How to Set Background Image in Windows Terminal

By default, Windows Terminal uses a black background for all its shells including the PowerShell and Command Prompt. While the default background is serviceable, you can personalize the Terminal by changing its background to whatever image or picture you like. In fact, you can even configure the terminal to show your current desktop wallpaper as its background. If needed, you can set different backgrounds for different shells. For example, you can set separate backgrounds for PowerShell and Command Prompt. This not only makes it easy to identify the shell but also adds a bit of personal touch.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to set a background image in Windows Terminal in quick and easy steps. You will also learn how to set separate backgrounds for each shell in your Terminal. Let’s get started.

Set Background Image in Windows Terminal

Follow these steps to set or change the background image in Windows Terminal.

1. Right-click the Start button and select “Terminal“.
2. Click the dropdown menu on the title bar.
3. Select the “Settings” option.
4. Choose a shell on the sidebar.
5. Click on “Appearance” in the main panel.
6. On the right panel, click the “Background image path” option.
7. Click the “Browse” button.
8. Choose the background image and click “Open“.
9. Press “Save” in the terminal.
10. With that, you set the background image in Windows Terminal.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, open the Terminal app. You can do this by right-clicking the Start button and selecting the “Terminal” option. Alternatively, search for it in the Start menu. Once it opens, click the dropdown icon on the title bar and select the “Settings” option.

In the “Settings” tab, select the shell for which you want to set the background image in Terminal. For example, if you want to set the background for your PowerShell tab, select “PowerShell”.

Note: Select “Default“, if you want to set the same background for all the shells (PowerShell, Command Prompt, etc.,).

On the right panel, scroll down down to the “Additional Settings” section and click the “Appearance” option.

Now, scroll down to the “Background image” section and click the “Background image path” option.

Here, you have two options, you can configure Terminal to show your current desktop wallpaper as its background. If that’s what you want, select the “Use desktop wallpaper” checkbox.

Alternatively, you can set a custom image of your choice as the Terminal background. For that, click the “Browse” button.

Select the image, and click “Open“.

By default, the background is opaque. If you want, you can enable transparency effects so that the background is not too strong and you can see what’s behind the terminal window.

For that, scroll down to the “Transparency” section in the “Appearance” panel and use the “Background opacity” slider to adjust the transparency.

Finally, click the “Save” button to save the change.

That’s it. With that, you’ve changed your terminal’s background.

Wrapping Up — Customizing Windows Terminal With Custom Background and Transparency Effect

That is all. It is that simple to set a background image in Windows Terminal.

I hope that helps.

If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.