WSL 2 on Windows Part 2 - Terminal Interface Settings

Bringing the terminal settings from Linux and Mac to Windows for easier operation.

Windows Terminal Features

#

With Windows Terminal, you can:

• Enable multiple tabs (quickly switch between multiple Linux CLIs, Windows CLIs, PowerShell, etc.)
• Customize key bindings (shortcuts for opening/closing tabs, copy/paste, etc.)
• Use search functionality
• Customize themes

These features offer much more than native WSL support, and allow for a setup similar to my Linux or Mac development environments, which is why I decided to use Windows Terminal.

Windows Terminal Settings

#

After searching for and installing Windows Terminal from the Microsoft Store, you can start configuring it.

Setting WSL as the Default Opening Environment for Windows Terminal

#

In the Windows Terminal’s [V] arrow menu, select “Settings,” which will open a JSON file for modification. From the profiles > list, find the Linux distribution you want to set as default, for example:

{
    "guid": "{xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx}",
    "hidden": false,
    "name": "Ubuntu-18.04",
    "commandline": "wsl.exe",
    "source": "Windows.Terminal.Wsl"
}

Copy the GUID string enclosed in curly braces after guid, and replace the ID of the originally default profile with that ID:

"defaultProfile": "{yyyyyy}"

(Replace yyyyyy with the GUID of your Linux distribution)

Setting the Default Starting Directory for Windows Terminal

#

In the Linux distribution profile within the JSON settings file, append the default directory to open (~ refers to the user’s Linux home directory) to the commandline:

"commandline": "wsl.exe ~",

Setting the Windows Terminal Scheme

#

Add this line to the Linux distribution profile in the JSON settings file:

"colorScheme": "One Half Dark",

One Half Dark is one of the color schemes provided by Windows. Other schemes can be found in Microsoft Doc: Color schemes in Windows Terminal.

Setting the Windows Terminal Font

#

Add this to the Linux distribution profile in the JSON settings file:

"fontFace": "xxxxx",

xxxxx is the name of the font. If you need to use Powerline, you can first install Powerline fonts, then fill in the desired font name.

Reference

#

Microsoft Doc: Install and set up Windows Terminal
Microsoft Doc: Color schemes in Windows Terminal
Set Windows Terminal as WSL operating interface