Tool profile
Windows Terminal: cost, fit and limits
Windows Terminal is a free, MIT-licensed terminal application from Microsoft Corporation for Windows that hosts PowerShell, Command Prompt and WSL shells in tabs and panes, documented on Microsoft Learn. The source code is public on GitHub, where Microsoft publishes it.
What to know first
Windows Terminal is Microsoft's own terminal for Windows, distributed with the operating system and through the Microsoft Store at no cost. Microsoft Learn lists tabs, split panes, profiles for several shells, a GPU-accelerated text engine and Unicode support, and the source is on GitHub under the MIT license. The pages read name no AI assistant for the app. Settings are kept on the Windows side.
Windows Terminal at a glance
| Maker | Microsoft Corporation, Not stated on the vendor pages |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | Free |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Terminal Emulators in 2026, rank 8 of 12 |
| Website | learn.microsoft.com/windows/terminal |
Who Windows Terminal is best for
Windows developers who use WSL
Profiles for PowerShell, Command Prompt and WSL distributions sit in one tabbed window, per Microsoft Learn, so switching shells needs no extra program.
Teams that standardize on Windows
The app ships with Windows and the Microsoft Store, so it is easy to roll out across machines without a separate purchase or a vendor contract.
Users who read the source
The MIT-licensed code lives on GitHub, so you can inspect how the app handles settings and rendering before you rely on it at work.
Windows Terminal plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free app | Free | A terminal app for Windows with tabs, panes and profiles under the MIT license; Microsoft Learn describes no paid tier. |
Checked November 2026.
What Windows Terminal does
- Tabs and panes
- Microsoft Learn documents tabs and split window panes, so several shells and long-running tasks can stay in view inside a single application window. Panes can be arranged as work changes.
- Shell profiles
- Profiles set up PowerShell, Command Prompt or a WSL distribution, each with its own settings, so one app replaces several separate console windows. Each profile keeps its own settings.
- GPU-accelerated text
- Microsoft Learn lists a GPU-accelerated text rendering engine. The pages present it as a rendering feature and give no benchmark figures to compare. Whether it feels faster depends on your machine.
- Unicode and UTF-8
- Unicode and UTF-8 character support is listed on Microsoft Learn, which matters for non-English text, symbols and the output of modern command line tools. Fonts and the shell still matter.
- Open source
- The code is on GitHub under the MIT license, so the project can be inspected and followed, and outside contributions are possible for people who want them.
How Windows Terminal handles your data
Windows Terminal is a local Windows application, and the Microsoft Learn pages read describe no account or hosted service of its own. Retention, model training and certifications are not stated for the app. Microsoft's wider Windows privacy terms were not part of what we read, so check them if telemetry matters in your environment, and review any AI tool you start inside a tab separately.
Where Windows Terminal falls short in practice
- Windows only. Microsoft Learn describes it as a Windows app. Mac and Linux users cannot use it, which matters for mixed teams that want one terminal on every machine.
- No AI assistant on the pages read. The documentation names no assistant, so AI use means launching a separate command line tool inside a tab and reviewing that tool's own data practices.
Works with
Alternatives to Windows Terminal
Windows Terminal: common questions
Is Windows Terminal free?
Yes. It is a free app distributed with Windows and through the Microsoft Store, and Microsoft Learn describes no paid tier. The source is MIT-licensed on GitHub, so teams can read the code if they want to know how it works.
Does Windows Terminal have AI features?
The Microsoft Learn pages we read name no AI assistant for Windows Terminal. They describe tabs, panes, profiles, GPU rendering and Unicode support. AI help comes from separate tools you run inside it, each with its own terms. Ask your IT team about the Windows privacy settings.
Does Windows Terminal run WSL?
Yes in the sense that it hosts WSL distributions through profiles, alongside PowerShell and Command Prompt. It is a front end for those shells, not a replacement for them, so the shell you pick still decides most of what you can do.
Can I use Windows Terminal on Mac or Linux?
No. Microsoft Learn presents it as a Windows application. Mac users can look at iTerm2 or cross-platform terminals such as Alacritty, Rio, Hyper or WezTerm, which this category also covers with their own trade-offs. Check each one before choosing. Each has its own trade-offs.
Who makes Windows Terminal?
The maker is Microsoft Corporation, with the source on Microsoft's GitHub. The pages read do not state a headquarters, so this page does not give one. It is a big-tech product, which suits buyers who prefer a large vendor behind a free tool.