CTRL+Z doesn't work in Bash

[bitcrazed]

Issue: In Windows 10 Insider build 15002, when running Bash.exe, CTRL + chords are not being correctly handled by the Windows Console.

Effect: Users will be unable to terminate Linux apps using CTRL + C, or background running tasks using CTRL + Z, etc. When CTRL + C is hit in Bash, a ‘c’ is displayed in the bash console.

Work-Around(s): Until fixed:

1. Run Linux tools that require CTRL + C to terminate in a separate Bash console session; these individual bash consoles can then be closed when needed without disrupting your interactive bash consoles
2. Map an alternate key to Ctrl+C. For example, to map Ctrl+K to Ctrl+C run: stty intr \^k. This mapping is per terminal and will have to be done every time bash is launched. Users can include this in their .bashrc if preferred

Scope: This issue only affects Bash sessions and does not prevent CTRL + C, etc. in other console apps or shells (i.e. Cmd or PowerShell).

For more information on this release, including the many other fixes it DOES include, be sure to read the build 15002 Release Notes.

We apologize for this annoying issue. A fix has been checked-in and will be released ASAP into an up-coming Insiders build.

[krzysztofantczak]

Still works like a charm under wsl-terminal https://github.com/goreliu/wsl-terminal ;-)

[Warblefly]

Thank you. It'll be great to have that fix in the system. For now, I've mapped CTRL-C to CTRL-P; which is how PR1MOS computers at my university handled 'interrupt' 35 years ago. Can't beat nostalgia.

[seancorfield]

A fellow Surrey graduate -- small world!

@benhillis Do we have a scheduled release date for this fix? Thanks!

[fpqc]

@seancorfield No, we generally don't get notice for when the next insider build gets flighted. And the team here doesn't control it. Ask @DonaSarkar on twitter maybe.

[benhillis]

I'm hoping next week's build has the fix.

[seancorfield]

Fixed in 15014 it seems. Thank you!

[fpqc]

tfw 15014 broke my xbox controller though >.< ( just a warning, it's a known issue )

[davidmaxwaterman]

Does this fix ctrl-z too? I've just upgraded to CU/15063.138, and ctrl-z has stopped working - it used to work in 14393.969, so it is a regression.

[sunilmut]

@davidmaxwaterman - Thanks for the report. We are looking into it.

[davidmaxwaterman]

Fwiw, I have since noticed it works from within vim, but not in bash.

[sunilmut]

@davidmaxwaterman - We have found the bug. We are prioritizing it and working to get it fixed. Apologies for breaking such a basic scenario.

[EricPell]

Also having ongoing issues with ctrl-z

[fpqc]

Yeah, seems like the kind of thing that would really drive people nuts and turn them off from using WSL, especially since it's a regression.

[maierl]

WSL without Ctrl+Z is similar to Windows without right click. You can work around it, but you cannot expect to win any customers with it.

[sunilmut]

Thanks all for chiming in. The bug has been approved for Creators Update servicing.

[EricPell]

@sunilmut That's great news. Thanks for the attention.

[davidmaxwaterman]

I don't think it was in yesterday's updates...was I overly optimistic?

[sunilmut]

@davidmaxwaterman - Possibly. The fix has to go through the test cycle of the servicing process. I know the fix is on it's way out. Probably, by the end of the month. Thanks for your patience.

[giech]

I believe the fix was in the latest Patch Tuesday, but the release notes do not mention it: (KB4025342). Could someone please confirm and close the issue, if that is the case?

[maierl]

Just tried to send Ctrl+Z to a sleep 5 on bash. Worked just fine. Thanks for fixing!

[benhillis]

Great, thank you both for confirming.

[kylemacfarlane]

Is there a reason why ctrl+z/c still don't work on ssh?

E.g. try doing ssh ip.you.know.wont.connect and there's no way to stop it until it times out.

[fpqc]

This is a different problem with its own issue.

[kylemacfarlane]

I found it #2220 but it's closed even though the fix is only on insider builds. Any idea when the fix will be released for production builds?

[sunilmut]

@kylemacfarlane - The fix will be available in the Fall Creators Update public release.

[ivanlan9]

The Fall Creators Update did not fix the problem. Ctrl-C still kills the bash console window, Ctrl-Z does nothing.

[bitcrazed]

@ivanlan9:

I am able to CTRL+C to kill and CTRL+Z to stop an ssh connection awaiting a response from a non-existent server:

If you have other specific issues, could I ask you to please open a new issue & providing detailed repro steps, etc?

Many thanks.

[ivanlan9]

I realized that the problem was probably not a bug in bash on Windows. Instead of running bash, I'm exec'ing mksh (wish there were a way to chsh). And that means that the original bash process is not an interactive one, thus it doesn't ignore SIGINT. Mksh is passing SIGINT on to the the bash process instead of ignoring it (this is probably either a bug in or an enhancement to mksh) when it's exec'ed.

I was able to work around the problem by inserting 'trap "echo" INT' into my mksh startup script.

Also, Ctrl-Z does the right thing: by "does nothing," I meant that it didn't close the terminal window the way Ctrl-C did. Ctrl-Z on a running process correctly backgrounds the process.

Many thanks for prodding me to think about the issue a bit more. ;-)

[therealkenc]

wish there were a way to chsh

chsh has worked since summer of 2017.

[ivanlan9]

Doesn't appear to work. Chsh correctly changed /etc/passwd, but when I logged in, it gave me bash.

[benhillis]

@ivanlan9 - Are you running bash.exe, wsl.exe, or the distru launcher binary (ubuntu.exe etc).

[ivanlan9]

Oooh. "C:\Windows\System32\bash.exe ~"

This sounds promising! Please inform me!

[benhillis]

"C:\Windows\System32\wsl.exe ~"

[ivanlan9]

What can I say but "squee!" ;-)

Thanks!