Shell: The program between the terminal and the operating system.

Console: Any console host application that is not the Windows Terminal.

Terminal: The Windows Terminal application.

Scott Hanselman has a great blog post on the definitions of each, but here is how they’ll be used in this article:

The C++ (v142) Universal Windows Platform Tools Component Installedīecause we’ll be covering many terms in this article, it’s important to first get a grasp on some terminology differences so you don’t get confused.Įven though the concepts are similar, it’s important to note that a terminal is not a console is not a shell.

The Universal Windows Platform Development Component Installed.

The Desktop Development with C++ Component Installed.

Python with the rich text library installed.

The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) feature enabled with a Linux distribution installed (all demos shown are using Ubuntu 20.04).

If you want to follow along with all of the demos in this article, you’ll need a few other tools installed as well:

All you need is a Windows 10 machine with build 1903 (May 2019) or later. The requirements to install and use the Windows Terminal itself are pretty basic. It will be a hands-on tutorial throughout so be prepared to get to work! Prerequisites This article will be a walkthrough on many Windows Terminal capabilities.

You can even have a full Linux shell running alongside Windows PowerShell or cmd.exe without having to switch between console sessions. Windows Terminal enhances the console experience with modern terminal features like tabs, panes, and even background images. You will learn how it can help you get things on Windows at the command line. You’re going to get a full rundown of nearly all features of Windows Terminal. In this Ultimate Guide, you’re going to learn about one of the best consoles around for developers the Windows Terminal. Not seeing the video? Make sure your ad blocker is disabled.

Windows terminals