Windows Terminal Keyboard Shortcuts
I have to use Windows where I work but I use the terminal as often as
possible. Microsoft’s Windows Terminal application makes that experience
tolerable. You can even think that you’re using tmux at
times…well, not really, but you get the idea.
Here are some of the keyboard shortcuts that I use:
Split current terminal window
Alt Shift - split pane horizontal
Alt Shift - split pane vertical
Jump to other console
Alt <arrow key>
Resize current terminal window
Alt Shift <arrow key>
Close terminal window
Ctrl Shift W
Others that I don’t use as much
Ctrl + Shift + Number: Open new profiles/tabs. Use this
shortcut to open a new profile or tab in Windows Terminal. Each number
represents a specific profile in the Terminal. Profiles are numbered in
the top-down form in the profile selection dropdown menu on the title
bar. For example, if the PowerShell profile is in the second position,
you should press the “Ctrl + Shift + 2” to open it.
Ctrl + Alt + Number: Switch to a specific tab. Use this
shortcut to switch between tabs. Tabs are numbered from left to right
and start with “1.” For example, if you want to switch to the third tab,
press “Ctrl + Alt + 3.”
Ctrl + Shift + Space: Opens profile selection dropdown
menu. You can then use the up/down arrow keys to select and open the
profile.
Ctrl + Shift + T: Opens a new tab with the default
profile.
Ctrl + Shift + N: Opens a new Windows Terminal
instance.
Ctrl + Shift + D: This shortcut will duplicate or open
another instance of the current tab. However, it will not copy the
content of the original tab.
Ctrl + C: Copy selected text. Select the text in the
Terminal and press the shortcut to copy it to the clipboard. Once
copied, you can paste it anywhere you want.
Ctrl + V: Paste clipboard content. Pressing this
shortcut will paste the clipboard contents into the Terminal. Keep in
mind that only compatible content, like text, will be pasted. If you try
to paste incompatible content, like an image, the result will not be as
expected or intended.
Ctrl + Shift + W: Close the current tab (not the entire
application).
Alt + F4: Close the Windows Terminal window. If there
are multiple tabs, you might see a warning prompt. In that case, click
“Close all” to continue.
Ctrl + Shift + F: Opens the “Find” function. It can be
used to find instances of a text or sentence in a terminal tab. This
functionality is similar to what you find in a browser or other
applications like Notepad, Word, etc.
Ctrl + Numpad Add/Minus: Increase or decrease the text
size in the Windows Terminal tab.
Ctrl + 0: Reset the font or text size its default
(100%).
Ctrl + Shift + Up/Down arrow: Scroll up or down in the
Windows Terminal.
Ctrl + Shift + PageUp/PageDown: Move to top or bottom in
the Windows Terminal.
Alt + Shift + Minus/Plus: Split current pane
horizontally or vertically.
Ctrl + Shift + P: Toggle command palette. It can be used
to select and execute a command or action from the available list.
Ctrl + Shift + ,: This shortcut opens the Settings tab
in the Windows Terminal.
F11: Toggle fullscreen.