The "Default Terminal" option is only available for Preview builds of the Terminal

[zadjii-msft]

Windows 11 is shipping a new OS feature we're calling "defterm" - the ability to set the default terminal application for console launches in Windows. This was originally tracked in #492, #5000. This feature initially shipped in Terminal Preview version https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.9.1445.0.

As of writing, this feature is still only available with "Preview" versions of the Terminal. There are two different versions of the Terminal available:

• Windows Terminal Preview (which we refer to as "preview").
• Windows Terminal (which we call "stable" or "release")

Stable is usually one minor version behind the Preview version, +/- a couple features. If you're wondering why the Terminal doesn't appear in the dropdown, then this is why.

If you only have "Windows Terminal" (stable) installed, you will not see the Terminal in the Settings app for the Default Terminal setting.

There's a bit of work we want to get done in the 1.12 timeframe to move the defterm feature into the Stable branch:

• [DefApp] Pass LNK/EXE data from OpenCon to ITerminalHandoff #9458, Make it possible to use an existing profile if an app is launched via defterm #10952
  • Both of these enable defterm to "match" the newly spawned commandline to one of your existing profiles.
  • This should be fixed in Implement basic profile matching #11390
• Merge Add a information popup about default terminals #11397 into preview, stable
• re-enable "base layer" in the stable builds

Once that's fixed up, we'll be enabling the Default Terminal feature for Stable builds as well.

(Preview is also reasonably reliable if you're really enthusiastic about defterm, it is just a tad bit more "move fast and break things".)

[jtnord]

As of writing, this feature is still only available with "Preview" versions of the Terminal.

yet the release notes for 1.10 specifically call out fixes for the "Default terminal" which may be causing some confusion as to why this is being reported?

[zadjii-msft]

Thanks for pointing that out, I've added a note that might help clarify. I'm suspecting the real reason is the release of Windows 11 last week and a flux of new users to the Stable version, which doesn't yet support that feature.

[CDAGaming]

Just tested the new 1.11 stable release, Default Terminal so far working like a charm on 22000.282 Windows11

Thanks for the amazing service!

[zadjii-msft]

I'm closing this, because with the release of 1.11 Stable, we added support for defterm. Thanks for the patience everyone!