Windows Terminal redesign brings new settings panel

Windows Terminal

The wheel keeps turning! Another much loved app is getting an upgrade to match the new look and feel of Windows 11. This time around, we have Windows Terminal, the default command line tool in the OS.

Microsoft appears to be working on a new settings interface for this open-source application.

Images of the proposed redesign have been posted on GitHub, hinting that a significant update for Windows Terminal is coming soon. This visual makeover brings the program closer to other inbox apps in Windows 11 like Settings, Paint, Notepad, Microsoft Store, and more.

The updated redesign of the app is based on the WinUI controls, and the highlight here is a new settings page as you can see in the screenshot below.

Windows 11 Terminal Settings

Developer and designer Pankaj Bhojwani explains that the new look for Windows Terminal is set to make it look like the settings panel of the operating system itself. The settings container is complete with expanders, much like the Settings app in the OS.

At this point in time, it is not clear that the new Windows Terminal will also use the Mica design material that comes under the Fluent Design.

Mica, of course, is an affect that aligns the background color of active windows with the desktop to help users distinguish between multiple open instances. This is different to Acrylic, an effect that is more commonly used in the operating platform.

In addition to this change, Microsoft is also working on a few smaller things.

We have a redesigned action page, the color scheme pages are also refreshed, pivots in profiles are removed as a bread crumb style similar to Windows Settings is implemented. Toggle switches also have text on the left instead of on the right.

The Windows Terminal design refresh will also arrive on both Windows 11 and Windows 10, but the Mica effect will be exclusive to the newer operating system, if it is introduced.

But with PowerToys, another popular open-source tool also getting a refreshed look, it is clear that Microsoft is coming good on its promise of streamlining the design of its operating platform.