Windows 11 introduces a powerful modern tool that helps developers and casual users interact with their system: the Windows Terminal. This application is a significant upgrade from the traditional Command Prompt and PowerShell, offering a sleek interface, enhanced functionality, and support for multiple tabs and shells. In this article, we will explore what the Windows Terminal app is, its features, and how you can effectively use it in your Windows environment.

What is Windows Terminal?

Officially released in Windows 11 22H2, Windows Terminal is a multi-tabbed terminal application that supports various command-line tools, including Command Prompt, PowerShell, and the Azure Cloud Shell. Designed to accommodate the diverse needs of users, the application offers a cohesive and flexible environment for developers, system administrators, and anyone who regularly interacts with the command line.

One of the standout features of Terminal is its ability to open different sessions in separate tabs, allowing users to work with multiple command-line interfaces simultaneously. This makes it a valuable utility for those who often switch between different environments.

Key features of Windows Terminal

• Multiple tabs and panes: Users can open multiple tabs within a single window, enabling efficient multitasking. Additionally, split panes allow for side-by-side comparisons or simultaneous executions of different commands.
• Customizable appearance: Tailoring Terminal's look is straightforward. Users can change themes, background colors, text colors, and fonts. JSON-based settings allow for deep customization to cater to individual preferences.
• Unicode and UTF-8 support: Terminal supports Unicode and UTF-8 characters, which is essential for programming and handling text in various languages. This feature ensures that the output can correctly represent different characters.
• Keyboard shortcuts: A variety of keyboard shortcuts enhances navigation and productivity. For instance, using Ctrl + Shift + T opens a new tab, while Ctrl + Shift + W closes the current tab.
• Performance improvements: Terminal is built on a powerful graphics engine, ensuring that it renders text, images, and interaction smoothly. This improvement enhances the overall user experience.
• Administrative permissions: When you open Terminal with administrative privileges, all tabs you open will also have administrative privileges.

How to use Windows Terminal

Using Terminal in Windows is straightforward, even for those new to command-line interfaces. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting started:

Launching Windows Terminal - There are several ways to open Terminal.

1. Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu.
2. Left-click on Terminal (Admin). If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and right-click on Terminal.
4. On the context menu that appears, left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. Press the Windows Logo key + S to open the Search dialog box.
2. In the Search dialog box, type Terminal.
3. In the list of results, Terminal should be highlighted.
4. In the right-hand column under Terminal, there is an options menu. Left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Navigating tabs and panes - Once open, you’ll see the default profile, which might be a PowerShell or Command Prompt session. To create a new tab, click the + icon or press Ctrl + Shift + T. To open a new pane in the current tab, use the Split Pane option by pressing Alt + Shift + D.

Switching between profiles - To switch between different shells like Command Prompt, PowerShell, or Azure Cloud Shell, click the dropdown arrow next to the tabs. Here, you can select the shell you wish to use. Each shell operates independently, allowing you to run tailored commands specific to the environment.

Customizing appearance - To change the appearance, click on the dropdown menu and select Settings. This opens a settings file (usually in JSON format). You can customize colors, fonts, and transparency by editing this file or using the graphical interface in the applicable version.

Executing commands - Start typing commands just like you would in any shell. For PowerShell, you might run Get-Process to list running processes, or if you're in the Command Prompt, you could use ipconfig to display your network configuration.

Using keyboard shortcuts - Familiarize yourself with the keyboard shortcuts to enhance your efficiency. For example, learning to use Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V for copy and paste can significantly speed up your workflow.

Using profiles - You can create custom profiles for specific tasks in the Windows Terminal settings file. This feature allows you to tailor command-line environments for various projects, streamlining your workflow.

Accessing help - If you're unsure how to use a specific command, PowerShell offers the Get-Help command that provides documentation on command usage. Similarly, command /? in Command Prompt may give you information on available options.

Windows Terminal is a robust and versatile tool that takes command-line interactions on Windows to a new level. Its modern design, coupled with powerful features, makes it accessible for beginners while still meeting the needs of experienced developers. As you become more familiar with its functionalities, you will likely find it an indispensable part of your daily workflow. Whether managing files, troubleshooting, or coding, embracing Windows Terminal can enhance your productivity and command-line efficiency.

When it comes to repairing Windows-based computers, I always do one thing: check for corrupt system files. Corrupt system files can cause all sorts of problems, so here is how to check and repair system files in Windows 11.

Repairing system files is not complex, but it can be time-consuming. Going through all of the steps outlined in this article can take several hours. Once you start a scan, you will have to allow it to complete, so be prepared to watch your computer work. And all the links in this article will open in a new window.

First, we must check the drive's file structure on which the operating system is installed. It is usually drive C:. We will use the disk error-checking program built into Windows 11 for this.

There are a couple of different ways to run it (standard and advanced), but the most thorough way is by using the advanced method (see link below). It may take some time to run, but it is the most comprehensive error checking you can perform.

How to check your drive for errors in Windows 11

Now that we have checked the drive for errors, we must check for corrupted system files. We will use the built-in System File Checker (SFC) for this. Like some of the programs in this article, this program has to be run from either an Administrative Command Prompt or an Administrative PowerShell. You can access both from Windows Terminal.

How to open Windows Terminal

1. Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu.
2. Left-click on Terminal (Admin). If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and right-click on Terminal.
4. On the context menu that appears, left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. Press the Windows Logo key + S to open the Search dialog box.
2. In the Search dialog box, type Terminal.
3. In the list of results, Terminal should be highlighted.
4. In the right-hand column under Terminal, there is an options menu. Left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Depending on what the default profile is set to, either an Admin Command Prompt or PowerShell will appear. The following commands will work in either console.

How to check protected system files

SFC has multiple syntaxes and parameters you can use with it. Here are all of the syntaxes and parameters with examples of their use.

SFC [/SCANNOW] [/VERIFYONLY] [/SCANFILE=<file>] [/VERIFYFILE=<file>] [/OFFWINDIR=<offline windows directory> /OFFBOOTDIR=<offline boot directory> [/OFFLOGFILE=<log file path>]]

• /SCANNOW - Scans integrity of all protected system files and repairs files with problems when possible.
• /VERIFYONLY - Scans integrity of all protected system files. No repair operation is performed.
• /SCANFILE - Scans integrity of the referenced file and repairs file if problems are identified. Specify full path <file>.
• /VERIFYFILE - Verifies the integrity of the file with full path <file>. No repair operation is performed.
• /OFFBOOTDIR - For offline repair, specify the location of the offline boot directory.
• /OFFWINDIR - For offline repair, specify the location of the offline Windows directory.
• /OFFLOGFILE - For offline repair, optionally enable logging by specifying a log file path.

Examples:

• SFC /SCANNOW
• SFC /VERIFYFILE=c:\windows\system32\kernel32.dll
• SFC /SCANFILE=d:\windows\system32\kernel32.dll /OFFBOOTDIR=d:\ /OFFWINDIR=d:\windows
• SFC /SCANFILE=d:\windows\system32\kernel32.dll /OFFBOOTDIR=d:\ /OFFWINDIR=d:\windows /OFFLOGFILE=c:\log.txt
• SFC /VERIFYONLY

We want to check all of the Windows 11 protected system files, so type the following into either an Administrative Command Prompt or Administrative PowerShell and press Enter.

SFC /SCANNOW

Now four (4) possible results can appear when SFC is done scanning. They are:

Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
All system files are acceptable, and you are good to go.

Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.
There may be another program preventing SFC from running. In this case, boot the system into safe mode and run SFC from there.

Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
All system files are now correct, and you're ready to go. Just restart your computer to finalize the repairs. If you want to view the repair details, type the following into an Administrative Command Prompt (doesn't work in PowerShell) and press Enter.

findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt"

It will create a text file on your desktop named sfcdetails.txt that has all of the details of the repaired files.

Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
If you received this message, you will need to repair the hidden Windows image. To do this, we will need to run the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) program.

To restore the health of the Windows image, type the following into either an Administrative Command Prompt or Administrative PowerShell and press Enter.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

Once DISM finishes, run SFC /SCANNOW again. This time, no integrity violations should be found. If, after several attemps at automatically repairing the corrupt system file(s) fails, you may have to fix them manually.

How to manually repair corrupt system files

To view the details of the files that could not be automatically repaired, type the following into an Administrative Command Prompt (doesn't work in PowerShell) and press Enter.

findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt"

It will create a text file on your desktop named sfcdetails.txt. You will need to search through it and find what file(s) could not be repaired.

Note: To replace a corrupt system file, you must have a known good copy of the file(s) in question. A good file source is another computer or virtual machine running Windows 11. Since I do computer repair for a living, I have all of the versions of Windows that are still supported by Microsoft running inside virtual machines.

The first thing to do is note the location (path) and name of the file(s) that need to be replaced from the sfcdetails.txt file. Once you have another copy of the corrupt file(s), you will need to take administrative ownership of the file(s). To do this, modify the following command with the path\filename of the file you want to replace and then type it into either an Administrative Command Prompt or Administrative PowerShell and press Enter.

takeown /f path\filename

Example: takeown /f C:\Windows\FileToBeReplaced.dll

Next, you will have to grant administrators full access to the file(s) being replaced. To do this, modify the following command with the path\filename of the file you want to replace and then type it into either an Administrative Command Prompt or Administrative PowerShell and press Enter.

icacls path\filename /grant administrators:F

Example: icacls C:\Windows\FileToBeReplaced.dll /grant administrators:F

The third thing to do is copy the new file(s) and replace the corrupt one(s).To do this, modify the following command with the path\filename of the file you want to replace and then type it into an Administrative Command Prompt (doesn't work in PowerShell) and press Enter.

copy path\filename path\filename

Example: copy C:\Temp\FileToBeReplaced.dll C:\Windows\FileToBeReplaced.dll

Are you running out of free space on your Windows 11 computer? Or maybe you would like to clean up all the clutter that can build up over time? If so, here is how to clean and free up space on Windows 11 using Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup.

Windows 11 has two (2) built-in programs that you can use to clean up Windows 11: Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup. They both have similar features and they both can be run manually or automatically.

Note: Both of these programs will permanently delete files on your computer, so you need to be careful what you decide to clean up. Remember, once you delete a file or files with either one of these programs, you cannot get them back.

Storage Sense

Storage Sense is relatively new, as it first appeared in Windows 10 version 1809. It is simple to use, as it only has a few settings that you can change.

Storage Sense can be run automatically when your computer starts to run out of free space or every day, week, or month. It can delete files in your Recycle Bin and Downloads folder based on how long those files have been there. You can run Storage Sense manually, too.

How to open Storage Sense in Windows 11

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the list of pinned apps on the Start menu, left-click on Settings.
3. In the left-hand column, left-click on System.
4. Scroll down the right-hand column and left-click on Storage.
5. In the right-hand column, left-click on Storage Sense.

Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup has been inside Windows for some time now and has far more options for cleaning up Windows 11. There are two (2) ways to run Disk Cleanup, which I refer to as Standard and Advanced.

Disk Cleanup can clean up user and system files, ranging from the Recycle Bin and temporary Internet files for users to Windows Update and thumbnails for the system.

The Standard way to run Disk Cleanup

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
4. Left-click on Disk Cleanup.

or

1. Open File Explorer using one of the following:
• Left-click on the File Explorer icon (manilla folder) on the Taskbar.
• Press the Windows logo key + E at the same time.
• Use the Power User menu by right-clicking on the Start button and selecting File Explorer.
2. In the left-side column, left-click on This PC.
3. In the right-side column, right-click on the drive you want to optimize and select Properties.
4. On the General tab, left-click on the Disk Cleanup button.

If you started Disk Cleanup from the Windows Tools shortcut and have more than one (1) drive inside your computer, you may be prompted for which drive you want to clean up.

From the dialog box that appears, you will see a list of user files that can be deleted. If you are looking to clean up your user profile, select the files you want to delete and left-click on the OK button.

If you want to clean up system files, then left-click on the Clean up system files button. If this is the drive with Windows installed on it, you will have several more file options to choose from. Select the files you want to clean up and left-click on the OK button.

The Advanced way to run Disk Cleanup

Using the advanced way of starting Disk Cleanup will give you all of the user and system settings options. And you can also use Task Scheduler to run the advanced Disk Cleanup settings on a schedule you set.

The first thing you need to do is open either an Administrative Command Prompt or an Administrative PowerShell. You can access both from Windows Terminal. Note: The full name of Disk Cleanup is cleanmgr.exe, but you only need to use cleanmgr in a command-line console.

How to open Windows Terminal

1. Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu.
2. Left-click on Terminal (Admin). If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and right-click on Terminal.
4. On the context menu that appears, left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. Press the Windows Logo key + S to open the Search dialog box.
2. In the Search dialog box, type Terminal.
3. In the list of results, Terminal should be highlighted.
4. In the right-hand column under Terminal, there is an options menu. Left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Depending on what the default profile is set to, either an Admin Command Prompt or PowerShell will appear. The following commands will work in either console. Just type the following into a command line and then press Enter.

cleanmgr

This will start Disk Cleanup, just like starting it from the Windows Tools shortcut. But you can use command-line switches to get all of the options (user and system). You can use several different command-line switches with cleanmgr, but you will only need to use two: /sageset:n and /sagerun:n.

cleanmgr /sageset:n

/sageset:n - This switch displays the Disk Cleanup settings dialog box and creates a registry key to store your selected settings. The n value is stored in the registry and allows you to specify different tasks for Disk Cleanup to run. The n value can be any integer value from 0 to 65535. To get all the available options when using the /sageset switch, you may need to specify the drive letter that contains the Windows installation.

cleanmgr /sagerun:n

/sagerun:n - This switch runs the specified tasks assigned to the n value using the /sageset switch. All drives in the computer will be enumerated, and the selected profile will be run against each drive.

How to create a Scheduled Task to run Disk Cleanup

First, you will need to have created a preset configuration using the /sageset:n switch. Then open Task Scheduler and create a new task.

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
4. Left-click on Task Scheduler.
5. In the right column labeled Actions, select Create Basic Task. The Create a Basic Task Wizard will appear.
6. Give the task a name and description, and then select Next.
7. Select when you want it to run (trigger).
8. When prompted for what task you want to perform, select Start a program, then select Next.
9. When prompted for a program/script to start, select Browse and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\ and select cleanmgr.exe.
10. In the Add arguments section, type /sagerun:n and then select Next.
11. Then select Finish, and you're all set.

You can also create a shortcut with the cleanmgr /sagerun:n command, that way, you can run it manually whenever you want.