How to restore blue background in PowerShell on Windows Terminal

Yes, you can use PowerShell with the legacy blue background on Windows Terminal – here's how.

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@Pureinfotech
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Windows Terminal PowerShell legacy blue
Windows Terminal PowerShell legacy blue

On Windows 10, the Windows Terminal app comes with a set of default customization settings, including a dark background color for every profile.

Although the default settings are optimal for most users, those who have been using Command Prompt and PowerShell separately for a long time may find it a little confusing, since the blue background in the PowerShell console provided a visual queue of the command-line tool they were using. 

If you prefer the legacy blue background on PowerShell, Windows Terminal allows you to change the color scheme using the settings UI (version 1.6 or later) or “settings.json” file.

In this guide, you will learn how to change the default PowerShell color scheme for the Windows Terminal app on Windows 10.

Change PowerShell color scheme using Windows Terminal settings UI

To bring back the blue background to PowerShell with the settings UI, use these steps:

  1. Open Windows Terminal.

  2. Use the Shift +  Ctrl + , (comma) keyboard shortcut to open the settings UI.

    Quick note: This option is available starting version 1.6. You can use these steps to enable the settings interface on your computer.

  3. Click on Windows PowerShell (or PowerShell if you use PowerShell 7).

  4. Click the Appearance tab.

  5. Under the “Text” section, use the Color scheme drop-down menu and select the Campbell PowerShell option.

    PowerShell blue background
    PowerShell blue background option

  6. Click the Save button in the bottom-right corner.

Once you complete the steps, open a new PowerShell session, and it should now appear with the traditional blue color background.

Change PowerShell color scheme using Windows Terminal settings.json

To change the color scheme for PowerShell to bring back the legacy colors with the settings.json file, use these steps:

  1. Open Windows Terminal.

  2. Use the Ctrl + Alt + , (comma) keyboard shortcut to open the settings.json file with the default code editor.

  3. Under the “profiles” section, inside the brackets for PowerShell, type the following command to change the background color and other elements of the UI:

    "colorScheme": "Campbell Powershell"
    PowerShell change color scheme settings.json
    PowerShell change color scheme settings.json
    Quick tip: 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.

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

Once you complete the steps, the command-line tool will now use the same blue background found in the traditional version of PowerShell.

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 14 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 20 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].