Enable Terminal to persist / restore instance settings #1050

@glen-84 commented on GitHub (May 21, 2019):

Will this also restore split pane configurations?
Will this restore the current directory (CWD/PWD) of each tab (as opposed to just the configured starting directory)?

IMO:

what happens when a user has two windows open, closes one with 3 tabs, then opens a new window? Should it open the 3 tabs? Or should it start a fresh, single tabbed window?

Open a fresh window. If you later add support for window history, they could use a "Recently closed windows" menu to restore the window with the same set of tabs.

how do we persist the last session?
Do we only persist the last tabs open when the last terminal window is closed?

That would be the simplest solution probably, but it might not be ideal if the application is improperly shut down. An alternative would be to continuously track open windows, tabs, panes, and working directories as changes are made, and persist those changes immediately (or on a timer).

Do we add a "quit terminal" option that closes all open windows, and persists all their open profiles?

Firefox and Chrome have an "Exit" option, which closes all windows. When you start the application again, the windows are restored.

In general, I think that it would be great if Windows Terminal mimicked the behaviour of browsers.

@glen-84 commented on GitHub (May 21, 2019): 1. Will this also restore split pane configurations? 2. Will this restore the current directory (CWD/PWD) of each tab (as opposed to just the configured starting directory)? --- IMO: > what happens when a user has two windows open, closes one with 3 tabs, then opens a new window? Should it open the 3 tabs? Or should it start a fresh, single tabbed window? Open a fresh window. If you later add support for window history, they could use a "Recently closed windows" menu to restore the window with the same set of tabs. > how do we persist the last session? > Do we only persist the last tabs open when the last terminal window is closed? That would be the simplest solution probably, but it might not be ideal if the application is improperly shut down. An alternative would be to continuously track open windows, tabs, panes, and working directories as changes are made, and persist those changes immediately (or on a timer). > Do we add a "quit terminal" option that closes all open windows, and persists all their open profiles? Firefox and Chrome have an "Exit" option, which closes all windows. When you start the application again, the windows are restored. In general, I think that it would be great if Windows Terminal mimicked the behaviour of browsers.

claunia commented

@mdtauk commented on GitHub (May 21, 2019):

I know this is just about tabs and pane arrangements, but why not restore the buffer with all the previous output strings in place?

@mdtauk commented on GitHub (May 21, 2019): I know this is just about tabs and pane arrangements, but why not restore the buffer with all the previous output strings in place?

claunia commented

@glen-84 commented on GitHub (May 22, 2019):

I was thinking, if the state is stored in a human-readable format, it could also be hand-edited by users, and generated/modified by an external script or programme.

A made-up example:

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "state": {
        "windows": [
            {
                "maximized": false,
                "positionX": 500,
                "positionY": 200,
                "width": 1000,
                "height": 2000,
                "tabs": [
                    {
                        "title": "Project X",
                        "panes": [
                            {
                                "profile": "EF3E32A7-5FF6-42B4-B6E2-96CD7D033F00",
                                "directory": "C:/...",
                                // position/dimensions
                            }
                        ]
                    }
                ]
            }
        ]
    }
}

(As usual, I wish that people would move away from JSON and instead use something more suited to configuration files, like YAML.)

@mdtauk,

I know this is just about tabs and pane arrangements, but why not restore the buffer with all the previous output strings in place?

To limit the scope of the feature and get it released sooner. The format that I show above could easily be extended at a later stage.

@glen-84 commented on GitHub (May 22, 2019): I was thinking, if the state is stored in a human-readable format, it could also be hand-edited by users, and generated/modified by an external script or programme. A made-up example: ```jsonc { "version": "0.2.0", "state": { "windows": [ { "maximized": false, "positionX": 500, "positionY": 200, "width": 1000, "height": 2000, "tabs": [ { "title": "Project X", "panes": [ { "profile": "EF3E32A7-5FF6-42B4-B6E2-96CD7D033F00", "directory": "C:/...", // position/dimensions } ] } ] } ] } } ``` (As usual, I wish that people would move away from JSON and instead use something more suited to configuration files, like YAML.) --- @mdtauk, > I know this is just about tabs and pane arrangements, but why not restore the buffer with all the previous output strings in place? To limit the scope of the feature and get it released sooner. The format that I show above could easily be extended at a later stage.

claunia commented

@ExE-Boss commented on GitHub (May 22, 2019):

The thing that makes me hate YAML is that the spec doesn’t support tabs.

I personally prefer HOCON over YAML and JSON.

The former because of tabs, and the latter because of comments.

@ExE-Boss commented on GitHub (May 22, 2019): The thing that makes me hate YAML is that the spec doesn’t support tabs. I personally prefer [HOCON](https://github.com/lightbend/config/blob/master/HOCON.md) over YAML and JSON. The former because of tabs, and the latter because of comments.

claunia commented

@JCKodel commented on GitHub (Jun 22, 2019):

what happens when a user has two windows open, closes one with 3 tabs, then opens a new window? Should it open the 3 tabs? Or should it start a fresh, single tabbed window?

Use the browser behavior. It works and it is familiar. Also, would be nice to detach/reatach tabs (as Chrome).

how do we persist the last session?

It would be nice to persist everything (including history) of each tab. It would be amazing to have up arrow history persisted as well. You can use all my %USERPROFILE% space for that =)

Do we only persist the last tabs open when the last terminal window is closed?

As in a browser, when a tab is closed, its state remains (so I can reopen closed tabs with Ctrl+Shift+T). This would be awesome. Perhaps some settings to limit the number of persisted sessions?

Do we add a "quit terminal" option that closes all open windows, and persists all their open profiles?

As in a browser, [X] closes all tabs (I can reopen them with Ctrl+Shift+T - it will restore entire windows if needed).

@JCKodel commented on GitHub (Jun 22, 2019): > what happens when a user has two windows open, closes one with 3 tabs, then opens a new window? Should it open the 3 tabs? Or should it start a fresh, single tabbed window? Use the browser behavior. It works and it is familiar. Also, would be nice to detach/reatach tabs (as Chrome). > how do we persist the last session? It would be nice to persist everything (including history) of each tab. It would be amazing to have up arrow history persisted as well. You can use all my %USERPROFILE% space for that =) > Do we only persist the last tabs open when the last terminal window is closed? As in a browser, when a tab is closed, its state remains (so I can reopen closed tabs with Ctrl+Shift+T). This would be awesome. Perhaps some settings to limit the number of persisted sessions? > Do we add a "quit terminal" option that closes all open windows, and persists all their open profiles? As in a browser, [X] closes all tabs (I can reopen them with Ctrl+Shift+T - it will restore entire windows if needed).

claunia commented

@bitcrazed commented on GitHub (Sep 25, 2019):

Updated title to better describe the ask, which also came-up in this Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/stanzillaz/status/1176675911275556866

@bitcrazed commented on GitHub (Sep 25, 2019): Updated title to better describe the ask, which also came-up in this Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/stanzillaz/status/1176675911275556866

claunia commented

@DHowett-MSFT commented on GitHub (Sep 26, 2019):

Renaming it again because it really seems to pertain to saving info about specific instances of specific profiles. We can quibble about session/profile/instance later. 😄

@DHowett-MSFT commented on GitHub (Sep 26, 2019): Renaming it _again_ because it really seems to pertain to saving info about specific instances of specific profiles. We can quibble about session/profile/instance later. :smile:

claunia commented

@getify commented on GitHub (May 24, 2020):

Still feeling this pain every time I re-open. I don't even mind it not remembering size, since I set that in my config. I just really hate it not remembering position, because on my system, every time it opens, the top-left corner is about 30px to the right/down from the last time it opened, so it shifts little by little until something resets it back to the top-left and the cycle repeats. That is endlessly annoying.

Would love even a minimal interim on window size being remembered quicker, even if this larger feature is still being worked out. Please!? :)

@getify commented on GitHub (May 24, 2020): Still feeling this pain every time I re-open. I don't even mind it not remembering size, since I set that in my config. I just really hate it not remembering position, because on my system, every time it opens, the top-left corner is about 30px to the right/down from the last time it opened, so it shifts little by little until something resets it back to the top-left and the cycle repeats. That is endlessly annoying. Would love even a minimal interim on window size being remembered quicker, even if this larger feature is still being worked out. Please!? :)

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (May 26, 2020):

@getify You know you can use the initialPosition to set a launch position for the Terminal window, right?

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (May 26, 2020): @getify You know you can use the [`initialPosition`](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/customize-settings/global-settings#launch-position) to set a launch position for the Terminal window, right?

claunia commented

@getify commented on GitHub (May 26, 2020):

@zadjii-msft No, I was not aware of that. Maybe it was added after the last time I had looked at the docs.

Just tried it, and with some fiddling it seems fine for now as an interim. I use a left-side taskbar, so it was a little annoying that the "X" position isn't "available desktop coordinates" but "absolute screen position". I figured out with some trial and error that 93 was the right magic number for my current setup.

@getify commented on GitHub (May 26, 2020): @zadjii-msft No, I was not aware of that. Maybe it was added after the last time I had looked at the docs. Just tried it, and with some fiddling it seems fine for now as an interim. I use a left-side taskbar, so it was a little annoying that the "X" position isn't "available desktop coordinates" but "absolute screen position". I figured out with some trial and error that `93` was the right magic number for my current setup.

claunia commented

2026-01-30 22:15:13 +00:00

@smykhailov commented on GitHub (May 27, 2020):

I found some workaround for this, which works for me and maybe will be helpful for others.
I created cmd file with the following command:
wt.exe -p PowerShell -d "D:\Projects" ; split-pane -p PowerShell -d "D:\Projects\foo" ; split-pane -H -p PowerShell -d "D:\Projects\bar" ; -p cmd -d "D:\Projects" ; -p Ubuntu ; focus-tab -t 0
which opens the tabs and panes I need to have opened.

also in settings.json I added the position and size:

  "initialPosition": "-1760, 20",
  "initialRows": 46,
  "initialCols": 170,

with x: -1760 I open terminal on my left monitor :)

@smykhailov commented on GitHub (May 27, 2020): I found some workaround for this, which works for me and maybe will be helpful for others. I created cmd file with the following command: `wt.exe -p PowerShell -d "D:\Projects" ; split-pane -p PowerShell -d "D:\Projects\foo" ; split-pane -H -p PowerShell -d "D:\Projects\bar" ; -p cmd -d "D:\Projects" ; -p Ubuntu ; focus-tab -t 0` which opens the tabs and panes I need to have opened. also in `settings.json` I added the position and size: ```JSON "initialPosition": "-1760, 20", "initialRows": 46, "initialCols": 170, ``` with `x: -1760` I open terminal on my left monitor :)

claunia commented

@mws-rmain commented on GitHub (Jun 15, 2020):

When restoring 'last position', please remember to handle which monitor (assuming more than one) the position refers to.

@mws-rmain commented on GitHub (Jun 15, 2020): When restoring 'last position', please remember to handle which monitor (assuming more than one) the position refers to.

claunia commented

2026-01-30 22:15:13 +00:00

@igorakkerman commented on GitHub (Jul 3, 2020):

Do not only remember the last monitor that was used, but also remember the last position used on other monitors.

When I have the Terminal open on my big monitor and disconnect my notebook, it will appear on my notebook's screen, of course. Now, it would be great if Terminal remembered the last position used when it was open on my big monitor's and my notebook's screens. Then, when I would re-connect my big monitor, the Terminal should appear on my big monitor, at the last position on that screen. If I disconnect my big monitor again, the Terminal should come back to the last position on my notebook's screen.

That is, the application should store the last monitor used and a table mapping each monitor to the position and dimensions the Terminal occupied on that monitor.

@igorakkerman commented on GitHub (Jul 3, 2020): Do not only remember the last monitor that was used, but also remember the last position used on other monitors. When I have the Terminal open on my big monitor and disconnect my notebook, it will appear on my notebook's screen, of course. Now, it would be great if Terminal remembered the last position used when it was open on my big monitor's _and_ my notebook's screens. Then, when I would re-connect my big monitor, the Terminal should appear on my big monitor, at the last position on that screen. If I disconnect my big monitor again, the Terminal should come back to the last position on my notebook's screen. That is, the application should store the last monitor used and a table mapping each monitor to the position and dimensions the Terminal occupied on that monitor.

claunia commented

2026-01-30 22:15:13 +00:00

@radutomy commented on GitHub (Aug 17, 2020):

Also remember position if opened on another virtual desktop.

@radutomy commented on GitHub (Aug 17, 2020): Also remember position if opened on another virtual desktop.

claunia commented

@clounie commented on GitHub (Dec 9, 2020):

Do not only remember the last monitor that was used, but also remember the last position used on other monitors.

When I have the Terminal open on my big monitor and disconnect my notebook, it will appear on my notebook screen, of course. Now, it would be great if Terminal remembered the last position used when it was open on my big monitor's and my notebook's screens. Then, when I would re-connect my big monitor, the Terminal should appear on my big monitor, at the last position on that screen. If I disconnect my big monitor again, the Terminal should come back to the last position on my notebook's screen.

That is, the application should store the last monitor used and a table mapping each monitor to the position and dimensions the Terminal occupied on that monitor.

^ This would be great. But would rather have basic functionality than wait extra time for macOS tricks.

@glen-84 Pretty much nailed behavior with his comment about "do as browsers do". It keeps things fairly simple, and those are patterns that, while fairly powerful, anyone who uses a computer is familiar with.

@clounie commented on GitHub (Dec 9, 2020): > Do not only remember the last monitor that was used, but also remember the last position used on other monitors. > > When I have the Terminal open on my big monitor and disconnect my notebook, it will appear on my notebook screen, of course. Now, it would be great if Terminal remembered the last position used when it was open on my big monitor's _and_ my notebook's screens. Then, when I would re-connect my big monitor, the Terminal should appear on my big monitor, at the last position on that screen. If I disconnect my big monitor again, the Terminal should come back to the last position on my notebook's screen. > > That is, the application should store the last monitor used and a table mapping each monitor to the position and dimensions the Terminal occupied on that monitor. ^ This would be great. But would rather have basic functionality than wait extra time for macOS tricks. @glen-84 Pretty much nailed behavior with his comment about "[do as browsers do](https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/766#issuecomment-494567076)". It keeps things fairly simple, and those are patterns that, while fairly powerful, anyone who uses a computer is familiar with.

claunia commented

@NeilMacMullen commented on GitHub (Feb 1, 2021):

As described in #8989, if the state can be persisted to file as suggested in https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/766#issuecomment-494689538 then a desirable feature would be to be able to invoke a new terminal instance and supply that particular configuration as the startup state (via argument). That would help alleviate some of the ambiguity around what to do in the case of multiple open instances.

@NeilMacMullen commented on GitHub (Feb 1, 2021): As described in #8989, if the state can be persisted to file as suggested in https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/766#issuecomment-494689538 then a desirable feature would be to be able to invoke a new terminal instance and supply that *particular* configuration as the startup state (via argument). That would help alleviate some of the ambiguity around what to do in the case of multiple open instances.

claunia commented

@brantPTS commented on GitHub (Feb 2, 2021):

Let the user set a global setting to have the terminal re-open with whatever profiles were last open.

Thoughts:

what happens when a user has two windows open, closes one with 3 tabs, then opens a new window? Should it open the 3 tabs? Or should it start a fresh, single tabbed window?

how do we persist the last session?

Do we only persist the last tabs open when the last terminal window is closed?

Do we add a "quit terminal" option that closes all open windows, and persists all their open profiles?

THIS IS NOT A DISCUSSION OF PRESERVING WINDOW CONTENT, ONLY OPEN WINDOW PROFILES

@zadjii-msft

You should have this restore just like a browser, i.e., either restore last window closed, or if they select "Exit" command, restore all windows. What would be really awesome would be to save command history in each tab so you can just up arrow to bring back recent commands. That will make this indispensable.

Thank you.

@brantPTS commented on GitHub (Feb 2, 2021): > Let the user set a global setting to have the terminal re-open with whatever profiles were last open. > > Thoughts: > > * what happens when a user has two windows open, closes one with 3 tabs, then opens a new window? Should it open the 3 tabs? Or should it start a fresh, single tabbed window? > * how do we persist the last session? > * Do we only persist the last tabs open when the last terminal window is closed? > * Do we add a "quit terminal" option that closes all open windows, and persists all their open profiles? > > **THIS IS NOT A DISCUSSION OF PRESERVING WINDOW _CONTENT_, ONLY OPEN WINDOW PROFILES** @zadjii-msft You should have this restore just like a browser, i.e., either restore last window closed, or if they select "Exit" command, restore all windows. What would be really awesome would be to save command history in each tab so you can just up arrow to bring back recent commands. That will make this indispensable. Thank you.

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Feb 2, 2021):

What would be really awesome would be to save command history in each tab so you can just up arrow to bring back recent commands.

FYI this has been discussed to death elsewhere in this repo - it's not the terminal's responsibility to remember what the last commands entered were. Most modern shells (e.g. pwsh, bash, zsh) will already do this. cmd can't do this, because cmd has never done that, and cmd is in maintenance-only mode.

The rest though - I'm on board with all that ☺️

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Feb 2, 2021): > What would be really awesome would be to save command history in each tab so you can just up arrow to bring back recent commands. FYI this has been discussed to death elsewhere in this repo - it's not the terminal's responsibility to remember what the last commands entered were. Most modern shells (e.g. `pwsh`, `bash`, `zsh`) will already do this. `cmd` can't do this, because `cmd` has never done that, and `cmd` is in maintenance-only mode. The rest though - I'm on board with all that ☺️

claunia commented

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2021):

hey @zadjii-msft (sorry if you're not back from your vacay) this issue doesn't sound like remembering the size and position of a Terminal window to many users, including myself. The discussion below it and the closed issues do make it look like it, but not everyone will have the time and patience to do that. Mind updating the issue to say something about it independent of there being an option to restore the last session? :)

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2021): hey @zadjii-msft (sorry if you're not back from your vacay) this issue doesn't sound like remembering the size and position of a Terminal window to many users, including myself. The discussion below it and the closed issues do make it look like it, but not everyone will have the time and patience to do that. Mind updating the issue to say something about it _independent_ of there being an option to restore the last session? :)

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Feb 16, 2021):

Okay, sure. I'll update the OP. To clarify:

#766 (This issue) is tracking restoring the relative window state across terminal launches. This includes (but is not limited to) window positions, the open tab/pane structure, and what profiles were in those tab/panes. It is not tracking restoring buffer state.
#961 is specifically related to trying to restore the buffer content of these tabs/panes. This is substantially harder than just restoring the window state, because the buffer has quite a bit more state in it. It is not tracking connection state (commandline history, environment variables, open processes)
#960 is about just "restoring previously opened tabs/panes". This is like when you close a tab in a browser, then hit Ctrl+shift+t to just pop it back into existence. This does not include across reboots - it mainly deals with tab/panes closed in the current instance.
There's not an issue tracking restoring connection/shell/process state, because that's generally impossible. (case in point: https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/961#issuecomment-495506932, et. al in that thread.)
#9188 is "restoring the window state while it is running, but after an external monitor is disconnected and re-connected?"

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Feb 16, 2021): Okay, sure. I'll update the OP. To clarify: * #766 (This issue) is tracking restoring the relative window state across terminal launches. This includes (but is not limited to) window positions, the open tab/pane structure, and what profiles were in those tab/panes. It is _not_ tracking restoring buffer state. * #961 is specifically related to trying to restore the _buffer_ content of these tabs/panes. This is substantially harder than just restoring the window state, because the buffer has quite a bit more state in it. It is _not_ tracking connection state (commandline history, environment variables, open processes) * #960 is about just "restoring previously opened tabs/panes". This is like when you close a tab in a browser, then hit <kbd>Ctrl+shift+t</kbd> to just pop it back into existence. This does not include across reboots - it mainly deals with tab/panes closed in the current instance. * There's not an issue tracking restoring connection/shell/process state, because that's _generally impossible_. (case in point: https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/961#issuecomment-495506932, et. al in that thread.) * #9188 is "restoring the window state while it is running, but after an external monitor is disconnected and re-connected?"

claunia commented

@igorakkerman commented on GitHub (Feb 16, 2021):

@zadjii-msft thanks for clarifying. In your first item, you refer to restoring the window state across terminal launches. Should we have another issue for restoring the window state while it is running, but after an external monitor is disconnected and re-connected? (https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/766#issuecomment-653671768)

@igorakkerman commented on GitHub (Feb 16, 2021): @zadjii-msft thanks for clarifying. In your first item, you refer to restoring the window state _across_ terminal launches. Should we have another issue for restoring the window state _while it is running_, but after an external monitor is disconnected and re-connected? (https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/766#issuecomment-653671768)

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Feb 16, 2021):

That's totally something that should have it's own issue. FYI I don't think any other app does this currently - I'm constantly repositioning windows when I dock/undock my laptop.

That ask is now #9188

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Feb 16, 2021): That's totally something that should have it's own issue. FYI I don't think _any other app_ does this currently - I'm constantly repositioning windows when I dock/undock my laptop. That ask is now #9188

claunia commented

@marcelo-mason commented on GitHub (May 9, 2021):

This issue is opened for two years. Unusable terminal for any poweruser for two years. How about just get something done, then figure out how to make it perfect later.

@marcelo-mason commented on GitHub (May 9, 2021): This issue is opened for two years. Unusable terminal for any poweruser for two years. How about just get something done, then figure out how to make it perfect later.

claunia commented

@yodaldevoid commented on GitHub (May 9, 2021):

@marcelo-mason If you feel so strongly about it, as it is an open source project you are always free to submit a proposed spec for the feature. While I don't know for certain, I have the feeling that the obvious movement on this feature is not due to people not thinking it is important but because other features have taken precedence because people have decided that they are more important. This feature might see more movement if it had a champion to push it forward; maybe you fit that roll?

@yodaldevoid commented on GitHub (May 9, 2021): @marcelo-mason If you feel so strongly about it, as it is an open source project you are always free to submit a proposed spec for the feature. While I don't know for certain, I have the feeling that the obvious movement on this feature is not due to people not thinking it is important but because other features have taken precedence because people have decided that they are more important. This feature might see more movement if it had a champion to push it forward; maybe you fit that roll?

claunia commented

@zadjii commented on GitHub (May 10, 2021):

That's absolutely true. This is a big project, with a lot of high priority features in development all the time. A lot of the groundwork for this particular feature is in progress over at #8771. There's just only so much bandwidth for designing so many features at a time, and the team is currently busy with the Settings UI (#1564), quake mode (#653), tab tear out (#1256), setting a default terminal application (#7489), so there's not really any other bandwidth at the moment. It's still high up on the priority list though, and if anyone would like to make progress faster, I'm sure the team would be happy to review a spec proposal or a PR ☺️

@zadjii commented on GitHub (May 10, 2021): That's absolutely true. This is a big project, with a lot of high priority features in development all the time. A lot of the groundwork for this particular feature is in progress over at #8771. There's just only so much bandwidth for designing so many features at a time, and the team is currently busy with the Settings UI (#1564), quake mode (#653), tab tear out (#1256), setting a default terminal application (#7489), so there's not really any other bandwidth at the moment. It's still high up on the priority list though, and if anyone would like to make progress faster, I'm sure the team would be happy to review a spec proposal or a PR ☺️

claunia commented

@ghost commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

:tada:This issue was addressed in #11083, which has now been successfully released as Windows Terminal Preview v1.12.2922.0.🎉

Handy links:

@ghost commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): :tada:This issue was addressed in #11083, which has now been successfully released as `Windows Terminal Preview v1.12.2922.0`.:tada: Handy links: * [Release Notes](https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.12.2922.0) * [Store Download](https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9n8g5rfz9xk3?cid=storebadge&ocid=badge)

claunia commented

@ghost commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

:tada:This issue was addressed in #10972, which has now been successfully released as Windows Terminal Preview v1.12.2922.0.🎉

Handy links:

@ghost commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): :tada:This issue was addressed in #10972, which has now been successfully released as `Windows Terminal Preview v1.12.2922.0`.:tada: Handy links: * [Release Notes](https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.12.2922.0) * [Store Download](https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9n8g5rfz9xk3?cid=storebadge&ocid=badge)

claunia commented

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

I got my party poppers out too early there. I thought this was fixed... Terminal STILL doesn't persist its window size and position!

#5858 was closed in favour of this issue...

Tested on Terminal Preview v1.12.2922.0

And strangely it doesn't seem to use WinUI 2.7 with the new styles.

Something that's present in the release build is a strange window that is opened briefly before Terminal opens.

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): I got my party poppers out too early there. I thought this was fixed... Terminal STILL doesn't persist its window size and position! #5858 was closed in favour of this issue... Tested on Terminal Preview v1.12.2922.0 And strangely it doesn't seem to use WinUI 2.7 with the new styles. Something that's present in the release build is a strange window that is opened briefly before Terminal opens.

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

Terminal STILL doesn't persist its window size and position!

Did you enable the setting?

It won't work for elevated windows at the moment.

And strangely it doesn't seem to use WinUI 2.7 with the new styles.

That's by design, see #11231

Something that's present in the release build is a strange window that is opened briefly before Terminal opens.

File a new issue for that, let's not take this thread off topic.

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): > Terminal STILL doesn't persist its window size and position! Did you enable the setting? ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/18356694/138146770-7b4c31e3-586f-4660-bed3-15d4b6d6f5a3.png) It won't work for elevated windows at the moment. > And strangely it doesn't seem to use WinUI 2.7 with the new styles. That's by design, see #11231 > Something that's present in the release build is a strange window that is opened briefly before Terminal opens. File a new issue for that, let's not take this thread off topic.

claunia commented

@alrz commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

Any reason to not set this by default?

Also, I think "confirmCloseAllTabs": false should be the default too considering we preserve the state.

@alrz commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): Any reason to not set this by default? Also, I think `"confirmCloseAllTabs": false` should be the default too considering we preserve the state.

claunia commented

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

Terminal STILL doesn't persist its window size and position!

Did you enable the setting? It won't work for elevated windows at the moment.

That's not what I want. That's session restore, right? It looks like what should just be the normal behaviour was tied to that feature.

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): > > Terminal STILL doesn't persist its window size and position! > > Did you enable the setting? ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/18356694/138146770-7b4c31e3-586f-4660-bed3-15d4b6d6f5a3.png) It won't work for elevated windows at the moment. That's not what I want. That's session restore, right? It looks like what should just be the normal behaviour was tied to that feature.

claunia commented

@Rosefield commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

I apologize if the naming is confusing. The issue, I think, is that a "session" is not well defined yet anywhere, and the wording was based on other applications (such as Edge) to be forward looking for when things like #961 are also implemented.

The exact behavior of this feature when the setting is enabled is, from the docs (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/customize-settings/startup#behavior-when-starting-a-new-terminal-session-preview)

Note: [when enabled] Currently, Windows Terminal will save the following information:
- Each window's position, size, and name
- The tab layout of each window, including the layout and profile of each pane, but not any contents of those panes

@Rosefield commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): I apologize if the naming is confusing. The issue, I think, is that a "session" is not well defined yet anywhere, and the wording was based on other applications (such as Edge) to be forward looking for when things like #961 are also implemented. The exact behavior of this feature when the setting is enabled is, from the docs (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/customize-settings/startup#behavior-when-starting-a-new-terminal-session-preview) ``` Note: [when enabled] Currently, Windows Terminal will save the following information: - Each window's position, size, and name - The tab layout of each window, including the layout and profile of each pane, but not any contents of those panes ```

claunia commented

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

Oh I see. That should be on by default to match every other Windows app then. Why is it an option like alrz said? :/

The actual restoring of content is completely separate to me.

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): Oh I see. That should be on by default to match every other Windows app then. Why is it an option like alrz said? :/ The actual restoring of content is completely separate to me.

claunia commented

@Rosefield commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

Currently the feature is being locked to the preview build while it is tested for stability (since there were a bunch of changes under the hood). While I cannot speak for them, I am sure the team will reevaluate whether it is a default or not depending on how it does.

@Rosefield commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): Currently the feature is being locked to the preview build while it is tested for stability (since there were a bunch of changes under the hood). While I cannot speak for them, I am sure the team will reevaluate whether it is a default or not depending on how it does.

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

Yep, basically that. It's not on by default because we wanted to see how it landed. If it's stable enough, then it very well may end up as the default behavior in 1.12 stable. That being said, people FUCKING HATE defaults being changed on them, so no promises.

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): Yep, basically that. It's not on by default because we wanted to see how it landed. If it's stable enough, then it very well may end up as the default behavior in 1.12 stable. That being said, people FUCKING HATE defaults being changed on them, so no promises.

claunia commented

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

That being said, people FUCKING HATE defaults being changed on them, so no promises.

[Insert XKCD]

but i honestly expected that behaviour to not be behind both a preview release and an opt-in.
the very question of whether it becomes default or not makes me sad. it just makes sense to match standard window conventions :/
like i've been waiting for like two years here :'( but hopefully it'll be there in 1.12!!! ^.^

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): >That being said, people FUCKING HATE defaults being changed on them, so no promises. [Insert XKCD] but i honestly expected that behaviour to not be behind _both_ a preview release and an opt-in. the very question of whether it becomes default or not makes me sad. it just makes sense to match standard window conventions :/ like i've been waiting for like two years here :'( but hopefully it'll be there in 1.12!!! ^.^

claunia commented

@Rosefield commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021):

Since you're already using 1.12 preview you can use this today. Open your settings (press ctr+,) and then make sure the settings is enabled. Once it is enabled windows will be saved when you use the quit action, or by pressing the X icon on the window.

You can also enable the feature by adding
"firstWindowPreference": "persistedWindowLayout"
to your settings.json

e.g.

@Rosefield commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2021): Since you're already using 1.12 preview you can use this today. Open your settings (press `ctr+,`) and then make sure the settings is enabled. Once it is enabled windows will be saved when you use the `quit` action, or by pressing the `X` icon on the window. ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/6185249/138161469-77d9b8da-3d87-4b24-9331-54091520ad1c.png) You can also enable the feature by adding `"firstWindowPreference": "persistedWindowLayout"` to your settings.json e.g. ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/6185249/138162182-8837efab-1b48-4b10-a6a8-344881ac5331.png)

claunia commented

@igorakkerman commented on GitHub (Oct 21, 2021):

This works for me when launching Terminal regularly. However, when I launch it as an administrator, neither does it open the last session I had as a regular user, nor does it restore the last administrator session or even the window's position and size.

@igorakkerman commented on GitHub (Oct 21, 2021): This works for me when launching Terminal regularly. However, when I launch it as an administrator, neither does it open the last session I had as a regular user, nor does it restore the last administrator session or even the window's position and size.

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Oct 21, 2021):

@igorakkerman That's unfortunately by design for now. I've got a fix that's almost ready in #11222, but that didn't make the cut for 1.12

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Oct 21, 2021): @igorakkerman That's unfortunately by design for now. I've got a fix that's almost ready in #11222, but that didn't make the cut for 1.12

claunia commented

@joel-daros commented on GitHub (Oct 27, 2021):

It need at least remember the current folder of each tab.

@joel-daros commented on GitHub (Oct 27, 2021): It need at least remember the current folder of each tab.

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Oct 27, 2021):

@MrSparklle It'll do that, so long as you configure your shell to tell the Terminal about the current working directory, with OSC9;9 (#8166, etc.)

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Oct 27, 2021): @MrSparklle It'll do that, so long as you configure your shell to tell the Terminal about the current working directory, with `OSC9;9` (#8166, etc.)

claunia commented

@rf-0 commented on GitHub (Oct 29, 2021):

@Rosefield using preview 1.12.2931.0 it doesn't seem that the state is properly saved. Tabs names and directories are lost. The only thing it is doing is opening the same number of tabs i had previously open at the default directory of C:\Users*

@rf-0 commented on GitHub (Oct 29, 2021): @Rosefield using preview 1.12.2931.0 it doesn't seem that the state is properly saved. Tabs names and directories are lost. The only thing it is doing is opening the same number of tabs i had previously open at the default directory of C:\Users\*

claunia commented

@xsnowemployee commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2021):

"state": {
        "windows": [
            {
                "maximized": false,
                "positionX": 500,
                "positionY": 200,
                "width": 1000,
                "height": 2000,
                "tabs": [
                    {
                        "title": "Project X",
                        "panes": [
                            {
                                "profile": "EF3E32A7-5FF6-42B4-B6E2-96CD7D033F00",
                                "directory": "C:/...",
                                // position/dimensions
                            }
                        ]
                    }
                ]
            }
        ]
    }

Even this one not working for me, I tried and reopen terminal but is not working.

@xsnowemployee commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2021): > ```js > "state": { > "windows": [ > { > "maximized": false, > "positionX": 500, > "positionY": 200, > "width": 1000, > "height": 2000, > "tabs": [ > { > "title": "Project X", > "panes": [ > { > "profile": "EF3E32A7-5FF6-42B4-B6E2-96CD7D033F00", > "directory": "C:/...", > // position/dimensions > } > ] > } > ] > } > ] > } > ``` Even this one not working for me, I tried and reopen terminal but is not working.

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2021):

@rehanhashmi did you write that json by hand? That doesn't look like the actual schema we ended up going with for the state file.

Make sure to enable "firstWindowPreference": "persistedWindowLayout" in the settings, and the Terminal will auto-generate state that looks more like:

in state.json.

Tabs names ... are lost

That's a known bug, #11878

directories are lost

You'll need to make sure to configure your shell to emit the CWD to the Terminal for us to be able to restore those

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2021): @rehanhashmi did you write that json by hand? That doesn't look like the actual schema we ended up going with for the state file. Make sure to enable `"firstWindowPreference": "persistedWindowLayout"` in the settings, and the Terminal will auto-generate state that looks more like: ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/18356694/146177991-04dc3390-f153-4c95-8576-de100c10ff20.png) in `state.json`. > Tabs names ... are lost That's a known bug, #11878 > directories are lost You'll need to make sure to [configure your shell](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/tutorials/new-tab-same-directory) to emit the CWD to the Terminal for us to be able to restore those

claunia commented

@xsnowemployee commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2021):

@zadjii-msft Here is my settings.json file from windows shell, My requirement is like each time mostly I need to move to some directory and run few commands. Each time I open terminal I make few tabs and move each tab in different directory to run those commands, I want it like when I open windows shell, It automatically open 4 tabs in different file location, Please guide me what Should I do, I tried to use "state" but I guess I applied wrongly or did something wrong. it is not working,

{
  "$schema": "https://aka.ms/terminal-profiles-schema",
  "actions": [
    {
      "command": "unbound",
      "keys": "ctrl+shift+t"
    },
    {
      "command": "unbound",
      "keys": "ctrl+shift+w"
    },
    {
      "command": "unbound",
      "keys": "alt+f4"
    },
    {
      "command": {
        "action": "copy",
        "singleLine": false
      },
      "keys": "ctrl+c"
    },
    {
      "command": {
        "action": "newTab"
      },
      "keys": "ctrl+t"
    },
    {
      "command": "paste",
      "keys": "ctrl+v"
    },
    {
      "command": "closeWindow"
    },
    {
      "command": "find",
      "keys": "ctrl+shift+f"
    },
    {
      "command": {
        "action": "splitPane",
        "split": "auto",
        "splitMode": "duplicate"
      },
      "keys": "alt+shift+d"
    },
    {
      "command": "closePane",
      "keys": "ctrl+w"
    }
  ],
  "copyFormatting": "none",
  "copyOnSelect": false,
  "defaultProfile": "{61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf}",
  "launchMode": "default",
  "profiles": {
    "defaults": {
      "backgroundImage": null,
      "backgroundImageStretchMode": "uniform",
      "colorScheme": "Solarized Dark",
      "cursorShape": "vintage",
      "font": {
        "face": "Cascadia Code",
        "size": 10,
        "weight": "bold"
      },
      "icon": "C:\\Users\\Azam\\Pictures\\Camera Roll\\extra\\0fMGlH3.jpg",
      "padding": "9",
      "tabTitle": "Welcome Rehan"
    },
    "list": [
      {
        "commandline": "powershell.exe",
        "guid": "{61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf}",
        "hidden": false,
        "name": "Windows PowerShell",
        "colorScheme": "Campbell",
        "cursorColor": "#C19C00",
        "cursorShape": "filledBox",
        "fontSize": 9,
        "padding": "5, 5, 5, 5"
      },
      {
        "commandline": "cmd.exe",
        "guid": "{0caa0dad-35be-5f56-a8ff-afceeeaa6101}",
        "hidden": false,
        "name": "Command Prompt"
      },
      {
        "guid": "{b453ae62-4e3d-5e58-b989-0a998ec441b8}",
        "hidden": false,
        "name": "Azure Cloud Shell",
        "source": "Windows.Terminal.Azure"
      },
      {
        "guid": "{2ece5bfe-50ed-5f3a-ab87-5cd4baafed2b}",
        "hidden": false,
        "name": "Git Bash",
        "source": "Git"
      }
    ]
  },
  "schemes": [
    {
      "background": "#0C0C0C",
      "black": "#000000",
      "blue": "#0037DA",
      "brightBlack": "#767676",
      "brightBlue": "#3B78FF",
      "brightCyan": "#61D6D6",
      "brightGreen": "#16C60C",
      "brightPurple": "#B4009E",
      "brightRed": "#E74856",
      "brightWhite": "#F2F2F2",
      "brightYellow": "#F9F1A5",
      "cursorColor": "#FFFFFF",
      "cyan": "#3A96DD",
      "foreground": "#CCCCCC",
      "green": "#13A10E",
      "name": "Campbell",
      "purple": "#881798",
      "red": "#C50F1F",
      "selectionBackground": "#FFFFFF",
      "white": "#CCCCCC",
      "yellow": "#C19C00"
    }
  ],
  "theme": "system",
  "state": {
    "windows": [
      {
        "maximized": false,
        "positionX": 500,
        "positionY": 200,
        "width": 1000,
        "height": 2000,
        "tabs": [
          {
            "title": "Project X",
            "panes": [
              {
                "profile": "61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf",
                "directory": "C:/Data/Tools/"
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

@xsnowemployee commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2021): @zadjii-msft Here is my settings.json file from windows shell, My requirement is like each time mostly I need to move to some directory and run few commands. Each time I open terminal I make few tabs and move each tab in different directory to run those commands, I want it like when I open windows shell, It automatically open 4 tabs in different file location, Please guide me what Should I do, I tried to use "state" but I guess I applied wrongly or did something wrong. it is not working, ```jsonc { "$schema": "https://aka.ms/terminal-profiles-schema", "actions": [ { "command": "unbound", "keys": "ctrl+shift+t" }, { "command": "unbound", "keys": "ctrl+shift+w" }, { "command": "unbound", "keys": "alt+f4" }, { "command": { "action": "copy", "singleLine": false }, "keys": "ctrl+c" }, { "command": { "action": "newTab" }, "keys": "ctrl+t" }, { "command": "paste", "keys": "ctrl+v" }, { "command": "closeWindow" }, { "command": "find", "keys": "ctrl+shift+f" }, { "command": { "action": "splitPane", "split": "auto", "splitMode": "duplicate" }, "keys": "alt+shift+d" }, { "command": "closePane", "keys": "ctrl+w" } ], "copyFormatting": "none", "copyOnSelect": false, "defaultProfile": "{61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf}", "launchMode": "default", "profiles": { "defaults": { "backgroundImage": null, "backgroundImageStretchMode": "uniform", "colorScheme": "Solarized Dark", "cursorShape": "vintage", "font": { "face": "Cascadia Code", "size": 10, "weight": "bold" }, "icon": "C:\\Users\\Azam\\Pictures\\Camera Roll\\extra\\0fMGlH3.jpg", "padding": "9", "tabTitle": "Welcome Rehan" }, "list": [ { "commandline": "powershell.exe", "guid": "{61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf}", "hidden": false, "name": "Windows PowerShell", "colorScheme": "Campbell", "cursorColor": "#C19C00", "cursorShape": "filledBox", "fontSize": 9, "padding": "5, 5, 5, 5" }, { "commandline": "cmd.exe", "guid": "{0caa0dad-35be-5f56-a8ff-afceeeaa6101}", "hidden": false, "name": "Command Prompt" }, { "guid": "{b453ae62-4e3d-5e58-b989-0a998ec441b8}", "hidden": false, "name": "Azure Cloud Shell", "source": "Windows.Terminal.Azure" }, { "guid": "{2ece5bfe-50ed-5f3a-ab87-5cd4baafed2b}", "hidden": false, "name": "Git Bash", "source": "Git" } ] }, "schemes": [ { "background": "#0C0C0C", "black": "#000000", "blue": "#0037DA", "brightBlack": "#767676", "brightBlue": "#3B78FF", "brightCyan": "#61D6D6", "brightGreen": "#16C60C", "brightPurple": "#B4009E", "brightRed": "#E74856", "brightWhite": "#F2F2F2", "brightYellow": "#F9F1A5", "cursorColor": "#FFFFFF", "cyan": "#3A96DD", "foreground": "#CCCCCC", "green": "#13A10E", "name": "Campbell", "purple": "#881798", "red": "#C50F1F", "selectionBackground": "#FFFFFF", "white": "#CCCCCC", "yellow": "#C19C00" } ], "theme": "system", "state": { "windows": [ { "maximized": false, "positionX": 500, "positionY": 200, "width": 1000, "height": 2000, "tabs": [ { "title": "Project X", "panes": [ { "profile": "61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf", "directory": "C:/Data/Tools/" } ] } ] } ] } } ```

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2021):

state is not a member in settings.json. When I'm talking about state.json, I'm talking about a totally different file that the Terminal uses to persist instance data. Setting the global setting "firstWindowPreference": "persistedWindowLayout" in 1.12 will cause the Terminal to automatically populate your current window state into that file, and re-use it on startup.

Otherwise, what I used to do before that feature landed, was add an action like the following: (copypasta from a while back)

{ "command": { "action": "wt", "commandline": "new-tab --title OpenConsole cmd.exe /k #work 15 ; split-pane -s .30 --title OpenConsole cmd.exe /k #work 15 ; split-pane  -s .25 -H cmd.exe /k media ; new-tab --title \"Symbols Script\" powershell dev\\symbols.ps1 ; new-tab -p \"Ubuntu 18.04\" ; new-tab -p \"microsoft/Terminal\" ; sp -V -p \"microsoft/Terminal\" ; sp -H -p \"microsoft/Terminal\" ; focus-tab -t 0" }, "name": "Good Morning" },

(you could probably make it shorter by replacing new-tab/split-pane with nt/sp, respectively). (EDIT: You could also probably make this clearer now with the multipleActions action)

I add that to the keybindings/actions. This creates a new command in the Command Palette named "Good Morning". That opens up a few tabs & panes, running various build environments. I like having it in a command rather than startupActions, because I only really want this in one terminal window, not every single one I launch. It's personal taste.

You could repeat this for multiple different "session"s if you wanted. That way you could have layouts pre-defined for various different dev environments.

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2021): `state` is not a member in `settings.json`. When I'm talking about `state.json`, I'm talking about a _totally different file_ that the Terminal uses to persist instance data. Setting the global setting [`"firstWindowPreference": "persistedWindowLayout"`](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/customize-settings/startup#behavior-when-starting-a-new-terminal-session-preview) in 1.12 will cause the Terminal to automatically populate your current window state into that file, and re-use it on startup. Otherwise, what I used to do before that feature landed, was add an action like the following: (copypasta from a while back) ```json { "command": { "action": "wt", "commandline": "new-tab --title OpenConsole cmd.exe /k #work 15 ; split-pane -s .30 --title OpenConsole cmd.exe /k #work 15 ; split-pane -s .25 -H cmd.exe /k media ; new-tab --title \"Symbols Script\" powershell dev\\symbols.ps1 ; new-tab -p \"Ubuntu 18.04\" ; new-tab -p \"microsoft/Terminal\" ; sp -V -p \"microsoft/Terminal\" ; sp -H -p \"microsoft/Terminal\" ; focus-tab -t 0" }, "name": "Good Morning" }, ``` (you could probably make it shorter by replacing `new-tab`/`split-pane` with `nt`/`sp`, respectively). (EDIT: You could also probably make this clearer now with the `multipleActions` action) I add that to the `keybindings`/`actions`. This creates a new command in the [Command Palette](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/command-palette) named "Good Morning". That opens up a few tabs & panes, running various build environments. I like having it in a command rather than `startupActions`, because I only really want this in _one_ terminal window, not _every single one I launch_. It's personal taste. You could repeat this for multiple different "session"s if you wanted. That way you could have layouts pre-defined for various different dev environments.

claunia commented

@theperiscope commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2022):

I'm using Terminal 1.14.2281.0 and would really like the window position to stay persistent but it doesn't.

I have a Open windows from a previous session selected. With that mode, closing my last window with ALT+F4, X, or CTRL-SHIFT-W and then restarting Terminal works as expected and on restart position is restored. However, if you type exit (Command Prompt) to close last shell, position does not get restored.

@theperiscope commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2022): I'm using Terminal 1.14.2281.0 and would really like the window position to stay persistent but it doesn't. I have a `Open windows from a previous session selected`. With that mode, closing my last window with `ALT+F4`, `X`, or `CTRL-SHIFT-W` and then restarting Terminal works as expected and on restart position is restored. However, if you type `exit` (Command Prompt) to close last shell, position does not get restored.

claunia commented

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2022):

I only want the window position to be persistent just like every other app. I don't want to restore my previous session at all.

@Poopooracoocoo commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2022): I *only* want the window position to be persistent just like every other app. I don't want to restore my previous session at all.

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2022):

Necro'ing an old thread is not typically the best place for bug reports 😉 However, we definitely do intentionally treat exit different than closing the window. If the connection itself initiated the close, then we treat that as a signal that the connection is all done, and doesn't need to come back. Closing from the UI side though does persist the terminal state. We discussed this more in one of #9800, #10972 or #11083, but I can't find the specific comment chain at the moment.

@Poopooracoocoo your issue is already tracked in #12633, no need to pollute discussion here.

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2022): Necro'ing an old thread is not typically the best place for bug reports 😉 However, we definitely do intentionally treat `exit` different than closing the window. If the connection itself initiated the close, then we treat that as a signal that the connection is all done, and doesn't need to come back. Closing from the UI side though does persist the terminal state. We discussed this more in one of #9800, #10972 or #11083, but I can't find the specific comment chain at the moment. <hr> @Poopooracoocoo your issue is already tracked in #12633, no need to pollute discussion here.

claunia commented

@simontom commented on GitHub (Oct 19, 2022):

Well, without preserving the last opened path in each tab it seems pretty useless.
I'm on v1.15.2874
After a few years, this is still no working

@simontom commented on GitHub (Oct 19, 2022): Well, without preserving the last opened path in each tab it seems pretty useless. I'm on v1.15.2874 After a few years, this is still no working

claunia commented

@Kolobamanacas commented on GitHub (Dec 5, 2022):

I apologize if the naming is confusing. The issue, I think, is that a "session" is not well defined yet anywhere, and the wording was based on other applications (such as Edge) to be forward looking for when things like #961 are also implemented.

The exact behavior of this feature when the setting is enabled is, from the docs (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/customize-settings/startup#behavior-when-starting-a-new-terminal-session-preview)
Note: [when enabled] Currently, Windows Terminal will save the following information:
- Each window's position, size, and name
- The tab layout of each window, including the layout and profile of each pane, but not any contents of those panes

@Rosefield

Sorry for disturbing you in such a manner, but it's been a year and it seems like you have some idea of what's going on with the roadmap. Could you please shed some light on the implementing saving session feature plans?

By saving session I mean the Terminal's ability when launched to reopen tabs with their names, positions and (missed now) the opened paths. Currently I have lets say three projects. I open three PowerShell tabs for these projects and navigate to corresponding path for each of them. But when I reopen Terminal, each tab's path is reset to a user's home directory, which seems like not expecting behavior.

@Kolobamanacas commented on GitHub (Dec 5, 2022): > I apologize if the naming is confusing. The issue, I think, is that a "session" is not well defined yet anywhere, and the wording was based on other applications (such as Edge) to be forward looking for when things like #961 are also implemented. > > The exact behavior of this feature when the setting is enabled is, from the docs (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/customize-settings/startup#behavior-when-starting-a-new-terminal-session-preview) > > ``` > Note: [when enabled] Currently, Windows Terminal will save the following information: > - Each window's position, size, and name > - The tab layout of each window, including the layout and profile of each pane, but not any contents of those panes > ``` @Rosefield Sorry for disturbing you in such a manner, but it's been a year and it seems like you have some idea of what's going on with the roadmap. Could you please shed some light on the implementing saving session feature plans? By saving session I mean the Terminal's ability when launched to reopen tabs with their names, positions and (missed now) the opened paths. Currently I have lets say three projects. I open three PowerShell tabs for these projects and navigate to corresponding path for each of them. But when I reopen Terminal, each tab's path is reset to a user's home directory, which seems like not expecting behavior.

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Dec 5, 2022):

Well, without preserving the last opened path in each tab it seems pretty useless. I'm on v1.15.2874 After a few years, this is still no working

You know, that's actually in the docs: Tutorial: Opening a tab or pane in the same directory in Windows Terminal. You need to set up your shell for it to cooperate with the Terminal - that doesn't work magically on Windows, unfortunately.

@Kolobamanacas This feature was implemented like, a year ago. Did you enable the following setting:

Or do you want a more generic "I want to save this set of tabs as a session, but not necessarily reopen the Terminal with that session every time"? In which case, you might be interested in #11526

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Dec 5, 2022): > Well, without preserving the last opened path in each tab it seems pretty useless. I'm on v1.15.2874 After a few years, this is still no working You know, that's actually in the docs: [Tutorial: Opening a tab or pane in the same directory in Windows Terminal](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/tutorials/new-tab-same-directory). You need to set up your shell for it to cooperate with the Terminal - that doesn't work magically on Windows, unfortunately. <hr> @Kolobamanacas This feature was implemented like, a year ago. Did you enable the following setting: ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/18356694/205655867-5bb75333-8a26-4e3c-94f9-b1ac5569623e.png) Or do you want a more generic "I want to save this set of tabs as a session, but not necessarily reopen the Terminal with that session every time"? In which case, you might be interested in #11526

claunia commented

@Kolobamanacas commented on GitHub (Dec 6, 2022):

@Kolobamanacas This feature was implemented like, a year ago.

zadjii-msft, thanks a lot for your reply. The funny thing is that while answering simontom's question, you have accidentally answered mine.

I personally think that most users agree, that "restore session" feature means that when one launches the application, one continues exactly where one left. Who could possibly know (~~RTM~~), that some additional settings need to be set up in order to reach such a behavior. Here is an example:

Let's say I have brand new Windows with the latest stable version of the Terminal and PowerShell installed.
I open Terminal, go to Settings and set Open windows from a previous session in When Terminal starts menu.
I open two PowerShell tabs and rename the first one to "Desktop" and the second one to "Downloads".
I navigate to ~\Desktop in the first tab (cd ~\Desktop) and in the second tab I navigate to ~\Downloads (cd ~\Downloads).
I close Terminal.
I open Terminal.

My expectations:

Terminal has two tabs (works).
The first tab is called "Desktop" and the second one is called "Downloads" (works).
Commands history is separated and presented for both tabs (works).
Finally, my current location for the first tab is ~\Desktop and for the second tab is ~\Downloads (does not work).

Current behavior is all tabs are opened in the user's home directory.

Thanks to your post and the link you've provided I'm now aware that I need to set up my shell for it to cooperate with the Terminal by appending the following line to the prompt (at least for PowerShell profiles) for it to work as I expect.

$([char]27)]9;9;`"$executionContext.SessionState.Path.CurrentLocation`"$([char]27)\

So my problem is solved. The only thing I wish to mention is that if ordinary user doesn't spend some time on intense research he would be completely unaware of the existence of such a setting. So maybe some kind of hint within the GUI could help, stating for a shell need to be set up accordingly in order to Open windows from a previous session feature to work as intended.

@Kolobamanacas commented on GitHub (Dec 6, 2022): > @Kolobamanacas This feature was implemented like, a year ago. [zadjii-msft](https://github.com/zadjii-msft), thanks a lot for your reply. The funny thing is that while answering [simontom](https://github.com/simontom)'s question, you have accidentally answered mine. I personally think that most users agree, that "restore session" feature means that when one launches the application, one continues exactly where one left. Who could possibly know (~~RTM~~), that some additional settings need to be set up in order to reach such a behavior. Here is an example: - Let's say I have brand new Windows with the latest stable version of the Terminal and PowerShell installed. - I open Terminal, go to Settings and set `Open windows from a previous session` in `When Terminal starts` menu. - I open two PowerShell tabs and rename the first one to "Desktop" and the second one to "Downloads". - I navigate to ~\Desktop in the first tab (`cd ~\Desktop`) and in the second tab I navigate to ~\Downloads (`cd ~\Downloads`). - I close Terminal. - I open Terminal. My expectations: 1. Terminal has two tabs (works). 2. The first tab is called "Desktop" and the second one is called "Downloads" (works). 3. Commands history is separated and presented for both tabs (works). 4. Finally, my current location for the first tab is `~\Desktop` and for the second tab is `~\Downloads` (does not work). Current behavior is all tabs are opened in the user's home directory. Thanks to your post and the [link](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/tutorials/new-tab-same-directory) you've provided I'm now aware that I need to set up my shell for it to cooperate with the Terminal by appending the following line to the prompt (at least for PowerShell profiles) for it to work as I expect. ``` $([char]27)]9;9;`"$executionContext.SessionState.Path.CurrentLocation`"$([char]27)\ ``` So my problem is solved. The only thing I wish to mention is that if ordinary user doesn't spend some time on intense research he would be completely unaware of the existence of such a setting. So maybe some kind of hint within the GUI could help, stating for a shell need to be set up accordingly in order to `Open windows from a previous session` feature to work as intended.

claunia commented

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Dec 6, 2022):

Okay, this isn't great, but I'm gonna put a link to the docs in the settings UI, right by that setting. That'll at least possibly clue someone in that there's more config needed.

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Dec 6, 2022): ![ryan-point](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/18356694/205948096-c800b823-dc2f-4a3d-92fe-ebe16aa00893.gif) Okay, this isn't _great_, but I'm gonna put a link to the docs in the settings UI, right by that setting. That'll at least _possibly_ clue someone in that there's more config needed.

claunia commented

@simontom commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2022):

Well, yes :)
Restore session means restore session. Does not work as the name says. Or we all has just got used to all the stuff been saved when restarting apps ;-)

@simontom commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2022): Well, yes :) Restore session means restore session. Does not work as the name says. Or we all has just got used to all the stuff been saved when restarting apps ;-)

claunia commented

@tuanteku9x commented on GitHub (Jul 29, 2024):

Well, without preserving the last opened path in each tab it seems pretty useless. I'm on v1.15.2874 After a few years, this is still no working

You know, that's actually in the docs: Tutorial: Opening a tab or pane in the same directory in Windows Terminal. You need to set up your shell for it to cooperate with the Terminal - that doesn't work magically on Windows, unfortunately.

@Kolobamanacas This feature was implemented like, a year ago. Did you enable the following setting:

Or do you want a more generic "I want to save this set of tabs as a session, but not necessarily reopen the Terminal with that session every time"? In which case, you might be interested in #11526

I tried setting it like that, but it only restores the previous number of sessions (number of tabs). But the command content of each tab is completely gone.

@tuanteku9x commented on GitHub (Jul 29, 2024): > > Well, without preserving the last opened path in each tab it seems pretty useless. I'm on v1.15.2874 After a few years, this is still no working > > You know, that's actually in the docs: [Tutorial: Opening a tab or pane in the same directory in Windows Terminal](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/tutorials/new-tab-same-directory). You need to set up your shell for it to cooperate with the Terminal - that doesn't work magically on Windows, unfortunately. > > @Kolobamanacas This feature was implemented like, a year ago. Did you enable the following setting: ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/18356694/205655867-5bb75333-8a26-4e3c-94f9-b1ac5569623e.png) > > Or do you want a more generic "I want to save this set of tabs as a session, but not necessarily reopen the Terminal with that session every time"? In which case, you might be interested in #11526 I tried setting it like that, but it only restores the previous number of sessions (number of tabs). But the command content of each tab is completely gone.

claunia commented