How to Use Terminal App in Windows 10

This guide shows you how to open and use the Terminal app in Windows 10, including running commands, navigating folders, and customizing the interface. You’ll learn the essential steps to start using the command line effectively, whether you’re a beginner or need a quick refresher.

What You’ll Need

A PC running Windows 10 (version 19041 or later) — the Terminal app is preinstalled on newer builds, but you can also install it from the Microsoft Store.
Basic understanding of what a command line is (optional but helpful).
Administrator rights only if you need to run commands that require elevated privileges.

Step-by-Step

Open the Terminal app. Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type “Terminal” in the search box. From the results, select Windows Terminal (or just “Terminal” if that’s what appears). You can also right-click the Start button and choose “Windows Terminal” or “Terminal” from the quick link menu.
If you don’t see it, install it from the Microsoft Store. Open the Store, search for “Windows Terminal,” and click “Get” or “Install.” Once installed, launch it from the Start menu.
Understand the default tab. When Terminal opens, it usually starts with a PowerShell tab (or Command Prompt, depending on your settings). This is your command line interface where you type commands.
Type your first command. For example, type dir (in Command Prompt) or ls (in PowerShell) to list files and folders in the current directory. Press Enter to execute.
Navigate between folders. Use the cd command to change directories. For instance, type cd C:\Users and press Enter. To go back one level, type cd ...
Open a new tab. Click the + (plus) icon in the tab bar, or press Ctrl+Shift+T to open a new tab with the same profile. To open a different profile (like Command Prompt), click the dropdown arrow next to the + icon and select the profile.
Split the window. You can view multiple terminals side by side. Press Alt+Shift+D to split vertically, or Alt+Shift+Plus (the + key) to split horizontally. This is handy for running multiple commands simultaneously.
Copy and paste. To copy text, select it with your mouse and press Ctrl+C. To paste, press Ctrl+V. This works in both PowerShell and Command Prompt within Terminal.
Use keyboard shortcuts for efficiency. Learn a few: Ctrl+Shift+W closes the current tab, Ctrl+Shift+F searches the terminal output, and Ctrl+Shift+1 switches to the first profile (usually PowerShell).
Customize the appearance. Click the dropdown arrow next to the tab bar and select Settings. Here you can change the color scheme, font, background image, and default profile. You can also edit the settings.json file directly for more advanced options.
Run commands as administrator. If you need elevated privileges, right-click the Terminal icon in the taskbar and select “Run as administrator.” Alternatively, in the dropdown menu, select “Run as administrator” for the specific profile.
Exit the terminal. Type exit and press Enter, or simply close the window. All tabs will close.

Common Mistakes

Typing commands with the wrong case. While Windows is case-insensitive for file paths, some commands and arguments are case-sensitive (especially in PowerShell). Always type commands exactly as shown.
Forgetting spaces. Commands and arguments are separated by spaces. For example, cd C:\Users works, but cdC:\Users will fail.
Using the wrong slash. Windows uses backslashes (\) for paths, not forward slashes (/). Some commands accept forward slashes as switches, but for directories, use backslashes.
Opening the wrong profile. If you’re used to Command Prompt, but Terminal opens PowerShell, you might get confused by different syntax. Check the tab title to know which shell you’re using.
Not using quotes for paths with spaces. If a folder name contains spaces, enclose the entire path in quotes, like cd "C:\Program Files".

Tips

Use Tab to auto-complete file and folder names. Type the first few letters and press Tab to cycle through matches.
Press the Up arrow to recall the last command you typed. This saves time when repeating commands.
Right-click on the terminal window to paste text (if you haven’t enabled Ctrl+V). This is a legacy behavior but still works.
If you’re new to the command line, start with safe commands like help (in Command Prompt) or Get-Help (in PowerShell) to learn about available commands.
You can drag and drop a file or folder into the terminal to paste its full path automatically.
To clear the screen, type cls (Command Prompt) or clear (PowerShell).

Troubleshooting

Terminal won’t open. If clicking the icon does nothing, try restarting your PC. If the issue persists, reinstall the Terminal app from the Microsoft Store. Also, ensure your Windows 10 is updated to at least version 19041.

Commands are not recognized. If you get “not recognized as an internal or external command,” you may have mistyped the command, or it may not be available in the current shell. For example, ls works in PowerShell but not in Command Prompt (use dir). Check the tab title to see which shell you’re in.

Can’t paste with Ctrl+V. If Ctrl+V doesn’t paste, go to Settings > Interaction and enable “Use Ctrl+Shift+C/V as Copy/Paste” (or just Ctrl+V if you prefer).

Terminal opens but is blank. This may happen if the default profile is set to a shell that isn’t installed. Go to Settings and change the default profile to PowerShell or Command Prompt.

Font or colors look wrong. Reset to default settings by going to Settings and clicking “Reset” or delete the settings.json file (it will be recreated with defaults).

Keyboard shortcuts don’t work. Some shortcuts may conflict with other apps. Check Settings > Actions to see the key bindings and modify them if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Windows Terminal?
A: Windows Terminal is a modern, tabbed host for command-line programs like Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). It offers better customization and features compared to the older console windows.

Q: Can I use Windows Terminal on Windows 10?
A: Yes, if you have Windows 10 version 19041 or later. It’s preinstalled on newer builds, but you can also install it from the Microsoft Store.

Q: How do I change the default shell in Terminal?
A: Open Settings (dropdown arrow > Settings), then under “Startup” select the default profile from the dropdown menu. Save changes by clicking “Save” or closing the settings file.

Q: Is Windows Terminal free?
A: Yes, it’s free and open-source from Microsoft.

Q: Can I run Linux commands in Windows Terminal?
A: Yes, if you install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and then add a WSL profile in Terminal. You can then open a Linux terminal tab.

Q: Why does my command not work in PowerShell but works in Command Prompt?
A: PowerShell uses a different syntax and set of commands. For example, to list files, PowerShell uses ls (alias for Get-ChildItem), while Command Prompt uses dir. You can use dir in PowerShell too, but not all commands are interchangeable.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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