Change the default terminal in Visual Studio Code

Question

I am using Visual Studio Code on my Windows 10 PC. I want to change my default terminal from Windows PowerShell to Bash on Ubuntu (on Windows).

How can I do that?

Effusive

Related post here - How to use multiple types of command shell in Visual Studio code integrated terminal – Neoplatonism

Does this answer your question? How to select a different type of command shell in the Visual Studio Code integrated terminal – Sonstrom

Re "on Windows": WSL, presumably? – Inadequate

Answer 1

You can also select your default terminal by pressing F1 in Visual Studio Code and typing/selecting Terminal: Select Default Profile (or Terminal: Select Default Shell in older Visual Studio Code versions).

Older:

Utrillo

As of today on MacOS the Terminal extension does not have a "Select Default Shell" option in the menu! Lucky for me using https://mcmap.net/q/80607/-change-the-default-terminal-in-visual-studio-code worked. – Laplace

I'm using MacOS Catalina right now, "Terminal: Select Default Shell" was there and worked for me. – Megilp

Updated Answer for Linux and MAC: askubuntu.com/a/1118140/810954 – Importunate

Has this changed because I have done this on Windows version 1.65.2 and every time there is a restart, I get the powershell instead of Git bash – Gwenny

2023: >select terminal profile is the command – Chinkiang

For macOS users, just type the key SHIFT + Command + P and type terminal profile. Choose Terminal: Select Default Profile and choose your preferred terminal. – Yashmak

Answer 2

Configure your default integrated terminal by running the Terminal: Select Default Profile command, which is also accessible via the terminal dropdown.

See Terminal Basics.

Polyphone

This is the correct and most recent way of doing it, however, it doesn't work for me in VS Code v1.56.2. This works "terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\WINDOWS\\System32\\bash.exe" – Flashcube

When im trying to use "terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\WINDOWS\\System32\\bash.exe" Im getting this warning - "This is deprecated, the new recommended way to configure your default shell is by creating a terminal profile" (VS Code v1.56.2) – Polyphone

I’m getting the same deprecated warning but at least it works. Like I said recommended way isn’t working for me on v1.56.2. – Flashcube

Not work for me in VSCode 1.56.2 too. Use deprecated way, it works. – Gallager

There is a Small drop down that says Select Default Profile... that sets the current shell as the default profile. – Dodecanese

Not working in VSCode 1.57.1, HOWEVER, if you remove "source": "Git Bash" AND change the name from "Git Bash" to something like "GitBash", it works. Is there a bug??? – Superabound

Answer 3

I just type the following keywords in the opened terminal;

1. powershell
2. bash
3. cmd
4. node
5. python (or python3)

See details in the below image (Visual Studio Code version 1.19.1 on the Windows 10 OS):

It works on Visual Studio Code Mac as well. I tried it with Visual Studio Code (version 1.20.1).

Cerda

Seems to work only when bash is selected as default shell. – Spinthariscope

Was searching for a way to open my wsl on windows without changing the default, creating new, then switching default back to powershell. Simply typing wsl works an absolute charm – Dasheen

Answer 4

Go to menu File → Preferences → Settings (or press Ctrl + ,). Then click the leftmost icon in the top right corner, "Open Settings (JSON)"

In the JSON settings window, add this (within the curly braces {}):

"terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\WINDOWS\\System32\\bash.exe"`

(Here you can put any other custom settings you want as well.)

Checkout that path to make sure your bash.exe file is there. Otherwise, find out where it is and point to that path instead.

Now if you open a new terminal window in Visual Studio Code, it should open with Bash instead of PowerShell.

Sister

It appears that VSCode has changed a little since this answer, now there is a button with {} on it that you must press to get to the editor to make this change. The command in this answer did work correctly. Thank you for the answer. – Papst

You should not use the executable from System32 since (normally) vs code has no access to that executable. Instead use the program files one terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe" – Teets

"terminal.integrated.shell.windows" or "terminal.integrated.shell.linux" is deprecated and it did not seem to work in my case (v1.62.0 on linux). Use "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows" or "terminal.integrated.shell.linux" instead and define the executable path in the "terminal.integrated.profiles.windows" or "terminal.integrated.profiles.linux", repectively. See also @Stephanieraymos answer below. – Audry

I have terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.linux and terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows and terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.osx. The magic three.. – Volplane

Answer 5

1. Just press Ctrl + Shift + P
2. Search "Terminal: Select Default Profile". Click
3. You will see terminals options and select Git Bash

Auston

Answer 6

To change the default terminal for your project in Visual Studio Code:

1. Create a folder by name of .vscode
2. Create a settings.json file in this folder:
3. Write the settings you want

For example, if you are a Windows user and want to set "Command Prompt" as the default terminal you can write:

"terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows": "Command Prompt"

values. You can pass: "Git Bash", "PowerShell", and "Command Prompt".

For Linux, you will use terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.linux and for macOS you will use: terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.osx

Danube

Answer 7

You can change the terminal by opening the Command Palette by pressing Ctrl + Shift + P.

Or you can go to View at the top and click "Open Command Palette".

Then type Terminal: Select Default Profile

And you can type which terminal you want.

African

Answer 8

Since you use WSL, Visual Studio Code has the dedicated Remote - WSL extension, so you can use a Linux environment directly in Visual Studio Code.

When you open the project inside Linux, by default, it's using the Linux default shell (bash by default), so no configuration needed.

If you want to switch to other profile, there is Terminal → Integrated → Default Profile: Linux section, so you can pick your favorite one.

Twopence

It should be the correct answer, because the OP wants to switch from Windows to Linux in Vscode which is only possible with Remote WSL I guess. – Volplane

I set fish as default shell on wsl, but vscode still used bash. Set this setting explicitly and now it works like a charms, ty! – Arondell

how to have PowerShell on the list when opening project in WSL? – Acrylyl

Answer 9

Going off of arielhad's solution...

My Visual Studio Code version was 1.57.1.

Open the settings.json file:

• Ctrl + Shift + p
• Type 'Open Settings (JSON)' and select.

Add the following:

"terminal.integrated.profiles.windows": {
    "PowerShell": {
        "path": [
            "${env:windir}\\Sysnative\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe",
            "${env:windir}\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe"
        ],
        "source": "PowerShell",
        "icon": "terminal-powershell",
        "args": [
            "-NoLogo",
            "-ExecutionPolicy",
            "Bypass"
        ]
    },
    "Command Prompt": {
        "path": [
            "${env:windir}\\Sysnative\\cmd.exe",
            "${env:windir}\\System32\\cmd.exe"
        ],
        "icon": "terminal-cmd"
    },

//START: THIS DOES NOT WORK
    "Git Bash": {
        "path": [
            "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe",
        ],
        "source": "Git Bash",
        "icon": "terminal-bash"
    }
// END: THIS DOES NOT WORK

//START: THIS WORKS
    "GitBash": {
        "path": [
            "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe",
        ],
        "icon": "terminal-bash"
    }
// END: THIS WORKS
}

I don't know why the second way works, but it does. It appears the 'Git Bash' is a reserved name and I guess you cannot set the path.

Superabound

Answer 10

Press Ctrl + Shift + P. Then type settings.json.

At the end of the file, change the 'PowerShell' to 'Git Bash'.

Disaster

Lol, what makes this answer different from @OneShadow 's answer. Please elaborate more on it. – Khadijahkhai

Answer 11

The integrated shell option still works, but it has been deprecated. The fix is to use the integrated profile instead:

    "terminal.integrated.profiles.windows": {
        "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe (migrated)": {
            "path": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe",
            "args": []
        }
    }

Hanford

Answer 12

If you want to select the type of console, you can write this in the file keybindings.json (this file can be found in the following path: menu File → Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts)

// With this, you can select what type of console you want
{
    "key": "ctrl+shift+t",
    "command": "shellLauncher.launch"
},

// And this will help you quickly change console
{
    "key": "ctrl+shift+j",
    "command": "workbench.action.terminal.focusNext"
},
{
    "key": "ctrl+shift+k",
    "command": "workbench.action.terminal.focusPrevious"
}

Champollion

Without this extension Shell launcher this answer is useless. So just install it and specify shortcut. Be careful, this shortcut is already defined - find this shortcut and check if you use action under this shortcut or not. – Handpick