Custom actions and keybindings in Windows Terminal

You can create custom actions inside Windows Terminal that give you control of how you interact with the terminal. These actions will automatically be added to the command palette.

Action formats

Actions can be structured in the following formats:

Commands without arguments

{ "command": "commandName", "id": "User.MyCommand" }

For example, this default setting uses the shortcut key Alt+F4 to close the terminal window:

{ "command": "closeWindow", "id": "User.MyCloseWindow" }

Commands with arguments

{ "command": { "action": "commandName", "argument": "value" }, "id": "User.MyCommand" }

For example, this default setting uses the shortcut key Ctrl+Shift+1 to open a new tab in the terminal based on whichever profile is listed first in your dropdown menu (typically this will open the PowerShell profile):

{ "command": { "action": "newTab", "index": 0 }, "id": "User.MyNewTabAction" }

Commands with command line arguments

{ "command": { "action": "wt", "commandline": "value" }, "keys": "modifiers+key" }

For example, this default setting uses the shortcut key Ctrl+Shift+O to use wt to open a new PowerShell tab with additional panes for Command Prompt and Ubuntu:

{
  "command": 
  {
    "action": "wt",
    "commandline": "new-tab pwsh.exe ; split-pane -p \"Command Prompt\" -d C:\\ ; split-pane -p \"Ubuntu\" -H"
  },
  "keys": "ctrl+shift+o"
}

Action properties

Actions are stored in the actions array and can be constructed using the following properties.

Command

This is the command executed when the associated keys are pressed.

Property name: command

Necessity: Required

Accepts: String

Action

This adds additional functionality to certain commands.

Property name: action

Necessity: Optional

Accepts: String

Name

This sets the name that will appear in the command palette. If one isn't provided, the terminal will attempt to automatically generate a name.

Property name: name

Necessity: Optional

Accepts: String

Icon

This sets the icon that displays within the command palette.

Property name: icon

Necessity: Optional

Accepts: File location as a string, or an emoji

ID

This sets the id of this action. If one isn't provided, the terminal will generate an ID for this action. The ID is used to refer to this action when creating keybindings.

Property name: id

Necessity: Optional

Accepts: String

Keybindings

Actions can be assigned keybindings by referring to them with their unique ID. For example, here is a possible keybindings array that assigns Alt+F4, Ctrl+Shift+1 and Ctrl+Shift+o to the actions defined above. Multiple keybinding entries may be created for the same action.

"keybindings": [
  { "keys": "alt+f4", "id": "User.MyCloseWindow" },
  { "keys": "ctrl+shift+1", "id": "User.MyNewTabAction" },
  { "keys": "ctrl+shift+o", "id": "User.MyCoolSetup"}
]

Keybinding properties

Keybindings are stored in the keybindings array and are constructed using the following properties.

Keys

This defines the key combinations used to call the command. Keys can have any number of modifiers with one key. Accepted modifiers and keys are listed below.

If the action does not have keys, it will appear in the command palette but cannot be invoked with the keyboard.

Property name: keys

Necessity: Required

Accepts: String or array[string]

ID

This is the ID of the action to be invoked when this keybinding is pressed.

Property name: id

Necessity: Required

Accepts: String

Accepted Modifiers

ctrl+, shift+, alt+, win+

Modifier keys

Note: = and plus are equivalents. The latter must not be confused with numpad_plus.

Application-level commands

Quit

This closes all open terminal windows. A confirmation dialog will appear in the current window to ensure you'd like to close all windows.

Command name: quit

Default ID:

{ "command": "quit", "id": "Terminal.Quit" }

Close window

{ "command": "closeWindow", "id": "Terminal.CloseWindow" }

{ "keys": "alt+f4", "id": "Terminal.CloseWindow" }

Find

This opens the search dialog box. More information on search can be found on the Search page.

Command name: find

Default ID:

{ "command": "find", "id": "Terminal.FindText" }

Default binding:

{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+f", "id": "Terminal.FindText" }

Find next/previous search match

This lets you navigate through your search matches.

Command name: findMatch

Default IDs:

{ "command": { "action": "findMatch", "direction": "next" }, "id": "Terminal.FindNextMatch" },
{ "command": { "action": "findMatch", "direction": "prev" }, "id": "Terminal.FindPrevMatch" }

Parameters

Open the dropdown

This opens the dropdown menu.

Command name: openNewTabDropdown

Default ID:

{ "command": "openNewTabDropdown", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabDropdown" }

Default binding:

{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+space", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabDropdown" }

Open settings files

This opens either the settings UI, custom settings file (settings.json), or default settings file (defaults.json), depending on the target field. Without the target field, the custom settings file will be opened.

Command name: openSettings

Default IDs:

{ "command": { "action": "openSettings", "target": "settingsUI" }, "id": "Terminal.OpenSettingsUI" },
{ "command": { "action": "openSettings", "target": "settingsFile" }, "id": "Terminal.OpenSettingsFile" },
{ "command": { "action": "openSettings", "target": "defaultsFile" }, "keys": "Terminal.OpenDefaultSettingsFile" }

Default bindings:

{ "keys": "ctrl+,", "id": "Terminal.OpenSettingsUI" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+,", "id": "Terminal.OpenSettingsFile" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+alt+,", "id": "Terminal.OpenDefaultSettingsFile" }

Parameters

Open system menu

Opens the system menu at the top left corner of the window.

Command name: openSystemMenu

Default ID:

{ "command": "openSystemMenu", "id": "Terminal.OpenSystemMenu" }

Default binding:

{ "keys": "alt+space", "id": "Terminal.OpenSystemMenu" }

Toggle full screen

This allows you to switch between full screen and default window sizes.

Command name: toggleFullscreen

Default ID

{ "command": "toggleFullscreen", "id": "Terminal.ToggleFullscreen" }

Default bindings:

{ "keys": "alt+enter", "id": "Terminal.ToggleFullscreen" },
{ "keys": "f11", "id": "Terminal.ToggleFullscreen" }

Toggle focus mode

This allows you to enter "focus mode", which hides the tabs and title bar.

Command name: toggleFocusMode

Default ID:

{ "command": "toggleFocusMode", "id": "Terminal.ToggleFocusMode" }

Toggle always on top mode

This allows you toggle the "always on top" state of the window. When in "always on top" mode, the window will appear on top of all other non-topmost windows.

Command name: toggleAlwaysOnTop

Default ID:

{ "command": "toggleAlwaysOnTop", "id": "Terminal.ToggleAlwaysOnTop" }

Send input

Send arbitrary text input to the shell. As an example the input "text\n" will write "text" followed by a newline to the shell.

ANSI escape sequences may be used, but escape codes like \x1b must be written as \u001b. For instance "\u001b[A" will behave as if the up arrow button had been pressed.

Command name: sendInput

Default binding:

This command is not currently bound in the default settings.

{ "command": { "action": "sendInput", "input": "\u001b[A" } }

Parameters

Tab management commands

Close tab

This closes the tab at a given index. If no index is provided, use the focused tab's index.

Command name: closeTab

Parameters

Close all other tabs

This closes all tabs except for the one at an index. If no index is provided, use the focused tab's index.

Command name: closeOtherTabs

Default ID:

{ "command": "closeOtherTabs", "id": "Terminal.CloseOtherTabs" }

Parameters

Close tabs after index

This closes the tabs following the tab at an index. If no index is provided, use the focused tab's index.

Command name: closeTabsAfter

Default ID:

{ "command": "closeTabsAfter", "id": "Terminal.CloseTabsAfter" }

Parameters

Duplicate tab

This makes a copy of the current tab's profile and directory and opens it. This does not include modified/added ENV VARIABLES.

Command name: duplicateTab

Default ID:

{ "command": "duplicateTab", "id": "Terminal.DuplicateTab" }

Default binding:

{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+d", "id": "Terminal.DuplicateTab" }

New tab

This creates a new tab. Without any arguments, this will open the default profile in a new tab. If an index is not specified, the default profile's equivalent setting will be used. If the index doesn't map to a profile, the keys are passed directly to the terminal (or ignored if no keys were used to invoke the action).

Command name: newTab

Default IDs:

{ "command": "newTab", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTab" },
{ "command": { "action": "newTab", "index": 0 }, "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile0" },
{ "command": { "action": "newTab", "index": 1 }, "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile1" },
{ "command": { "action": "newTab", "index": 2 }, "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile2" },
{ "command": { "action": "newTab", "index": 3 }, "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile3" },
{ "command": { "action": "newTab", "index": 4 }, "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile4" },
{ "command": { "action": "newTab", "index": 5 }, "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile5" },
{ "command": { "action": "newTab", "index": 6 }, "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile6" },
{ "command": { "action": "newTab", "index": 7 }, "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile7" },
{ "command": { "action": "newTab", "index": 8 }, "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile8" }

Default bindings:

{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+t", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTab" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+1", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile0" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+2", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile1" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+3", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile2" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+4", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile3" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+5", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile4" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+6", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile5" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+7", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile6" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+8", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile7" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+9", "id": "Terminal.OpenNewTabProfile8" }

Parameters

Open next tab

This opens the tab to the right of the current one.

Command name: nextTab

Default ID:

{ "command": "nextTab", "id": "Terminal.NextTab" }

Default binding:

{ "keys": "ctrl+tab", "id": "Terminal.NextTab" }

Parameters

Open previous tab

This opens the tab to the left of the current one.

Command name: prevTab

Default ID:

{ "command": "prevTab", "id": "Terminal.PrevTab" }

Default binding:

{ "keys": "ctrl+shift+tab", "id": "Terminal.PrevTab" }

Parameters

Tab search

{"command": "tabSearch"}

Open a specific tab

This opens a specific tab depending on the index.

Command name: switchToTab

Default IDs:

{ "command": { "action": "switchToTab", "index": 0 }, "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab0" },
{ "command": { "action": "switchToTab", "index": 1 }, "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab1" },
{ "command": { "action": "switchToTab", "index": 2 }, "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab2" },
{ "command": { "action": "switchToTab", "index": 3 }, "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab3" },
{ "command": { "action": "switchToTab", "index": 4 }, "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab4" },
{ "command": { "action": "switchToTab", "index": 5 }, "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab5" },
{ "command": { "action": "switchToTab", "index": 6 }, "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab6" },
{ "command": { "action": "switchToTab", "index": 7 }, "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab7" }

Default bindings:

{ "keys": "ctrl+alt+1", "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab0" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+alt+2", "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab1" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+alt+3", "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab2" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+alt+4", "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab3" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+alt+5", "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab4" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+alt+6", "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab5" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+alt+7", "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab6" },
{ "keys": "ctrl+alt+8", "id": "Terminal.SwitchToTab7" }

Parameters

Rename tab

This command can be used to rename a tab to a specific string.

Command name: renameTab

Default binding:

This command is not currently bound in the default settings.

// Rename a tab to "Foo"
{ "command": { "action": "renameTab", "title": "Foo" } }

// Reset the tab's name
{ "command": { "action": "renameTab", "title": null } }

Parameters

Open tab rename text box

This command changes the tab title into a text field that lets you edit the title for the current tab. Clearing the text field will reset the tab title back to the default for the current shell instance.

Command name: openTabRenamer

Default ID:

{ "command": "openTabRenamer", "id": "Terminal.OpenTabRenamer" }

Change tab color

This command can be used to change the color of a tab to a specific value.

Command name: setTabColor

Default binding:

This command is not currently bound in the default settings.

// Change the tab's color to a bright magenta
{ "command": { "action": "setTabColor", "color": "#ff00ff" } }

// Reset the tab's color
{ "command": { "action": "setTabColor", "color": null } }

Parameters

Open tab color picker

This command can be used to open the color picker for the active tab. The color picker can be used to set a color for the tab at runtime.

Command name: openTabColorPicker

Default ID:

{ "command": "openTabColorPicker", "id": "Terminal.OpenTabColorPicker" }

Move tab

This command moves the tab "backward" and "forward", which is equivalent to "left" and "right" in left-to-right UI.

Command name: moveTab

Default IDs:

// Move tab backward (left in LTR)
{ "command": { "action": "moveTab", "direction": "backward" }, "id": "Terminal.MoveTabBackward" }

// Move tab forward (right in LTR)
{ "command": { "action": "moveTab", "direction": "forward" }, "id": "Terminal.MoveTabForward" }

Parameters

window is optional, and follows the same format as the --window-id argument to the wt.exe command line. If it's omitted, then this will move the tab within the current window. If provided, it may either be the integer ID of a window, or the name of a window. It also accepts the following reserved values:

• "new" or -1: Always run this command in a new window
• "last" or 0: Always run this command in the most recently used window

If no window exists with the given window ID, then a new window will be created with that id/name.

Broadcast input

This command will toggle "broadcast mode" for a pane. When broadcast mode is enabled, all input sent to the pane will be sent to all panes in the same tab. This is useful for sending the same input to multiple panes at once.

As with any action, you can also invoke "broadcast mode" by search for "Toggle broadcast input to all panes" in the Command palette.

Command name: toggleBroadcastInput

Default ID:

{ "command": "toggleBroadcastInput", "id": "Terminal.ToggleBroadcastInput" }

Open context menu

This command will open the "right-click" context menu for the active pane. This menu has context-relevant actions for managing panes, copying and pasting, and more. This action does not require the experimental.rightClickContextMenu setting to be enabled.

Command name: showContextMenu

Default ID:

{ "command": "showContextMenu", "id": "Terminal.ShowContextMenu" }

Open about dialog

This command will open the about dialog for the terminal. This dialog contains information about the terminal, including the version number, the license, and more.

Command name: openAbout

Default ID:

{ "command": "openAbout", "id": "Terminal.OpenAboutDialog" }

Search the web

Attempts to open a browser window with a search for the selected text. This does nothing if there's no text selected. If the queryUrl parameter is not provided, the searchWebDefaultQueryUrl setting will be used instead. If the queryUrl parameter is provided, a %s in the string will be replaced by the selected text.

Command name: