Windows Terminal icon

Windows Terminal

Windows Terminal is a modern, fast, efficient, powerful, and productive terminal application for command-line users on Windows 10 and Windows 11. It provides multiple tab support, rich text formatting, custom themes and styles, emoji and font ligature support, smooth typing experience, and more.

What is Windows Terminal?

Windows Terminal is a modern, versatile, and user-friendly terminal emulator application designed specifically for the Windows command-line interface. Released in 2019 by Microsoft, it comes pre-installed in Windows 11 and is available to download separately for Windows 10.

Windows Terminal provides numerous major improvements over the traditional Windows console host. Key highlights include multiple tab support for opening command prompts, PowerShells, WSL Linux distros, Azure Cloudshell and any other command-line tools in one window. It also enables splitting panes horizontally or vertically to view multiple shells at once.

The application features GPU-accelerated text rendering for smooth typing, anti-aliased fonts, emoji and font ligature support for developer glyphs. Custom themes and styles can be created and shared to personalize the aesthetic appearance.

Advanced configuration settings allow custom key bindings, automatic profiles per shell or tab, a QUAKE-style drop down terminal, background image support and more. The settings are easily editable through a JSON file giving full control.

Overall, Windows Terminal offers a modern, fast, productive and customizable terminal environment for Windows command-line use. It is designed for efficiency and user productivity with multiple features not available in the older default Windows consoles.

The Best Windows Terminal Alternatives

Top Apps like Windows Terminal

iTerm2, MobaXterm, Termux, Terminator, Xshell, Cygwin, Tera Term, Tabby Terminal, ConEmu, Cmder, KiTTY, MSYS2, PAC Manager, GNOME Terminal, Fig Terminal, Yakuake, Solar-PuTTY, ZOC, Konsole, ConnectBot, Alacritty, LXTerminal, Kitty terminal, Blink Shell, Putty for Mac, Cool Retro Term, superconsole, tilda, Wave Terminal, Android Terminal Emulator, Extraterm, WindTerm, MacTerm, RXVT, SSH Terminal Emulator, ExtraPuTTY, PentestBox, WezTerm, SmarTTY, Sakura, MATE Terminal, FireSSH, TEXTREME, mintty, Deepin Terminal, Fluent Terminal, Pantheon Terminal, CMD++, ConsoleZ, Poderosa, Take Command, rxvt-unicode, ROXTerm, QuTTY, Better Terminal Emulator Pro, AutoPuTTY, FireCMD, wsl-terminal, Qonsole, PieTTY, evilvte, svte, Terminology are some alternatives to Windows Terminal.

ITerm2

iTerm2 is an open-source terminal emulator for macOS that serves as a replacement for the default Terminal application. It comes packed with useful features for developers, coders, and other power users.Some key features of iTerm2 include: - Split panes allow you to open multiple terminal sessions in one window...

MobaXterm

MobaXterm is a free all-in-one terminal for Windows that bundles many useful remote network tools needed by IT administrators, webmasters, developers and power users into a single portable executable.Key features of MobaXterm include:Multi-tabbed SSH client with SFTP browser and remote editing capabilitiesAll the important network tools (SSH, X...

Termux

Termux is an Android terminal emulator and Linux environment app that transforms Android devices into powerful, command-line-based computing platforms. It offers a Linux-like terminal interface, enabling users to run Linux utilities, install packages, and perform a variety of tasks typically associated with a Linux environment. Key Features: Terminal Emulator: Termux...

Terminator

Terminator is an open source terminal emulator application for Linux/UNIX operating systems. It provides a way to access the UNIX shell and run command-line programs and shell scripts. Some key features of Terminator include:Ability to split the window horizontally or vertically into multiple terminal panels. You can customize...

Xshell

Xshell is a feature-rich terminal emulator, SSH client, and remote access software application developed by NetSarang Computer for Windows and macOS operating systems. It enables users to securely access remote servers, devices or computer systems via different protocols including SSH, Telnet, RDP, VNC, and SFTP.Some of the key features...

Cygwin

Cygwin is a large collection of GNU and Open Source tools which provide functionality similar to a Linux distribution on Windows. It provides a Unix-like API, command line tools (bash, ssh, rsync, etc.) and a large number of libraries to port software running on POSIX systems, such as Linux, BSD...

Tera Term

Tera Term is a popular, free, open-source terminal emulator and telnet client application for the Windows operating system. First released in 1994 by T. Teranishi, it has become one of the most widely-used terminal programs for Windows due to its versatility, active development community, and lack of cost.Some of the...

Tabby Terminal

Tabby Terminal is a feature-rich, open-source terminal emulator that aims to provide a modern and user-friendly alternative to the default terminal app on Windows, Mac and Linux. It is compatible with most common Unix shells like zsh, bash etc.Some key features and highlights of Tabby Terminal include:Support for...

ConEmu

ConEmu is a feature-rich terminal emulator and console enhancer for Windows. It provides multiple tabs and splits in a single window, allowing you to run and switch between multiple console applications. Some key features of ConEmu:Customizable themes and appearance with fonts, colors, background image, transparency etc.Tabbed interface to...

Cmder

Cmder is a command line emulator for Windows that provides a Linux/Unix-like terminal and environment. It bundles together different command line tools like bash, PowerShell, Git, etc. into one portable application.Some key features of Cmder include:Portability - As a single .exe file, Cmder can run directly off...

KiTTY

KiTTY is an enhanced fork of PuTTY, the popular open-source Telnet and SSH client for Windows. It retains the familiar interface of PuTTY while adding many useful features that are missing in the original.Some of the major features added in KiTTY include:Session logging - Ability to log all...

MSYS2

MSYS2 is a software distribution for Windows that provides a complete Unix-like environment on top of the Windows OS. It includes support for the bash shell, GNU compilers and build tools, and a pacman package manager for installing additional software.Key features of MSYS2 include:Bash shell and common Unix...

PAC Manager

PAC Manager is a free and open source software application for Microsoft Windows that provides an intuitive graphical user interface to create, edit, validate, and manage proxy auto-configuration (PAC) files. It aims to make PAC file management easier than using a regular text editor.With PAC Manager, users can build...

GNOME Terminal

GNOME Terminal is a popular, free, and open source terminal emulator for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. It comes pre-installed with most Linux distributions that use the GNOME desktop environment, such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Fedora. As a terminal emulator, GNOME Terminal provides access to the command line...

Fig Terminal

Fig is a popular open source terminal emulator for Linux and Windows that emphasizes aesthetics without compromising on functionality. Some key features of Fig include:GPU-accelerated text rendering using DirectX or OpenGL results in sharp, clear text at all font sizes.Highly customizable themes allow adjusting colors, background transparency, cursor...

Yakuake

Yakuake is a drop-down terminal emulator designed for the KDE desktop environment. It allows users to quickly toggle open or close a terminal window by pressing the preconfigured hotkey, providing fast access to a fully-featured terminal in a streamlined manner.Among its key features, Yakuake provides:A Quake-style drop-down terminal...

Solar-PuTTY

Solar-PuTTY is an enhanced, open-source version of the popular PuTTY SSH and telnet client for Windows. It provides all the functionality of PuTTY, allowing you to securely connect to Linux/UNIX servers, routers, and other devices via SSH or telnet protocols.The key advantages of Solar-PuTTY over standard PuTTY are...

ZOC

ZOC is a full-featured professional terminal emulator and SSH client for macOS and Windows operating systems. It has been developed by EmTek GmbH since the 1990s and has a strong reputation for being a reliable and efficient terminal software.Some of the key features of ZOC include:Supports major terminal...

Konsole

Konsole is a powerful and customizable terminal emulator for the KDE desktop environment on Linux operating systems. It provides access to the UNIX shell and enables running command-line programs, tools, and scripts.Some key features of Konsole include:Multiple tabbed terminalsSplit screen viewCustomizable appearance including fonts, color schemes, transparencyConfigurable keyboard...

ConnectBot

ConnectBot is a popular open-source SSH and telnet client for the Android operating system. It enables users to securely connect to Linux or Unix servers, routers, switches, and other devices from their Android smartphones or tablets in order to manage them remotely.Some of the key features of ConnectBot include...

Alacritty

Alacritty is an open-source, cross-platform terminal emulator written in Rust. It uses OpenGL for hardware-accelerated rendering, allowing it to achieve high performance and low latency. Some key features of Alacritty include:Fast terminal rendering thanks to the use of GPU accelerationExcellent performance for workflows involving a large amount of textCompatible...

LXTerminal

LXTerminal is a fast, lightweight, and user-friendly terminal emulator for Linux systems. It is designed to use minimal system resources while still providing a functional and intuitive terminal environment.Some key features of LXTerminal include:Low memory and CPU usage - ideal for older hardware or resource-constrained systemsTabbed interface for...

Kitty terminal

Kitty is a terminal emulator that prioritizes speed, efficiency, and modern features. Some key aspects of Kitty:It utilizes GPU rendering to draw text, making everything from scrolling to opening new tabs much faster than traditional terminals.Supports Unicode and emoji out of the box with font ligatures for readability...

Blink Shell

Blink Shell is an SSH client application designed specifically for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. It provides secure command line interface access to remote servers over SSH (Secure Shell).Some of the key features of Blink Shell include:Intuitive terminal interface optimized for touchscreensSupport for public/private key authenticationFully...

Putty for Mac

Putty is a very popular SSH and telnet client application for Windows that allows users to remotely access Linux or Unix servers. It provides a simple interface to connect using secure shell (SSH) or telnet protocols. However, Putty is not available for Mac OS.Some great alternatives for Mac users...

Cool Retro Term

Cool Retro Term is a free, open source terminal emulator with a retro graphical user interface. It mimics the aesthetics of old cathode ray tube (CRT) terminals commonly associated with early personal computers of the 70s, 80s and 90s.Despite the old-school visual style, Cool Retro Term has support for...

Superconsole

Superconsole is a versatile and feature-rich video game console emulator. It enables users to easily play classic games from over 50 retro gaming systems, including Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and Arcade platforms, on modern Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS devices.The software accurately replicates the graphics, sound, and overall gaming experience...

Tilda

Tilda is an open-source website builder designed for creating sites without needing to write code. It features a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor that allows you to visually build pages by adding and arranging content blocks.With over 100 responsive templates to choose from, you can quickly get a site up and running...

Wave Terminal

Wave Terminal is a feature-rich terminal emulator and command-line interface (CLI) tool for Windows, Mac and Linux. It aims to provide a fast, lightweight and intuitive terminal experience with advanced capabilities for power users.Some of the key features of Wave Terminal include:Multiple tabs and split panes for running...

Android Terminal Emulator

Android Terminal Emulator is a powerful terminal emulator and Linux command line shell for Android. It allows Android users to access a Linux terminal environment directly on their Android device.Some key features of Android Terminal Emulator include:Full Linux terminal emulation with support for running shell commands and scriptsSSH...

Extraterm

Extraterm is a terminal emulator application designed for programmers, developers, and power users who work in the command line frequently. It aims to improve workflow efficiency with a clean and minimal interface that gets out of the user's way.Some of the key features of Extraterm include:Spatial arrangement of...

WindTerm

WindTerm is a free, open-source, and lightweight terminal emulator for Windows. It aims to provide a modern and user-friendly terminal experience with features such as:Multiple tabbed terminalsHorizontal and vertical split panesCustomizable themes and stylesTransparency effects and background image supportShortcut keys for common operationsSupports PowerShell, Command Prompt, WSL, Git Bash...

MacTerm

MacTerm is a popular terminal emulator application designed specifically for the macOS operating system. It provides users with a command line interface to access the Unix shell and run various commands and programs in a text-based environment.Some of the key features of MacTerm include:Supports common Unix shells like...

RXVT

RXVT is a popular open-source terminal emulator for the X Window System. It is highly configurable and customizable, allowing users to tune various aspects to suit their preferences and needs.Some key features of RXVT include:Tabbed windows - Allows multiple terminal sessions to be accessed from a single windowLightweight...

SSH Terminal Emulator

An SSH terminal emulator, also known as an SSH client, is a software application that enables users to connect to remote Linux or UNIX servers, networking devices and other computers via the Secure Shell (SSH) network protocol. It essentially provides a terminal interface on the local computer that facilitates executing...

ExtraPuTTY

ExtraPuTTY is an open-source enhanced version of PuTTY, the popular SSH and telnet client for Windows. It builds on top of the original PuTTY program to provide additional useful features.Some of the key features that ExtraPuTTY adds include:Tabbed interface to run multiple PuTTY sessions in the same windowCapability...

PentestBox

PentestBox is an open source Linux distribution based on Debian that comes preinstalled with hundreds of popular hacking and penetration testing tools. It is designed to be run as a virtual machine inside VirtualBox, VMware, or other virtualization platforms to provide an isolated, disposable environment for practicing ethical hacking techniques...

WezTerm

WezTerm is a GPU-accelerated terminal emulator and multiplexer designed as an alternative to traditional terminal emulators like gnome-terminal, iTerm2, or the default terminal app in Windows. It is written in Rust and aims to provide performance and features not found in other terminals.Some key features of WezTerm include:Hardware-accelerated...

SmarTTY

SmarTTY is a popular free SSH and telnet client for Windows. It provides secure command line access to Linux and other systems from a Windows desktop or server.Some key features of SmarTTY include:Supports SSH ( Secure Shell) protocols including SSH1, SSH2, SCP, and SFTPTabbed interface for handling multiple sessionsPort...

Sakura

Sakura is a free, open source raster graphics editor for Microsoft Windows. It is designed to provide basic drawing and painting functionality similar to Microsoft Paint, but with some additional features.Some key features of Sakura include:Support for layers and layer managementAnti-aliased drawingCustomizable brushes with options for opacity, size...

MATE Terminal

MATE Terminal is a terminal emulator application designed for use with the MATE desktop environment on Linux systems. It provides users with access to a text-based command-line interface (shell) such as Bash, Zsh, Fish etc. that allows executing commands and automating tasks on Linux.As a terminal emulator, MATE Terminal...

FireSSH

FireSSH is an open source SSH client that integrates directly into the Firefox web browser as an add-on. It allows users to access SSH servers and run terminal commands and programs directly from within the Firefox interface, without needing to install a separate SSH client application.Some key features of...

TEXTREME

TEXTREME is a free and open-source text and code editor software. It is designed to be lightweight and customizable, yet powerful enough for most text editing, coding, and web development tasks.Some key features of TEXTREME include:Syntax highlighting support for over 100 programming languages and file formatsIntelligent auto-completion and suggestion...

Mintty

mintty is an open source terminal emulator for Windows that provides an enhanced terminal environment compared to the default Windows console host. Some of the major features of mintty include:Ability to resize the terminal window easily, support for fullscreen modeClipboard access allowing copy/paste from and to the terminalSupport...

Deepin Terminal

Deepin Terminal is a terminal emulator application developed by Deepin Technology and included with the Deepin Linux distribution. It provides a graphical user interface to access the Linux shell and run commands.Some key features of Deepin Terminal include:Tabbed interface to open multiple terminal sessionsCustomizable themes and background image...

Fluent Terminal

Fluent Terminal is a feature-rich terminal emulator for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. It provides a sleek, customizable interface to enhance productivity for developers, sysadmins, and power users who spend a lot of time working on the command line.Key features of Fluent Terminal include:Multi-tab interface to run...

Pantheon Terminal

Pantheon Terminal is a fast and lightweight terminal emulator designed for the Pantheon desktop environment on elementary OS. It focuses on providing a simple, easy-to-use interface while still allowing powerful terminal capabilities.Some key features of Pantheon Terminal include:Minimal and stylish UI that integrates well into the Pantheon desktopSupport...

CMD++

CMD++ is an enhanced command prompt for Windows that provides additional functionality beyond the default command prompt included with the operating system.Some key features of CMD++ include:Multiple tabbed interfaces - allows you to open multiple command prompts within one window and easily switch between themBuilt-in text editor -...

ConsoleZ

ConsoleZ is an open-source tabbed terminal emulator and shell enhancement utility for Windows. It provides multiple tabs and splits in a single window to manage multiple console or command-line interfaces simultaneously. Some of its major features include:Tabbed interface for running multiple command prompts, PowerShells, WSL distros, etc. in a...

Poderosa

Poderosa is a free and open source SSH and telnet client application for Windows. It was first released in 1999 and focuses on providing powerful terminal emulation and secure remote access capabilities.Some of the key features of Poderosa include:Support for SSH and telnet protocols for remote accessTabbed interface to...

Take Command

Take Command is a feature-rich command line interface and scripting environment for Windows. It was created by developerJP Software as an enhanced replacement for the standard Windows Command Prompt.Some of the key features and capabilities of Take Command include:Support for multiple tabbed command promptsA large collection of over...

Rxvt-unicode

rxvt-unicode (also known as urxvt) is a highly customizable terminal emulator for the X Window System. It is a fork of the popular rxvt terminal emulator, with added support for Unicode and other features.Some of the key features of rxvt-unicode include:Unicode support, allowing you to display and input...

ROXTerm

ROXTerm is a powerful and customizable terminal emulator for Linux. It includes the following key features:Tabbed interface allowing multiple terminal sessions in one windowSplit tabs horizontally or vertically for flexible terminal layoutsCustomizable keyboard shortcuts for opening new tabs, switching tabs, etc.Support for Unicode and UTF-8 character encodingLight and...

QuTTY

QuTTY is a free and open-source terminal emulator, serial console and network file transfer application for Windows. It provides functionality similar to PuTTY and aims to be a lightweight, customizable and easy-to-use alternative.Some of the key features of QuTTY include:Terminal emulation for SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, serial connections and...

Better Terminal Emulator Pro

Better Terminal Emulator Pro is a feature-rich terminal emulator and SSH client for Windows that provides advanced functionality for developers, IT professionals, and power users. It builds on the standard Windows command prompt with numerous enhancements and customizations for an improved terminal experience.Key features of Better Terminal Emulator Pro...

AutoPuTTY

AutoPuTTY is a free, open-source tool for Windows that enhances and automates PuTTY, the popular SSH and telnet client. It provides a simple way to save, organize, and quickly access PuTTY sessions for servers you connect to frequently.Some of the key features of AutoPuTTY include:Saving PuTTY configurations for...

FireCMD

FireCMD is a free and open-source terminal emulator and command-line interface for Windows. It is designed to be lightweight, customizable, and portable so you can take it with you on a USB drive.Some key features of FireCMD include:Multiple tabbed interfaces so you can have multiple command prompts openText...

Wsl-terminal

WSL Terminal is a terminal emulator application for Windows that provides a full Linux command line experience without having to dual boot or use virtual machines. It is based on the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) which allows Linux binaries and programs to run natively on Windows.Some key features...

Qonsole

Qonsole is an open-source, cross-platform terminal emulator and system monitoring application. It is designed to provide an enhanced terminal experience as well as built-in tools for monitoring system resources and processes.Some of the key features of Qonsole include:Multiple tabbed terminals with support for different shells like bash, zsh...

PieTTY

PieTTY is an enhanced SSH and Telnet client for Windows that builds on the popular open source PuTTY terminal emulator. It provides many usability improvements over PuTTY while retaining full compatibility.Key features of PieTTY include:Tabbed interface to easily manage multiple sessionsCustom themes and colors for the UIAdvanced session...

Evilvte

evilvte is an open-source virtual terminal emulator for Linux and other UNIX-like operating systems. It is designed to be lightweight, fast, and customizable.Some key features of evilvte include:Written in C and uses GTK+ for the graphical interfaceSupports common terminal emulation standards like VT520/VT100Permits customizing colors, fonts...

Svte

SVTE (Short for Security Vulnerability Testing Environment) is an open-source penetration testing and vulnerability scanning automation tool. It provides a framework to quickly build security testing environments that integrate various open-source security tools and scripts.Some key features and capabilities of SVTE include:Automated scanning and identification of vulnerabilities across...

Terminology

Terminology is a free and open-source terminology management tool developed by the Translation Project at Free Software Foundation. It allows users to store, organize, search, and translate terms efficiently.Some of the key features of Terminology include:Lightweight and fast interfaceSupport for storing terms in multiple languagesPowerful search and filtering...