Windows Terminal Tabs and Panes - MSDN Documentation

Mastering Windows Terminal: Tabs and Panes

Welcome to this in-depth guide on leveraging the power of tabs and panes in Windows Terminal to boost your productivity and streamline your command-line workflow. Windows Terminal, a modern, fast, powerful, and extensible terminal application for developers, offers sophisticated features for managing multiple command-line sessions simultaneously.

Introduction to Tabs and Panes

Traditionally, managing multiple command-line applications meant opening numerous separate windows, which could quickly become unmanageable. Windows Terminal introduces a tabbed interface and the ability to split your terminal window into multiple panes, allowing you to view and interact with several command-line sessions within a single window.

Working with Tabs

Tabs provide a familiar way to switch between different applications or command-line sessions. Each tab in Windows Terminal can host a separate shell or application.

Opening a New Tab: You can open a new tab by clicking the '+' button in the tab bar, or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+T.
Switching Tabs: Use Ctrl+Tab to cycle forward through your tabs, and Ctrl+Shift+Tab to cycle backward. You can also click directly on a tab.
Closing Tabs: Click the 'X' icon on a tab, or use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+W.
Customizing Tabs: Each tab can be configured to launch a specific profile (e.g., PowerShell, Command Prompt, WSL distribution).

Windows Terminal with multiple tabs open

Example of Windows Terminal showcasing multiple tabs for different shells.

Splitting into Panes

Panes take multitasking a step further by allowing you to divide a single tab into multiple, independently scrollable and interactive sections. This is incredibly useful for tasks like monitoring logs while running commands, or comparing output side-by-side.

Creating Panes

Windows Terminal supports splitting horizontally and vertically:

Vertical Split: Press Alt+Shift+Plus (Alt+Shift+=) to split the current pane vertically.
Horizontal Split: Press Alt+Shift+Minus to split the current pane horizontally.

You can also use Alt+Shift+D to duplicate the current pane, which is great for running the same command in multiple places.

Navigating Panes

Once you have multiple panes, you need a way to move focus between them:

Move Focus: Use Alt+Arrow Keys (Alt+Left/Right/Up/Down) to move focus to an adjacent pane.
Customizable Key Bindings: You can customize these shortcuts in the Windows Terminal settings.

Resizing Panes

Adjust the size of your panes to suit your needs:

Resize: Hold Alt and use the arrow keys to resize the currently focused pane. For example, Alt+Up Arrow will make the pane taller, and Alt+Left Arrow will make it narrower.

Closing Panes

To close a pane, simply type exit within that pane's shell, or use the standard tab closing shortcut Ctrl+Shift+W. If it's the last pane in a tab, it will close the tab itself.

Productivity Tip: Combine tabs and panes for maximum efficiency. For instance, have your primary development environment in one tab, and use split panes within that tab to monitor build processes, run tests, or access documentation.

Advanced Configuration

Windows Terminal's power lies in its extensibility and configuration. You can define custom key bindings, default behaviors, and profiles to tailor the tab and pane experience to your exact preferences.

Access the settings by clicking the down arrow in the tab bar and selecting "Settings", or by pressing Ctrl+,. The settings are stored in a JSON file, which allows for precise control over every aspect of the terminal.

Example: Customizing Pane Splitting Keys

In your settings.json file, you can add or modify keybindings like this:

            settings.json
            {
                "actions": [
                    {
                        "command": { "action": "splitPane", "split": "auto" },
                        "keys": "ctrl+alt+s"
                    },
                    {
                        "command": { "action": "moveFocus", "direction": "down" },
                        "keys": "ctrl+down"
                    }
                ]
            }

This example shows how to bind Ctrl+Alt+S to split a pane and Ctrl+Down to move focus downwards.

Conclusion

Mastering tabs and panes in Windows Terminal can dramatically improve your productivity. By understanding and utilizing these features, you can create a more organized, efficient, and powerful command-line environment. Experiment with different layouts, keybindings, and profiles to find the workflow that best suits your needs.