How can I get batch files to run through the new Windows Terminal? [closed]

Question

I tend to have a lot of cmd prompts open at a time from running multiple batch files at once, so I figured the new Windows Terminal would be a neat way to tidy things up with tabs.

Problem is, I can't quite figure out how to change the default behavior of running batch files through a cmd instance to the desired running batch files through a cmd instance that is inside of a Windows Terminal instance.

I'm able to easily open Windows Terminal, start a cmd instance, cd to the correct dir, and run the batch file.. but that's a lot of effort. I want to just be able to run a batch file, and have it work through a cmd prompt that's inside Windows Terminal.

Answer 1

You can have this behaviour on double click by changing HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open\command default value from:

"%1" %*

to:

"C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\wt.exe" -p "Command Prompt" "%1" %*

or by using ftype command:

ftype batfile="C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\wt.exe" -p "Command Prompt" "%1" %*

You have to change <user> with the current user name directory and of course, this wt.exe path (C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\) is if you've installed Windows Terminal from Microsoft Store, if you haven't, then you have to find the path to wt.exe and use that instead. Windows enviroment variables %LOCALAPPDATA% and %USERPROFILE% did not work for me, so I'm using full path here.

You can create a registry entry to have an option to opem a BAT file using Windows Terminal and having it running with CMD:

1. Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell key.
2. Create a key with the name wtopen and the default value Open with Windows Terminal:

3. Create a subkey HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\wtopen\command with the default value:

   "C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\wt.exe" -p "Command Prompt" "%1" %*
   

And now you'll have a new entry "Open with Windows Terminal" when you right click on BAT files and when you click it it will open a new Windows Terminal with a Command Prompt panel running the selected batch file:

Tested with Windows Terminal 0.11.1121.0

The default name for the Command Prompt (cmd) profile is "Command Prompt". You'll have to change it using the -p "<name>" parameter if you have other name than the default.

Answer 2

The other answers work, but I also wanted batch files to open as a new tab if Windows Terminal is already open and allow scripts without absolute paths:

Open the Registry Editor and navigate to this key:

Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open\command

Then modify the (Default) value to the following:

wt.exe -w 0 new-tab -d . "%1" %*

where the -w 0 argument specifies to open in the first or existing window in a new-tab at the current working directory of the file: -d .

Tip: if you have a batch file set up to silently run in the background that you don't want popping up, just rename it from .bat to .cmd!

Answer 3

I've been looking for this for at least a year, today I finally found a solution.. In the Microsoft Forum an Advisor Said:

.Bat extension is a Command Prompt executable format. It would not support in the New Windows Terminal as I have checked.

Fortunately this is wrong, I found a way to set the new Windows Terminal as Default:

Just create a .reg file with this code, (replacing "Marco" with your username) and run it:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Users\\Marco\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\WindowsApps\\wt.exe\" \"%1\""

You also need to edit the windows terminal settings.json and change the default:

"startingDirectory": "%USERPROFILE%"

to

"startingDirectory": "."

If you don't do this it won't work because it tries to run it inside the user folder and not in the current!

Answer 4

As stated by tech189,

The other answers work, but I also wanted batch files to open as a new tab if Windows Terminal is already open and allow scripts without absolute paths

and if "Command Prompt" is not the default profile in Windows Terminal, I want the .bat files to open with the profile "Command Prompt" in the Windows Terminal.

So, using the solutions of Christos Lytras and tech189, I was able to find a solution that works for me:

Open the Registry Editor and navigate to this key:

Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open\command

Then modify the (Default) value to the following:

wt.exe -w 0 new-tab -d . -p "Command Prompt" "%1" %*

Answer 5

Today I found that the following command works (without the need to change the registry):

wt -p "Command Prompt" {pathtoyourbatchfile1} ; nt {pathtoyourbatchfile2}

The command above opens 2 tabs with the specified batch files. The "nt" part defines the additional tabs, so you can repeat it to initialize multiple tabs.

Answer 6

It will be supported by https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/492

Windows will support change default terminal in future.