Microsoft is swapping the default command line experience for Windows 11

What you need to know

• Windows Terminal will become the default command line experience on Windows 11.
• The change will happen "over the course of 2022" for Windows 11 PCs.
• You can already change the default command line app in Windows 11 through the Settings app.

Windows 11 will have a new default command line experience in 2022. Microsoft announced that it plans to make Windows Terminal the default command line app over the course of the coming year. The company will test out the switch through the Windows Insider Program before rolling it out to the public.

You can already change the default command line application on Windows 11, including setting Windows Terminal as the default. But the operating system currently defaults to the Windows Console Host.

Microsoft highlights that the Windows Console Host has been the default command line application since the "dawn of Windows."

"Over the course of 2022, we are planning to make Windows Terminal the default experience on Windows 11 devices," said Microsoft's Kayla Cinnamon. "We will start with the Windows Insider Program and start moving through rings until we reach everyone on Windows 11."

By switching the default app for this experience on Windows, the Windows Terminal will open when people go to launch the Command Prompt. This is a more modern way to work as the Windows Terminal supports tabs, themes, and GPU accelerated text rendering.