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Provide a concise and automation-friendly way to start Windows Terminal #5076

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opened 2026-01-31 00:04:29 +00:00 by claunia · 3 comments
claunia commented 2026-01-31 00:04:29 +00:00
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Originally created by @noseratio on GitHub (Nov 20, 2019).

Description of the new feature/enhancement

I'd like to be able to start Windows Terminal via:

  • Win+R system dialog
  • a desktop shortcut (so I can assign a hot key to it and launch it maximized)
  • another console command line prompt (e.g. from CMD or PowerShell started via CreateProcess API)
  • ShellExecute Win32 API

Proposed technical implementation details (optional)

So far, the only way I'm able to run the Windows Terminal from another console app (or script) is to run it as:

explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App

or:

cmd.exe /c start /max shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App

or (from PowerShell):

explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder\$(get-appxpackage -name Microsoft.WindowsTerminal | select -expandproperty PackageFamilyName)!App

This feels like a hack to me, and it ignores the flag to run maximized, if instructed so in a desktop shortcut (former), or with start /max command (latter).

Ideally, Windows Terminal should register itself as a custom URI handler, and accept arguments like maximized etc. via an URI.

Originally created by @noseratio on GitHub (Nov 20, 2019). # Description of the new feature/enhancement I'd like to be able to start Windows Terminal via: - <kbd>Win</kbd>+<kbd>R</kbd> system dialog - a desktop shortcut (so I can assign a hot key to it and launch it maximized) - another console command line prompt (e.g. from CMD or PowerShell started via `CreateProcess` API) - [ShellExecute](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/shellapi/nf-shellapi-shellexecutea) Win32 API # Proposed technical implementation details (optional) So far, the only way I'm able to run the Windows Terminal from another console app (or script) is to run it as: explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App or: cmd.exe /c start /max shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App or (from PowerShell): explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder\$(get-appxpackage -name Microsoft.WindowsTerminal | select -expandproperty PackageFamilyName)!App This feels like a hack to me, and it ignores the flag to run maximized, if instructed so in a desktop shortcut (former), or with `start /max` command (latter). Ideally, Windows Terminal should register itself as [a custom URI handler](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/launch-resume/launch-app-with-uri), and accept arguments like `maximized` etc. via an URI.
claunia added the Issue-FeatureNeeds-Tag-Fix labels 2026-01-31 00:04:29 +00:00
claunia commented 2026-01-31 00:04:30 +00:00
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@dhrdlicka commented on GitHub (Nov 20, 2019):

There already already is the wt.exe execution alias that you could use in such cases.

@dhrdlicka commented on GitHub (Nov 20, 2019): There already already is the `wt.exe` execution alias that you could use in such cases.
claunia commented 2026-01-31 00:04:30 +00:00
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@noseratio commented on GitHub (Nov 20, 2019):

There already already is the wt.exe execution alias that you could use in such cases.

@dhrdlicka , I'm getting 'wt.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command. I've installed WT via choco install microsoft-windows-terminal. Just in case, I went ahead and re-installed it, still no wt.exe. Am I missing something?

@noseratio commented on GitHub (Nov 20, 2019): > There already already is the `wt.exe` execution alias that you could use in such cases. @dhrdlicka , I'm getting `'wt.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command`. I've installed WT via `choco install microsoft-windows-terminal`. Just in case, I went ahead and re-installed it, still no `wt.exe`. Am I missing something?
claunia commented 2026-01-31 00:04:30 +00:00
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@noseratio commented on GitHub (Nov 20, 2019):

Found it, %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps\wt.exe - thanks!

It would be great if the Chocolatey package installer created a shim for this.

@noseratio commented on GitHub (Nov 20, 2019): Found it, `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps\wt.exe` - thanks! It would be great if the Chocolatey package installer created a shim for this.
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Reference: starred/terminal#5076
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