Change Windows Terminal Startup Behavior in Windows 11

Changing the Windows Terminal startup behavior in Windows 11 lets you pick exactly what opens when you launch the app, such as a specific PowerShell tab or a split-screen layout. Windows Terminal is a built-in Microsoft app that brings tools like Command Prompt, PowerShell, and WSL into one single window with tabs.

You can easily update these startup settings inside the app’s startup menu or by editing the settings ⚙️.json file. This quick change saves you time every time you open your PC command tools.

• Open a tab with the default profile
• Open windows from a previous session

Here’s how to make that change.

What should be shown when Windows Terminal starts in 🪟 Windows 11

As mentioned, Windows Terminal lets you choose what appears when the first Terminal window opens. You have two main options:

• Open a tab with the default profile
• Open windows from a previous session

Here’s how to make that change.

Press the Windows key, type Terminal, and hit Enter to launch the app.

With the app open, click the down arrow button on the top bar. From the context menu, select Settings, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + (comma).

In the Settings pane, under the Startup section, find the 'When Terminal starts' option and change it to one of the following:

• Open a tab with the default profile
• Open windows from a previous session

Select your preferred option and save your changes.

That should complete the process!

Conclusion:

• Windows Terminal in Windows 11 offers advanced features for command-line interfaces, including multiple tabs, panes, Unicode and UTF-8 character support, and customizability.
• Users can select the default behavior when opening the Windows Terminal: opening a tab with the default profile or restoring windows from a previous session.
• To change the start behavior, users can access the Settings pane in Windows Terminal, navigate to the Startup section, and choose their preferred option.
• After selecting, users should save the changes to apply the new start behavior in Windows Terminal.

Ultimately, tailoring how Windows Terminal boots up keeps your workflow smooth without forcing you to manually restore old sessions every time.