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Windows Terminal

Version: 1.19.11213.0
Installer: MSIX (Microsoft Store) / winget
Hives: HKCU, HKLM

Windows Terminal is a modern, open-source terminal application from Microsoft for command-line tools including PowerShell, Command Prompt, WSL, and SSH. Features tabs, panes, GPU-accelerated text rendering, and full Unicode support.

📁 Registry Paths

Path Hive Description
SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Terminal HKCU Per-user settings root
SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\wt.exe HKLM wt.exe launch path for Run dialog
SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shell\Open with Windows Terminal HKLM Explorer context menu: "Open in Windows Terminal"
SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\Background\shell\Open with Windows Terminal HKLM Explorer background context menu

🔑 Keys

HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Terminal

Value Name Type Example Data Description
DefaultProfile REG_SZ {61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf} GUID of the default profile
Theme REG_SZ dark UI theme (dark, light, system)
LaunchMode REG_SZ default Window launch mode (default, maximized, fullscreen)
CopyOnSelect REG_DWORD 0 Auto-copy selection to clipboard
WordDelimiters REG_SZ /\()"'-:,.;<>~!@#$%^&*|+=[]{}~?│ Characters treated as word delimiters

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\wt.exe

Value Name Type Example Data Description
(Default) REG_SZ C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_...\wt.exe Executable path

📝 Notes

  • The primary configuration file is %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json — registry keys are supplementary.
  • When installed via the Microsoft Store (MSIX), paths are versioned and located under WindowsApps\.
  • The context menu shell extension (Open with Windows Terminal) can be toggled under Settings → Default terminal application.
  • wt.exe in App Paths allows launching from Win+R without specifying the full path.
  • Profiles (PowerShell, CMD, WSL distros) are stored exclusively in settings.json, not the registry.

🗑️ Cleanup

For Store/MSIX installations, use winget uninstall or Apps & Features. For manual registry cleanup:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Terminal]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shell\Open with Windows Terminal]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\Background\shell\Open with Windows Terminal]

📦 Package Managers

Manager Install Command
winget winget install Microsoft.WindowsTerminal
Chocolatey choco install microsoft-windows-terminal
Scoop scoop install windows-terminal