Using the terminal in windows

You can enter commands after the command prompt. Keep in mind that you cannot access source code through a terminal. The terminal is used to execute commands that allow you to do a certain task. The command line is the actual line in a console where you type your command. Aside from its development-related purposes, the command line is an excellent tool for automating actions, scripting, and a host of other things that are typically faster than doing them in Finder. All commands have three parts: the utility, the flags, and the arguments.

The utility is always first in the command, with the flag and argument following depending on their rules. Here is an example of a command that you would type into the command line:. When you open the terminal, it typically opens to the home directory of your computer. Here is how to use the cd utility to navigate to the documents directory of your computer. The default text editor is defined in your Windows settings. The path for your Windows Terminal settings.

You can launch the terminal in a specific configuration using command line arguments. These arguments let you open the terminal with specific tabs and panes with custom profile settings. Learn more about command line arguments on the Command line arguments page.

If you encounter any difficulties using the terminal, reference the Troubleshooting page. If you find any bugs or have a feature request, you can select the feedback link in the About menu of the terminal to go to the GitHub page where you can file a new issue.

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Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Open your computer's Start menu. Type cmd or Command Prompt. After opening the Start menu, type this on your keyboard to search the menu items. You can open Terminal from the Start menu like this. The Run tool is a handy accessory for launching built-in Windows apps. Desktop shortcuts are one of the most direct ways to open software and apps.

So, adding a Windows Terminal shortcut to the desktop will give you a very quick way to open that app. Here is how you can set up a Windows Terminal desktop shortcut within Windows You can configure the shortcut to always run Windows Terminal as an administrator, which might be necessary for certain commands.

To do that, right-click the desktop shortcut and select Properties. Select the Run this program as an administrator checkbox on the Compatibility tab shown directly below. Then click Apply , and select OK to close the properties window. Pressing a hotkey is an even more direct way to open Windows Terminal than clicking a desktop shortcut. If you set up a desktop shortcut, you can then add a hotkey to it. Just follow these steps to set up a Terminal keyboard shortcut.