The "Default Terminal" option is only available for Preview builds of the Terminal #15437

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opened 2026-01-31 04:38:40 +00:00 by claunia · 0 comments
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Originally created by @zadjii-msft on GitHub (Oct 4, 2021).

Windows 11 is shipping a new OS feature we're calling "defterm" - the ability to set the default terminal application for console launches in Windows. This was originally tracked in #492, #5000. This feature initially shipped in Terminal Preview version https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.9.1445.0.

As of writing, this feature is still only available with "Preview" versions of the Terminal. There are two different versions of the Terminal available:

Stable is usually one minor version behind the Preview version, +/- a couple features. If you're wondering why the Terminal doesn't appear in the dropdown, then this is why.

If you only have "Windows Terminal" (stable) installed, you will not see the Terminal in the Settings app for the Default Terminal setting.

There's a bit of work we want to get done in the 1.12 timeframe to move the defterm feature into the Stable branch:

  • #9458, #10952
    • Both of these enable defterm to "match" the newly spawned commandline to one of your existing profiles.
    • This should be fixed in #11390
  • Merge #11397 into preview, stable
  • re-enable "base layer" in the stable builds

Once that's fixed up, we'll be enabling the Default Terminal feature for Stable builds as well.

(Preview is also reasonably reliable if you're really enthusiastic about defterm, it is just a tad bit more "move fast and break things".)

Originally created by @zadjii-msft on GitHub (Oct 4, 2021). Windows 11 is shipping a new OS feature we're calling "defterm" - the ability to set the default terminal application for console launches in Windows. This was originally tracked in #492, #5000. This feature initially shipped in Terminal Preview version https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.9.1445.0. As of writing, this feature is still only available with "Preview" versions of the Terminal. There are two different versions of the Terminal available: * [Windows Terminal Preview](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/windows-terminal-preview/9n8g5rfz9xk3?activetab=pivot:overviewtab) (which we refer to as "preview"). * [Windows Terminal](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/windows-terminal/9n0dx20hk701?activetab=pivot:overviewtab) (which we call "stable" or "release") Stable is usually one minor version behind the Preview version, +/- a couple features. If you're wondering why the Terminal doesn't appear in the dropdown, then this is why. If you only have "Windows Terminal" (stable) installed, you will not see the Terminal in the Settings app for the Default Terminal setting. There's a bit of work we want to get done in the 1.12 timeframe to move the defterm feature into the Stable branch: * [ ] #9458, #10952 * Both of these enable defterm to "match" the newly spawned commandline to one of your existing profiles. * This should be fixed in #11390 * [ ] Merge #11397 into preview, stable * [ ] re-enable "base layer" in the stable builds Once that's fixed up, we'll be enabling the Default Terminal feature for Stable builds as well. (Preview is also reasonably reliable if you're really enthusiastic about defterm, it is just a tad bit more "move fast and break things".)
claunia added the Needs-Tag-FixResolution-AnsweredProduct-TerminalArea-DefApp labels 2026-01-31 04:38:40 +00:00
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Reference: starred/terminal#15437