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Active pane is not clearly visible #19535

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opened 2026-01-31 06:46:26 +00:00 by claunia · 4 comments
claunia commented 2026-01-31 06:46:26 +00:00
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Originally created by @buckleyGI on GitHub (Mar 15, 2023).

Windows Terminal version

1.16.10262.0

Windows build number

Build 22000.co_release.210604-1628

Other Software

No response

Steps to reproduce

Create a few panes

Expected Behavior

Clearly see what pane is active/focused

Actual Behavior

It's not clear what the active pane is

Please click on the full image as the thumbnail below is a bit clearer :)

The pane with a (1) inside is active

I know this is a subjective issue but is there a way to make the borders more clear, or better, give the pane a different background/shade or place an icon in the bottom right corner that signals it's the active one?
The main issue I have is that I can't see the active one even when I consciously cycle between the panes with the keyboard shortcuts.

Thank you.

image

Originally created by @buckleyGI on GitHub (Mar 15, 2023). ### Windows Terminal version 1.16.10262.0 ### Windows build number Build 22000.co_release.210604-1628 ### Other Software _No response_ ### Steps to reproduce Create a few panes ### Expected Behavior Clearly see what pane is active/focused ### Actual Behavior It's not clear what the active pane is Please click on the full image as the thumbnail below is a bit clearer :) The pane with a (1) inside is active I know this is a subjective issue but is there a way to make the borders more clear, or better, give the pane a different background/shade or place an icon in the bottom right corner that signals it's the active one? The main issue I have is that I can't see the active one even when I consciously cycle between the panes with the keyboard shortcuts. Thank you. ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/2102864/225348422-17154c89-9bd8-4a30-b44c-9924848be6ad.png)
claunia added the Needs-TriageIssue-BugNeeds-Author-Feedback labels 2026-01-31 06:46:27 +00:00
claunia commented 2026-01-31 06:46:28 +00:00
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@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2023):

You'd probably be interested in Unfocused appearance settings. You can add settings to your profile to configure what the control looks like when it's inactive. So you could set a different background color. Or you could add a background image to the profile's normal appearance, but not the unfocusedAppearance (resulting in only the active pane having that image).

I personally have the following in a couple of my profiles:

"unfocusedAppearance":
{
    // First, download https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/blob/main/samples/PixelShaders/Grayscale.hlsl to "C:\Grayscale.hlsl", or wherever
    "experimental.pixelShaderPath": "C:\\Grayscale.hlsl",
    "background": "#162029",
},

Another thing that'll probably help - in 1.17, we fixed the pane borders to actually use the dark theme when the app is in dark mode (#3917).

Would that work for you/?

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2023): You'd probably be interested in [Unfocused appearance settings](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/customize-settings/profile-appearance#unfocused-appearance-settings). You can add settings to your profile to configure what the control looks like when it's inactive. So you could set a different background color. Or you could add a background image to the profile's normal appearance, but not the `unfocusedAppearance` (resulting in only the active pane having that image). I personally have the following in a couple of my profiles: ```jsonc "unfocusedAppearance": { // First, download https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/blob/main/samples/PixelShaders/Grayscale.hlsl to "C:\Grayscale.hlsl", or wherever "experimental.pixelShaderPath": "C:\\Grayscale.hlsl", "background": "#162029", }, ``` Another thing that'll probably help - in 1.17, we fixed the pane borders to actually use the dark theme when the app is in dark mode (#3917). Would that work for you/?
claunia commented 2026-01-31 06:46:28 +00:00
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@buckleyGI commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2023):

Yes, this worked for me. Thank you :)

For completeness, below is what I added to my json file showing the json hierarchy.
I like the idea of the shader but am not going to use it for now as it removes colors that could indicate errors/warnings.
It opens possibilities though 👍

I used winget to install Terminal and don't get presented the update to 1.17. Not sure if that is expected.

{
...
    "profiles": 
    {
        "defaults": 
        {
            
            ...
            
            "unfocusedAppearance":
            {
                "background": "#162029",
            },
        },
@buckleyGI commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2023): Yes, this worked for me. Thank you :) For completeness, below is what I added to my json file showing the json hierarchy. I like the idea of the shader but am not going to use it for now as it removes colors that could indicate errors/warnings. It opens possibilities though 👍 I used winget to install Terminal and don't get presented the update to 1.17. Not sure if that is expected. ``` { ... "profiles": { "defaults": { ... "unfocusedAppearance": { "background": "#162029", }, }, ```
claunia commented 2026-01-31 06:46:28 +00:00
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@buckleyGI commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2023):

It seems it is still a bit buggy though.
When I open up terminal I get the see the first screenshot which is incorrect. Only the first pane should be black AFAIK.
After hovering and clicking with the mouse a bit it is corrected.

Is this a known issue already? Otherwise I create a bug if you want.

image

image

@buckleyGI commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2023): It seems it is still a bit buggy though. When I open up terminal I get the see the first screenshot which is incorrect. Only the first pane should be black AFAIK. After hovering and clicking with the mouse a bit it is corrected. Is this a known issue already? Otherwise I create a bug if you want. ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/2102864/225656835-af579cfa-86c8-48e6-be96-8ee47d329af6.png) ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/2102864/225656858-c9320ba2-1c78-4c13-a606-0941984953bf.png)
claunia commented 2026-01-31 06:46:28 +00:00
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@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2023):

I used winget to install Terminal and don't get presented the update to 1.17. Not sure if that is expected.

Yep - there's two different channels for "Terminal (stable)" vs "Terminal Preview". Stable's currently on 1.16, Preview's on 1.17. They're different apps in the app store & winget, and they both can be installed side-by-side.

It seems it is still a bit buggy though.
When I open up terminal I get the see the first screenshot which is incorrect. Only the first pane should be black AFAIK.

I know that there is an issue tracking this somewhere, but I can't find it immediately. Something about the cursor blinking when opening multiple panes.

@zadjii-msft commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2023): > I used winget to install Terminal and don't get presented the update to 1.17. Not sure if that is expected. Yep - there's two different channels for "Terminal (stable)" vs "Terminal Preview". Stable's currently on 1.16, Preview's on 1.17. They're different apps in the app store & winget, and they both can be installed side-by-side. > It seems it is still a bit buggy though. > When I open up terminal I get the see the first screenshot which is incorrect. Only the first pane should be black AFAIK. I know that there _is_ an issue tracking this somewhere, but I can't find it immediately. Something about the cursor blinking when opening multiple panes.
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