Windows Terminal

ApplicationMicrosoft Corporation

Also called wt, windows terminal, wt.exe

Microsoft CorporationSystem

A tabbed console host. The process is WindowsTerminal.exe. It is not PowerShell itself and it is not conhost.exe.

What you need to know

Windows Terminal is the tabbed host. It is not powershell.exe.

Microsoft Windows Terminal is the tab UI. Get it from aka.ms/terminal. The shell inside a tab is cmd, powershell.exe, pwsh, or WSL. conhost.exe is the older console host.

What is it?: A tabbed console host
Is it PowerShell?: No. PowerShell is a shell inside a tab
Same as conhost?: No. conhost is the older console host

Feex says

If Windows Terminal is the row, I am looking at the frame. I read the tab profile when I want the shell, and I do not call this process powershell.exe.

What is Windows Terminal?

WindowsTerminal.exe draws tabs, panes, and settings. OpenConsole.exe hosts the buffer. powershell.exe is Windows PowerShell 5.1 inside a tab if you pick that profile. They are separate processes.

If you have never used it

If you want tabs for cmd, PowerShell, and WSL, Windows Terminal is the Microsoft host. Install it from aka.ms/terminal or the Store. The window is WindowsTerminal.exe. The commands you type run in powershell.exe, pwsh.exe, cmd.exe, or wsl.exe. It is not PowerShell itself, and it is not the old conhost.exe window.

What is it used for?

Tabbed cmd, PowerShell, and WSL

Profiles pick the shell. Closing Terminal closes the frame. A scheduled powershell.exe can still run without this window.

JSON settings and schemes

settings.json is Terminal. It is not your PowerShell profile script.

Quake mode and startup profiles

Those are Terminal features. conhost.exe does not do tabs this way.

Who is it for?

People who want tabs instead of many conhost windows
Anyone who searched "Terminal" and thought it was PowerShell 7
Users who should still install pwsh separately if they want PowerShell 7

Current status

Windows Terminal (2019) is a current console host from Microsoft Corporation. The vendor still points Windows users at https://aka.ms/terminal.

How old is it?

Windows Terminal launched in 2019. conhost.exe is the older console host. Windows PowerShell 5.1 (powershell.exe) shipped years earlier. This article is the tabbed frame, not the shell language.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Stable

Preview

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	Windows 10 1903+ for current Terminal, per Microsoft. Everyday installs are Windows 10 2004+ or Windows 11
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: UI plus whatever the tabs run
RAM demand: Moderate for the frame, plus each shell
GPU demand: Terminal rendering can use the GPU

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
WindowsTerminal.exe	Tabbed terminal UI
OpenConsole.exe	Console buffer host
powershell.exe	A shell that can run in a tab, not this UI

Startup components

You can pin Terminal or add a Startup shortcut. That starts this UI, not pwsh by itself unless the profile says so.

File locations

Common Windows Terminal locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_*\

File formats

settings.jsonJSON fragments

Common problems

People end pwsh to close Terminal and leave a ghost window

Close this UI process or the window. Killing one shell tab does not always exit WindowsTerminal.exe.

GPU use blamed on the shell only

The frame renders here. The buffer host is OpenConsole. Check both before you reset the GPU driver.

Getting unstuck

wt.exe or the Start item, then check Settings > Startup

A Terminal window at logon is this exe. A PowerShell 7 task without a window is pwsh, not this UI.

Reset Windows Terminal from Apps if the UI will not open

That repairs Microsoft.WindowsTerminal. Replacing conhost.exe does not restore this frame.

Install PowerShell 7 from Microsoft Learn if you were told to use pwsh

Terminal can host it. It does not install pwsh by itself. powershell.exe is still 5.1.

Alternatives

conhost for a classic console. Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7 are shells, not hosts. Windows Terminal Preview is the next train.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	aka.ms/terminal Official installer or vendor page
Help	learn.microsoft.com/windows/terminal/ Vendor support
Official site	aka.ms/terminal Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

Terminal rendering can use the GPU. The heavy work is whatever the tabs run.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Windows Terminal official site · Vendor product page
Windows Terminal help · Vendor support
Microsoft Learn: Windows Terminal · Docs
Microsoft Store: Windows Terminal · Package Microsoft.WindowsTerminal
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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