How to Use Windows Terminal Like a Pro in 2026

Why Windows Terminal Is the Best Shell Host on Windows

Windows Terminal is no longer just a nicer-looking Command Prompt. In 2026 it is the unified home for PowerShell, Command Prompt, WSL distributions, Azure Cloud Shell, and any custom shell you care to add. It ships with GPU-accelerated text rendering, full Unicode and emoji support, multiple panes, and a deep settings system.

This guide covers the features that separate power users from everyone else.

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Installation

If Windows Terminal is not already on your system, install it from the Microsoft Store or via winget:

winget install Microsoft.WindowsTerminal

1 — Master the Keyboard Shortcuts

These shortcuts alone will double your productivity:

• Ctrl + Shift + T — Open a new tab with the default profile
• Ctrl + Shift + D — Duplicate the current tab's profile
• Alt + Shift + D — Split the current pane vertically
• Alt + Shift + - — Split the current pane horizontally
• Alt + Arrow keys — Move focus between panes
• Ctrl + Shift + P — Open the Command Palette
• Ctrl + , — Open Settings (UI)

2 — Create Custom Profiles

Open Settings → Add a new profile or edit settings.json directly (Ctrl + , then click the JSON icon in the lower-left corner). A profile lets you pin any shell — including WSL distros, SSH sessions, or developer tools — as a named tab.

{
  "name": "Ubuntu Dev",
  "source": "Windows.Terminal.Wsl",
  "startingDirectory": "//wsl$/Ubuntu/home/skyler",
  "colorScheme": "One Half Dark",
  "fontFace": "Cascadia Code PL",
  "fontSize": 13
}

3 — Apply a Theme

Windows Terminal ships with themes like One Half Dark, Solarized Dark, and Campbell. To apply one globally, set defaultProfile in settings.json and add:

"profiles": {
  "defaults": {
    "colorScheme": "One Half Dark",
    "opacity": 90,
    "useAcrylic": true
  }
}

The useAcrylic and opacity settings enable the frosted-glass blur effect that makes the terminal feel at home on Windows 11.

4 — Enable Cascadia Code with Ligatures

Microsoft's Cascadia Code PL font is designed specifically for terminals. The PL variant includes Powerline glyphs for fancy prompts. Install it from GitHub or via winget:

winget install Microsoft.CascadiaCode

Then set it as your default font face in profile defaults.

5 — Use Panes for Multitasking

Split your terminal into multiple panes without leaving the app. Press Alt + Shift + D to open a vertical split, or click the dropdown arrow next to the + tab button and select Split Pane. You can run a dev server in one pane and your editor or git in another.

6 — Set a Smart Default Profile

Go to Settings → Startup → Default profile and choose your most-used shell (PowerShell 7, Ubuntu, etc.). Also set Default terminal application to Windows Terminal so it captures links from other apps.

7 — Use the Command Palette

Press Ctrl + Shift + P to open the Command Palette. You can run any action — close tabs, change color scheme, toggle full screen — without touching the mouse or memorizing every shortcut.

8 — Persist SSH Sessions as Profiles

Add a profile that SSH-es straight into your server on open:

{
  "name": "My VPS",
  "commandline": "ssh user@your-server-ip",
  "icon": "🖥️"
}

Bonus: Install Oh My Posh for a Beautiful Prompt

Oh My Posh is the cross-shell prompt framework that replaces Oh My Zsh on Windows. Install it with winget:

winget install JanDeLaaj.OhMyPosh

Then activate a theme in your PowerShell profile (notepad $PROFILE):

oh-my-posh init pwsh --config "$env:POSH_THEMES_PATH/paradox.omp.json" | Invoke-Expression