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Windows Terminal is now the default command line experience for Windows 11. Microsoft announced the change in a blog post (opens in new tab) this week. In order to use Windows Terminal as the default command line experience, a user has to be running version 1.15 or greater of the app. First announced in 2019, Windows Terminal has gradually become more powerful and versatile over the years. Microsoft has added support for multiple command line profiles within the app, tabs and panels, and a command line palette that makes it easier to find actions. It also supports customization options, such as picking a profile icon, custom background image, color scheme, and font. These options are profile-specific, making it easier to switch between workflows. Microsoft shared a launch video for Widows Terminal back in 2019. "The day has finally come! Windows Terminal is now the default command line experience on Windows 11 22H2!" said Kayla Cinnamon, Microsoft Program Manager II, Windows Terminal, Console, Command Line, & Cascadia Code. Microsoft first shared that it would make Windows Terminal the default command line experience for Windows 11 late last year. At the time, the company said that the change would happen "over the course of 2022." Following today's change, the developer page within Windows Settings and the Startup page of Windows Terminal will set "Let Windows decide" as the default option. If you've already chosen a different terminal as your default, this week's update won't change your selection. Microsoft noted the work of several contributors that have worked on Windows Terminal since 2019. The company open sourced the repository for Windows Terminal right after its initial launch. Cinnamon broke down all of the contributions in her dev blog post (opens in new tab). Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at (opens in new tab). There are many ways to open Command Prompt in Windows 11. In this article, we attempted to cover all the possible methods. Many of them may be already familiar to you, but Windows 11 changes some of the traditional options. These days, Microsoft is actively promoting PowerShell and Windows Terminal as the default console apps on Windows. The classic Command Prompt takes a backseat in Windows 11, and is not exposed even in the Start menu. However, it is not really hard to launch it when you need it. There are multiple methods to access the classic Command Prompt. You can use the Windows Terminal, which includes a profile for the classic tool. You can launch it directly from the new Windows Tools folder, and even from the File Explorer. Finally, there are some less obvious methods. Let's review them all. Open Command Prompt from Windows Terminal
The Windows Terminal app will host the Command Prompt session which you can use as your regular cmd.exe application. Using the Run dialog boxHere is one of the quickest ways to open Command Prompt in Windows 11. It works from any running app. It only requires pressing just a couple of buttons. Press Win + R, then enter Open Command Prompt from the Start menu
Open Command Prompt from Windows SearchWindows Search is another quick way to open Command Prompt. To open Command Prompt in Windows 11 from Search, do the following.
Run Command Prompt from File ExplorerIn a nutshell, Command Prompt is just a regular Win32 app that stores its files on the system drive. If you want
to know where Windows keeps Command Prompt executable file, go to Additionally, Windows 11 File Explorer allows opening Command Prompt right in the current folder. Open cmd.exe in the current folder
You can also open Command Prompt from Task Manager in Windows 11. Since Microsoft has made some drastic changes in Windows 11, we recommend reading our dedicated article that explains how to open Task Manager in Windows 11. Launch Command Prompt from Task Manager
If your system fails to boot and you want to troubleshoot it from recovery, you can also use the Command Prompt. Here is how to do that. How to open Command Prompt from Recovery in Windows 11
Open Command Prompt during Windows 11 setupYou can also open Command Prompt during Windows 11 installation process. All that you need to do is boot using your Windows installation media and press Shift + F10 during any step (before Windows 11 starts installing its files). How to create a shortcut to Command Prompt in Windows 11
Now you can rename your shortcut or change its icon. Unfortunately, you cannot pin that shortcut to the taskbar directly, but here's a workaround. How to pin Command Prompt to the taskbar in Windows 11All you need to do is open Command Prompt in Windows 11 using any of the methods described in this article. Then, right-click the Command Prompt icon on the taskbar and select Pin to taskbar. After that, you can launch Command Prompt in Windows 11 with a single click on the taskbar. Neat. Add Command Prompt to the Context Menu in Windows 11
The undo file is also included in the archive. Alternatively, you can use Winaero Tweaker. It includes an option to quickly add the command prompt to Windows 11 context menu, and even customize its appearance. Here you go. Add Command Prompt to the Context Menu with Winaero Tweaker.
You are done. Now you can right-click a folder and select Show More Options > Open Command Prompt here. Tip: Clicking Show More Options in the context menus just to get to the Command Prompt option is a cumbersome and not-so-convenient process. You can set Command Prompt as the default profile in Windows Terminal, then use the Open Windows Terminal option in the context menu without opening additional menus. Alternatively, you can use a dedicated guide that describes how to Add Open in Windows Terminal" cascading context menu to Windows 11. Now you know all the possible ways to open Command Prompt in Windows 11. Support us Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options: If you like this article, please share it using the buttons below. It won't take a lot from you, but it will help us grow. Thanks for your support! |