How to Customize Windows Terminal Like a Pro

Windows Terminal has quickly become one of the best tools Microsoft has ever introduced for developers, IT professionals, and power users. With support for multiple shells (CMD, PowerShell, WSL, Git Bash), tabs, themes, and extensive configuration options, it’s a modern terminal designed for flexibility and personalization.

If you’re here reading this guide, you probably want to take your Windows Terminal experience to the next level — whether by adding new shells, applying beautiful themes, enabling GPU-accelerated rendering, adding custom backgrounds, or making your terminal feel as polished and productive as possible.

In this in-depth guide, we walk you through everything you can do to customize Windows Terminal like a pro, from beginner-friendly tweaks to advanced JSON configurations.

Why Customize Windows Terminal?

Customizing Windows Terminal helps you:

• Improve readability
• Make commands easier to spot
• Personalize colors, themes, and layouts
• Add transparency effects and blur
• Boost productivity with custom keybindings
• Create a visually appealing developer environment
• Add your favorite shells (WSL, Git Bash, PowerShell 7, etc.)

1. Install PowerShell 7 (Optional but Highly Recommended)

PowerShell 7 is faster, more modern, and more powerful than the default Windows PowerShell.

1. Open the Microsoft Store.
2. Search for PowerShell 7.
3. Install it — Windows Terminal will detect it automatically.

This gives you a smoother shell to work with.

2. Customize the Terminal Theme (Appearance Settings

Windows Terminal comes with multiple built-in themes, but you can make it look exactly the way you want.

1. Open Windows Terminal.
2. Click the ▼ arrow next to the tab bar.
3. Choose Settings.
4. Go to Appearance.

Key options to customize:

Theme

• Light
• Dark
• System

Tab appearance

• Show acrylic background
• Compact tab sizing
• Colorful active tabWindow transparency

Enable acrylic effects, blur, and opacity to create a professional terminal look.

Background image

You can set:

• A static background image
• A moving video wallpaper
• A translucent background

Example:

backgroundImage": "C:/Users/You/Pictures/terminalbg.png",
"useAcrylic": true,
"acrylicOpacity": 0.8

3. Install Nerd Fonts for Beautiful Icons

Nerd Fonts include developer icons, Powerline symbols, and terminal glyphs.

1. Visit nerdfonts.com.
2. Download a font like
   • FiraCode Nerd Font
   • Cascadia Code Nerd Font
   • JetBrains Mono Nerd Font
3. Install the font.
4. In Terminal settings → Profiles → Defaults → Appearance, select your Nerd Font.

This step unlocks stylish symbols in PowerShell prompts and tools like Oh My Posh.

4. Customize PowerShell with Oh My Pos

Oh My Posh is a powerful prompt theming engine that adds beautiful themes, icons, color bars, and Git status indicators.

Install Oh My Posh:

winget install JanDeDobbeleer.OhMyPosh -s winget

Install the Nerd Fonts (if not done yet):

oh-my-posh font install

Apply a theme:

oh-my-posh init pwsh --config "$env:POSH_THEMES_PATH\amro.omp.json" | Invoke-Expression

To make this permanent:

1. Open PowerShell profile:

notepad $PROFILE

2. Add:

oh-my-posh init pwsh --config "$env:POSH_THEMES_PATH\amro.omp.json" | Invoke-Expression

The next time you open Terminal, your PowerShell prompt will look amazing.

5. Add Transparency, Acrylic Blur & Custom Colors

Windows Terminal supports transparency and background effects.

1. Open Settings → Profiles → Defaults → Appearance.
2. Enable Use acrylic.
3. Adjust Acrylic opacity.
4. Change background color with a hex code.

Example cool color schemes:

• #1E1E2E (Catppuccin)
• #0C0C0C (Minimal dark)
• #2D2A55 (Night purple)

The result is a modern, polished UI.

6. Add a Custom Background Image or GIF

For a pro aesthetic, add a custom background.

1. Open Settings → Profiles → Defaults → Appearance.
2. Scroll to Background image.
3. Select:
   • A wallpaper
   • A minimalist pattern
   • A GIF (yes — animated images work!)

Adjust image opacity or alignment for best results.

7. Customize Keybindings Like a Power User

Custom keybindings speed up your terminal workflow.

1. Open Settings → Actions.
2. Add or modify shortcuts.

Popular keybindings:

Open new tab:

Ctrl + T

Split pane:

• Alt + Shift + + (vertical)
• Alt + Shift + – (horizontal)

Switch panes:

Alt + Arrow Keys

You can define your own shortcuts inside the JSON file too.

8. Enable GPU Rendering for Smoother Output

Windows Terminal uses GPU acceleration for better performance.

Ensure it’s enabled:

Settings → Rendering → Enable:

• Use GPU acceleration
• Smooth fonts

The terminal will feel noticeably smoother, especially with animations.

9. Create Multiple Customized Profiles

Windows Terminal supports unlimited profiles, each with its own theme, icon, command line, and layout.

Examples:

• PowerShell 7 with Oh My Posh
• Git Bash with custom colors
• Ubuntu WSL with Nerd Fonts
• CMD with retro green-on-black theme

To create a new profile:

1. Go to Settings → + Add a new profile.
2. Choose your shell.
3. Apply its own color scheme, icon, and background.

This allows you to instantly switch environments by clicking tabs.

10. Master the settings.json File (Advanced Customization)

Every terminal customization is stored inside the settings.json file.

To open it:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click Open JSON file.

From here, you can:

• Add full themes
• Control all appearance settings
• Customize pane behaviors
• Add custom titlebars
• Define new schemes and backgrounds
• Assign icons to profiles

Example color scheme block:

"schemes": [
  {
    "name": "MacOSDark",
    "background": "#1E1E1E",
    "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
    "black": "#000000",
    "red": "#FF3B30",
    "green": "#34C759",
    "yellow": "#FFCC00",
    "blue": "#007AFF",
    "purple": "#AF52DE",
    "cyan": "#5AC8FA",
    "white": "#D1D1D6"
  }
]

Now assign this theme to any profile.

11. Add Terminal Icons for Profiles

Give each profile its own icon for a professional look.

Example icons:

• PowerShell → blue PS logo
• Ubuntu → orange circle
• Git Bash → Git logo

In JSON:

"icon": "C:/Icons/ubuntu.png"

12. Split Panes for Multi-View Productivity

Split panes let you run multiple shells inside one window.

Shortcuts:

• Vertical split: Alt + Shift + +
• Horizontal split: Alt + Shift + –

Perfect for:

• Running two commands simultaneously
• Comparing logs
• Working with Git + PowerShell

13. Add Command-Line Tools for a Better Experience

Power users often add:

eza (Modern ls alternative)

winget install eza

zoxide (Smart cd navigation)

winget install ajeetdsouza.zoxide

bat (Syntax-highlighted cat)

winget install sharkdp.bat

fzf (Fuzzy finder)

winget install junegunn.fzf

These tools significantly boost productivity.

Wrapping Up

Windows Terminal is far more than a simple command-line window — it’s a fully customizable, modern terminal environment. Once you apply custom themes, fonts, backgrounds, icon sets, Oh My Posh prompts, and advanced keybindings, your terminal becomes a powerful, visually stunning workspace that matches your workflow perfectly.