14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently released the very first preview of Windows Terminal, a new command line utility that was announced by the company at the Build developer conference in May.
Windows Terminal, which is available right now in the Microsoft Store, includes all the benefits of Command Prompt, PowerShell, and WSL, and brings features like multiple tabs, Unicode and UTF-8 character support, GPU acceleration, custom themes, styles, and configurations.
The application requires Windows 10 May 2019 Update or newer, so if you’re an insider running 20H1 preview builds, you should be able to get it as well.
Microsoft says a stable version of Windows Terminal should ship in the winter, but further specifics aren’t available right now.
“This is the first of several preview releases to the Microsoft Store. The Terminal team is working towards creating a consistent schedule that offers regular previews and more frequent builds for those who want to get access to the latest features as they arrive. Windows Terminal 1.0 will arrive in the Microsoft Store this winter!” Kayla Cinnamon, Program Manager, Windows Terminal, Console, & Command-Line, says.
Just a preview for now
Microsoft says it’s particularly focused on things like accessibility in the Windows Terminal, and the company encourages users to provide feedback on GitHub here.
“A top priority for Terminal is to include robust support for accessibility, as you have today in the default command-line experience on Windows. Much of this work is already complete and it’s our highest priority to support assistive technology in the next update to the Microsoft Store,” the Microsoft program manager explains.
Needless to say, given it’s a preview, some features may not work exactly as expected, albeit I tried Windows Terminal on my testing PC and everything seems to be running quite smoothly.
