Add windows terminal to context menu

The windows terminal is new sleek, fast, customizable and feature packed terminal. It is much more productive than previous Command prompt and PowerShell.

So, let’s get back to adding the Context Menu option

Perquisites

• Copy the downloaded icon to this folder

C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\

• Open Text editor copy and paste the following code into it and save as .reg file.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\wt]
@="Windows terminal here"
"Icon"="C:\\Users\\yourusername\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\WindowsApps\\terminal.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\wt\command]
@="\"C:\\Users\\yourusername\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\WindowsApps\\wt.exe\"  -d \"%V\""

• Don’t forget to replace yourusername with your username like below.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\wt]
@="Windows terminal here"
"Icon"="C:\\Users\\mishr\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\WindowsApps\\terminal.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\wt\command]
@="\"C:\\Users\\mishr\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\WindowsApps\\wt.exe\"  -d \"%V\""

• Run the what_name_you_want.reg file

🤘😎

Windows Terminal ❤

Alongside PowerShell, you can also add Windows Terminal to right-click menu. Follow these steps to add ‘Open Windows Terminal Here’ option.

Windows Terminal is what the users have been asking for years. A new terminal application that is fully customizable all the while being powerful and flexible. Thanks to the new tabbed interface, you can open multiple consoles of different types at the same time and work with them as needed. In fact, I’ve been using it as my main console ever since it was released.

When working with directories, it is very useful to open the terminal in that specific directory. This eliminates the need to manually open the terminal and then navigate to that folder using multiple cd commands. Unfortunately, as of writing this, Windows Terminal has no such option. You are stuck with the old “Open PowerShell window here” option. Thankfully, you can add your own “Open Windows Terminal Here” option to the right-click menu in just a few steps.

Without ado, follow the below steps to add an open Windows Terminal here option to the right-click context menu in Windows 10.

1. First, we need to set the default directory in Windows Terminal. To do that, open Windows Terminal, click on the drop-down button on the title bar and select “Settings“. In the JSON file, add the below line to your default profile.

"startingDirectory": "."

If you are curious, we are adding this line because without it, when you open Windows Terminal from the right-click menu, it will open in your home directory rather than in the current directory.

2. Now, right-click on the desktop and select “New → Text Document” to create a new text file. Name the text file as “wt.reg“. This action converts the text file into the reg file.

3. Next, right-click on the newly created file and select “Edit“.

4. The above action will open the file in the default text editor. Here, copy and paste the below code in it. Don’t forget to replace “<Username>” with your actual Windows username. Save the file by pressing Ctrl + S or selecting “File → Save“.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\wt]
 @="Open Windows Terminal here"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\wt\command]
 @="C:\\Users\\<UserName>\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\WindowsApps\\wt.exe"

5. Now, close the file and double-click on it. You will be prompted whether you want to merge the reg file. Click on the “Yes” button and then the “Ok” button.

That is it. From now on, whenever you Shift + Right-click in a directory or folder, you will see the new “Open Windows Terminal here” option in the right-click menu.

Selecting the option will open Windows Terminal in that directory.

(Optional) Add Icon to the Option

If you are willing to go the extra mile, you can add a little icon right before the option in the right-click menu. This is just eye candy and you can ignore it if you are not interested.

1. Download this official Windows Terminal icon.

2. After downloading, open the Run dialog box by pressing Win + R shortcut. In the blank field, copy and paste the below path and press Enter.

%USERPROFILE%/AppData/Local/

3. In this folder, right-click and select “New → Folder” to create a new folder. Name the folder as “WTerminal“.

4. Now, copy the icon to the newly created folder.

5. Next, open the “Registry Editor” by searching for it in the start menu. In the Registry Editor, go to the following folder.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\wt

6. Right-click on the right-panel and select the “New → String Value” option. Name the value as “Icon“.

7. Double-click on the “Icon” value. In the value data field, copy and paste the below path and click on the “Ok” button.

%USERPROFILE%/AppData/Local/WTerminal/terminal.ico

That is it. Close the registry editor. From now on, you should also see the terminal icon right next to the “Open Windows Terminal here” option.

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