Microsoft has announced that the Windows Terminal will become the default command-line application in their latest Windows 11 version, in early 2022. The Windows Terminal has managed to find its way into the stable version of Windows 11 months ago, bringing new features. It is packed as a Windows Store app, just like the Windows Subsystem for Linux. This way, Microsoft will be able to push updates seamlessly.
Third party terminals will be available
Windows Console Host (conhost.exe) has been Microsoft’s terminal emulator since Windows 7. The Command Prompt and PowerShell worked inside the Console Host. Because of the deep integration in the Windows systems, it was not easy to replace the console host. Even if it was replaced, it was always prone to problems and was not truly supported at all. Making Windows Terminal a Windows Store app and loosening its connection to Windows systems also opens the doors for third-party terminals to be easily implemented and sustained.
Microsoft has announced that the new Windows Terminal is going to be the default terminal emulator for Windows 11, starting with Insider Preview rollouts. It is also possible to manually set Windows Terminal default.
Microsoft pushes Windows Terminal Preview app with the Windows Update, just like the OneDrive app. The current version of the app is 1.12 and it offers a range of options designed to improve efficiency. In addition, the panel’s opacity can be changed with the CTRL + Shift + Scroll combination.