from Terminal
- Set Terminal default console on Windows 11 from Settings
- Set Terminal default console on Windows 10 from Settings
- Set Terminal default console on Windows from JSON file
- Set Terminal default console on Windows from Console
Set Terminal default console on Windows from Terminal
To open Command Prompt, PowerShell, or WSL with the Windows Terminal app by default, use these steps:
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Open Start on Windows 11 (or 10).
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Search for Windows Terminal and click the top result to open the app.
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Click the menu (down-arrow) button and select the Settings option.
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Click on Startup.
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Use the “Default terminal application” setting and select the Windows Terminal option.
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(Optional) Choose the Command Prompt option in the “Default profile” setting.
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Click the Save button.
Once you complete the steps, the next time you open Command Prompt or PowerShell, the command-line tool will open on Windows Terminal instead of the legacy Windows Console Host.
Set Terminal default console on Windows 11 from Settings
To configure the Windows Terminal as the system default, use these steps:
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Open Settings (Windows key + I).
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Click on System.
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Click the For developers page.
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Choose the Windows Terminal option from the “Terminal” setting.
Quick note: You can also make the preview version of the terminal your default experience, and you can use this setting to revert the default setting to the Windows Console.
After you complete the steps, launching Command Prompt, PowerShell, or another command-line tool will open in the terminal by default.
Set Terminal default console on Windows 10 from Settings
To make the Windows Terminal the default experience on Windows 10, use these steps:
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Open Settings (Windows key + I).
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Click on Updated & Security.
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Click on For developers.
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Choose the Windows Terminal option from the “Terminal” setting.
Once you complete the steps, Windows 10 will now use the Windows Terminal as the default command-line console experience.
Set Terminal default console on Windows from JSON file
To open Command Prompt, PowerShell, or WSL with the Windows Terminal app by default, use these steps:
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Open Start on Windows 11 (or 10).
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Search for Windows Terminal and click the top result to open the app.
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Click the menu (down-arrow) button and select the Settings option.
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Click the “Open JSON file” button from the bottom-left corner.
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Select, right-click, and copy the “guid” for for the console you want to open by default.
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At the top of the files, replace the current “guid” in the “defaultProfile” field.
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Click the File menu and choose the Save option.
Once you complete the steps, restart the Windows Terminal, and the console you selected should start by default.
Set Terminal default console on Windows from Console
Alternatively, you can always enable the feature within the Windows Console Host with these steps:
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Open Start.
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Search for Command Prompt or PowerShell and click the top result to open the app.
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Right-click the title bar and select the Defaults option.
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Click the Terminal tab.
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Select the Windows Terminal option under the “Default Terminal Application” section.
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Click the OK button.
Once you complete the steps, the apps will launch automatically using the Windows Terminal application.
Update July 12, 2024: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.
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].