How To Change the Default Shell in Windows Terminal

Learn two simple methods to change the default shell in Windows Terminal.

By default, PowerShell is the default shell in Windows Terminal. That means, when you open the Terminal application, it opens with the PowerShell tab active. When needed, you can open other shells from the dropdown menu on the title bar. While PowerShell is what Microsoft recommends for Windows, you might prefer Windows Terminal to open with a different shell by default.

For example, you might want to use Command Prompt or WSL as the default shell. Or, you’ve created a custom shell in Terminal and want to use it as your primary. Whatever the reason is, it is pretty easy to change the default shell in Windows Terminal. You can either use the Terminal settings or manually edit the “settings.json” file. I will show you how to do it in this quick and simple guide. Let’s get started.

Good to read: How to add Ubuntu shell to Windows Terminal

Change the Default Shell Using Windows Terminal Settings

Most don’t know this, but the Terminal has a dedicated Settings tab that allows you to customize it however you want. One such customization is changing the default shell. Here’s how to do it:

1. Right-click the “Windows” icon on the taskbar.
2. Select the “Terminal” option.
3. Click the dropdown icon on the title bar.
4. Select the “Settings” option.
5. Go to the “Startup” tab on the sidebar.
6. Choose a shell/profile from the “Default profile” dropdown menu.
7. Click “Save.”
8. With that, you’ve changed the default shell in Terminal.

Note: On Windows 10, you can open Terminal by searching for it in the Start menu.

Change the Default Shell in Terminal Using “settings.json” File

You can customize Windows Terminal using the “settings.json” file. All you have to do is find the GUID of the shell/profile you want to use as the default and add it to the “defaultProfile” variable. Here’s how to do it.

1. Right-click the “Windows” icon on the taskbar.
2. Select the “Terminal” option.
3. Click the dropdown icon on the title bar.
4. Select the “Settings” option.
5. Click the “Open JSON file” option in the bottom left corner.
6. Scroll down to the “Profiles” section.
7. Find the shell you want to use and copy its “guid“.
8. Scroll back to the top and find the “defaultProfile” entry.
9. Replace the existing GUID with the one you copied.
10. Press “Ctrl + S” to save the file.
11. With that, you’ve changed the default profile in Windows Terminal.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, open the Terminal. To do that, right-click on the “Windows” icon the taskbar or press “Windows key + X” and select the “Terminal” option. Once it opens, click the dropdown icon on the title bar and select the “Settings” option.

In the “Settings” tab, click the “Open JSON file” option in the bottom left corner.

This action will open the “settings.json” file in your default text or code editor. Once opened, scroll down to the “profiles” entry and find the shell you want to use as the default. You can identify the shell using the “name” entry. Next, copy its “guid” string between the quotes.

For example, I want to set Ubuntu as the default terminal shell. So, I copied the “guid” value of the Ubuntu profile.

Now, scroll back to the top and replace the “defaultProfile” value with the copied GUID value.

Finally, press “Ctrl + S” to save the file, then close it by clicking the “X” icon in the title bar.

That is all. With that, you’ve changed the default profile in Windows Terminal. From now on, when you open the Terminal, it opens the newly selected default shell/profile.

That is all. It is that simple to select another shell to open as the default in Windows Terminal. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.