Fix Windows Terminal Not Opening: 7 Steps That Work

If Windows Terminal won’t open, the fix is usually a corrupted settings file, an outdated app, or a conflict with a third-party shell—and you can resolve it in under ten minutes by resetting the app or its configuration. This guide walks you through the most effective troubleshooting steps, from simple restarts to a full reset, and explains why each one works.

Why Windows Terminal Fails to Launch

Windows Terminal is a modern host application that runs command-line tools like PowerShell, Command Prompt, and WSL. When it fails to open, the cause is rarely the Windows OS itself. The most common culprits are:

• Corrupted settings.json – The file that stores your profiles, themes, and key bindings can become malformed after an update or a manual edit.
• Outdated app version – Older builds may have bugs that are fixed in newer releases.
• Conflicting third-party shells – If you installed a custom shell like Git Bash or a development environment, it might interfere with the default profile.
• Windows Store or app registration issues – The app package may be damaged or not properly registered.
• Graphics or display driver problems – In rare cases, GPU rendering can prevent the window from appearing.

Before You Start: Quick Checks

Try these fast checks first—they solve a surprising number of cases:

1. Restart your computer. This clears temporary glitches and releases locked files.
2. Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (or Windows Terminal) to see if it opens from there.
3. Open File Explorer and navigate to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps. Look for wt.exe. If it’s missing, the app isn’t installed correctly.
4. Search for “Terminal” in the Start menu, right-click it, and choose Run as administrator. If it opens as admin, the issue is likely related to your user profile.

Step 1: Reset the Settings File

The settings.json file is the most common culprit. If it’s corrupted, Windows Terminal will often crash on launch. Here’s how to reset it safely:

1. Press Win + R, type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState, and press Enter.
2. Find the file named settings.json. Rename it to settings.old.json (don’t delete it yet).
3. Try opening Windows Terminal again. If it works, the app will create a fresh settings.json with default values.
4. If you had custom profiles or themes, you can manually copy them from the old file—but only after verifying the new one works.

If the folder doesn’t exist, the app may be installed from the Microsoft Store under a different package name. In that case, search for “Windows Terminal” in the Store and reinstall it.

Step 2: Repair or Reset the App via Settings

Windows 10 and 11 include built-in repair options for Store apps. This is a non-destructive way to fix common issues:

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps (Windows 11) or Apps & features (Windows 10).
2. Search for “Windows Terminal”.
3. Click the three-dot menu (or the app name) and select Advanced options.
4. Click Repair. This will attempt to fix the app without deleting your data.
5. If that doesn’t work, click Reset. This will delete the app’s data, including your settings and profiles. You’ll need to reconfigure after.

Reset is more aggressive, so try Repair first. After a reset, the app should launch with default settings.

Step 3: Update Windows Terminal

Microsoft updates Windows Terminal regularly through the Microsoft Store. An outdated version can have bugs that are already fixed. To update:

1. Open the Microsoft Store.
2. Click Library in the bottom-left.
3. Click Get updates and wait for it to check.
4. If Windows Terminal appears in the list, click Update next to it.

Alternatively, you can download the latest release from the official GitHub repository, but the Store version is simpler for most users.

Step 4: Re-register the App

If the app is installed but not properly registered, re-registering it can help. Open PowerShell as administrator and run:

Get-AppxPackage -Name Microsoft.WindowsTerminal | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

This command tells Windows to re-register the existing app package without downloading anything. After it completes, try launching Terminal again.

Step 5: Check for Conflicting Shells or Startup Actions

Sometimes the issue isn’t the Terminal app itself but a shell it tries to load. If you have Git Bash, Cmder, or a custom PowerShell profile that runs a script on startup, it might hang or crash the entire window. To test:

1. Temporarily rename your PowerShell profile file (typically Documents\PowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1) to disable it.
2. If you use WSL, try launching Terminal with a different profile: hold Shift and right-click the Terminal icon, then select Run as different user or use the command wt -p "Command Prompt" from a Run dialog.
3. If Terminal opens with Command Prompt but not with PowerShell, the problem is in your PowerShell profile.

If you suspect a specific shell, you can also temporarily change the default profile in settings.json to a basic one like Command Prompt, then test.

Step 6: Disable GPU Acceleration

Windows Terminal uses your GPU for rendering. In rare cases, outdated or buggy graphics drivers can prevent the window from appearing. To disable GPU acceleration:

1. Open settings.json (as in Step 1).
2. Look for the "useAcrylic" or "experimental.rendering" settings. Add or change "experimental.rendering" to "disabled" (if it exists).
3. Alternatively, add "useAtlasEngine": false to the top-level settings object. This forces the older rendering engine.

If you can’t open the file because Terminal won’t launch, edit settings.json manually with Notepad. After changing, save and try launching again.

Step 7: Reinstall Windows Terminal

If none of the above works, a clean reinstall is the most thorough fix. This will remove the app and all its data, then install a fresh copy.

1. Open PowerShell as administrator.
2. Run Get-AppxPackage *WindowsTerminal* | Remove-AppxPackage to uninstall.
3. Restart your computer.
4. Open the Microsoft Store, search for “Windows Terminal”, and install it again.

After reinstalling, you’ll have default settings. You can then reconfigure your profiles and themes from scratch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Windows Terminal open and immediately close?

This usually happens when the default profile is set to a shell that fails to start, like a broken PowerShell module or an invalid command in the profile. Try changing the default profile to Command Prompt in settings.json, or reset the settings file as described in Step 1.

Can I recover my custom settings after a reset?

If you reset the app via Settings, your settings.json is deleted. However, if you manually renamed the file (Step 1), you can restore it. Always back up settings.json before making major changes.

Does Windows Terminal work on Windows 10?

Yes, Windows Terminal is available for Windows 10 version 1903 and later. If you’re on an older version, you may need to update Windows or install the app manually from GitHub.

Why is Windows Terminal not in the Microsoft Store?

If you can’t find it, your Windows version may be too old, or the Store cache is corrupted. Try running wsreset.exe to clear the Store cache, then search again. Alternatively, download the .msixbundle from the official GitHub releases.

Is there a way to open Windows Terminal from the right-click context menu?

Yes, Windows Terminal adds an “Open in Terminal” option to the context menu by default. If it’s missing, you can re-enable it in settings.json by setting "openInTerminal" to true in the "actions" array.

What if Windows Terminal still won’t open after all these steps?

If you’ve tried all steps and the issue persists, consider creating a new Windows user account and testing Terminal there. If it works under a new account, the problem is likely a corrupted user profile. You can also check the Windows Event Viewer for error logs related to “Windows Terminal” to get more specific clues.

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