In this guide, we will look at what Windows Terminal Shortcut keys are and how to use them. From the start, Windows hosts a series of command-line programs that ease doing basic operations on the computer.
For example, one can check hard drive health using CHKDSK or fix file corruption using SFC/DISM. There are numerous instances where you may require running such programs. Microsoft had recently clubbed all such software into a single cross-platform utility i.e. Windows Terminal.
Why knowing Windows Terminal hotkeys important?
Though you may use Windows Terminal just like any other application, knowing important shortcut keys help a lot in increasing your overall efficiency. With this, you may easily perform tasks like – Multiple panes/tabs, UTF-8 character support, Unicode, clickable URLs, and Graphical settings. Moreover, you may also customize the current theme, text, color, background, etc. to make your Terminal unique.
Windows Terminal Shortcut Keys
Here is the complete list of Windows Terminal hotkeys that may find useful –
| HotKeys | Command Names |
Ctrl + Shift + N |
Starts a new Windows Terminal |
Ctrl + Shift + T |
Opens a new profile tab |
Ctrl+ Shift + F |
Enables the Find button |
Ctrl + shift + P |
Starts the Search bar |
Ctrl + Shift + Number (1-9) |
Open a new tab profile index 1 to 9 |
Ctrl + Alt + Number (1-9) |
Switch between Tab 1 to 9 |
Ctrl + Tab |
Switch to the Next tab |
Ctrl + Shift + Tab |
Go back to the previous tab |
Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar |
Open the profile selection drop-down menu |
Ctrl + Shift + D |
Duplicate Tab |
Alt + Shift + D |
Duplicate Pane |
Ctrl + Shift + W |
Close the current running tab |
Ctrl + C |
Copy the selected item |
Ctrl + V |
Paste the selected item |
Ctrl + Comma(,) |
Launch the Windows Terminal Settings UI |
Ctrl + Alt + Comma(,) |
Launch the default settings file |
Ctrl + Shift + Comma(,) |
Enables searching for an app |
Ctrl + (+) |
Increase the font size |
Ctrl + (-) |
Decrease the font size |
Ctrl + (0) |
Reset the font size to the default |
Ctrl + Shift + Up arrow |
Scroll Up in the Windows Terminal |
| Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow | Scroll Down in the Windows Terminal |
| Ctrl + Shift + PgUp | Scroll Up one page |
| Ctrl + Shift + PgDn | Scroll Down one page |
| Ctrl + Shift + Home | Scroll to the top of the history |
| Ctrl + Shift + End | Scroll to the bottom of history |
| Alt + Shift + Plus(+) | Split a Vertical pane |
Alt + Shift + Minus(-) |
Split a Horizontal pane |
Alt + Shift + UP arrow |
Resize the current pane Up |
Alt + Shift + Down arrow |
Resize the current pane Down |
| Alt + Shift + Left arrow | Resize the current pane Left |
| Alt + Shift + Right arrow | Resize the current pane Right |
| Alt + Up arrow | Move focus to one pane Up |
| Alt + Down arrow | Move focus to one pane Down |
| Alt + Left arrow | Move focus to one pane Left |
| Alt + Right arrow | Move focus to one pane Right |
| Ctrl + Alt + Left arrow | Move focus to the last used pane |
Left Alt + Left Shift + PrtSn |
Toggle ON or OFF high visibility screen mode |
Win + ' |
Summon Quake mode |
F11 |
Toggle ON or OFF full-screen mode |
Alt + F4 |
Close the open Windows (entire program) |
I hope you find these shortcut keys useful and easy for your overall work while working on Windows Terminal.
How to customize Windows Terminal?
Whether you want to change the default color, change the background color, or use multiple panes and tabs, it’s all possible. Here’s how to customize Windows Terminal Preview in Windows.
How do I open Terminal in Windows?
The terminal is now the default command-line program on your computer. This consists of interfaces of all known tools like Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Azure Cloud Shell. To open it, follow these steps –
- Press Windows + X, and choose Terminal.
- If you are going to make some system-level changes on your PC, choose Terminal (Admin) instead.
- When the UAC window prompts, hit Yes to authorize opening the same.
