Microsoft unveils last Windows Terminal preview before v1 release

News

Reading time icon 2 min. read

Calendar icon Published on

by Radu Tyrsina 

published on

Share this article

Readers help support Windows Report. We may get a commission if you buy through our links. Tooltip Icon

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial team Read more

Ever since its unveiling at Build 2019, Microsoft has been on a journey to perfect the new Windows Terminal command-line app based on feedback from the community. It’s gone through many preview updates, and on February 13, Microsoft announced the last Windows Terminal preview before the v1 release.

With this release, there are quite a few tweaks that developers are likely to enjoy. To begin, the wt execution alias now supports command line arguments. According to Microsoft, this means developers can “launch Terminal with new tabs and panes split just how you like, with the profiles you like, starting in the directories you like.” In addition, this release makes it so that the Windows Terminal will now detect any version of PowerShell and automatically create a profile for you. Finally, there is a new global setting that will allow you to hide the “Close All Tabs” confirmation dialog.

Along with the above new features, this release also has some other improvements. Developers can now navigate word-by-word using Narrator, and can also drag and drop a file into the Terminal to have the file path printed. Other bug fixes and improvements are seen below.

  • Ctrl+Ins and Shift+Ins are bound by default to copy and paste respectively
  • You can now hold Shift and click to expand your selection
  • VS Code keys used for key bindings are now supported
  • Terminal won’t crash when Narrator is running
  • Terminal won’t crash when you provide an invalid background image or icon path
  • Our popup dialogs all now have rounded buttons
  • The search box now works properly in high contrast
  • Some ligatures will render more correctly

The news about this preview means that Microsoft is close to its original promise of launching the Windows Terminal application around the first half of 2020. The company originally mentioned that it might come around February or March, and that timing is now here.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina Shield

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.