Windows Terminal is Microsoft's open-source, GPU-accelerated terminal host for Windows that aggregates Command Prompt, PowerShell, WSL distros, Azure Cloud Shell, SSH, and any custom shell into a single tabbed, pane-capable window. It replaces the aging Console Host (conhost.exe) while remaining shell-agnostic — it launches and manages shells rather than being one itself. The entire configuration lives in a single settings.json file, giving power users precise, version-controllable control over every aspect of appearance and behavior. The most important mental model: settings cascade from a global "defaults" object through per-profile overrides, so you can set a base style once and only override what differs per shell.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 20 focused tables and 178 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: settings.json Structure and File Locations
The settings.json file is the single source of truth for all Windows Terminal configuration. Understanding its top-level structure and where to find it is the prerequisite for every other customization.
| Setting | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json | Location of the settings file for the Store (stable) release; open via Ctrl+, or Settings → Open JSON file. | |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows Terminal\settings.json | Location for Scoop / Chocolatey / standalone installs; same JSON schema as the Store version. | | ||
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminalPreview_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json | Location for the Preview release; preview and stable maintain separate settings files. | |
Hold Alt + click Settings button | Opens the read-only built-in defaults file; shows all default values; cannot be edited directly. |