Windows 11 Ditches PowerShell and Command Prompt by Default

Microsoft released Windows Terminal in 2020, which brings together all of Windows’ command-line shells into one customizable application. Soon, the Terminal will be the default app for command-line operations on Windows 11.

Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 Build 22622.436 to people in the Windows Insiders Beta Channel. Besides the new Nearby Share features, the update also sets Windows Terminal as the default terminal app on Windows. That means scripts, applications, and other software that runs in PowerShell and the old Command Prompt (CMD.EXE) will now open in Windows Terminal instead of those applications. The switch was announced last year.

Windows Terminal was an optional free download on Windows 10 (it’s even open-source), and Terminal became a bundled system application with the arrival of Windows 11. The app is a significant improvement over the Command Prompt and PowerShell, with the addition of tabs, rich text, many configurable settings, themes, and much more.

You can even have a mix of PowerShell and Command Prompt tabs in the same window. If you have the Windows Subsystem for Linux installed, your Linux environments are also accessible through the Terminal.

Even though Windows Terminal is targeted at developers, it’s still a nicer experience for anyone who occasionally needs to run a command in Windows. The Terminal is also an example of Microsoft simplifying the Windows experience by merging similar apps and services. The new Media Player is in the same boat, as it has already replaced Groove Music and will soon be the default app for opening video and audio files on Windows 11.

It’s not clear yet when the Terminal switch will be rolled out to everyone on the stable version of Windows 11. However, there’s already an option to change the default app to Windows Terminal on Windows 10 and 11, so you can do it right now if you want. PowerShell and the Command Prompt will remain installed.