Switching to a Different Terminal in VS Code

How to change your default terminal in VS Code

VS Code lets you pick which terminal program opens when you use the built-in terminal. By default, it uses PowerShell on Windows, zsh on Mac, and bash on Linux — but you can switch to Git Bash, Command Prompt, Windows Terminal, or any other terminal installed on your machine. The change takes effect immediately and only affects VS Code; it does not change your system's default terminal.

The process takes about one minute and requires only a few clicks in VS Code's settings. You do not need to restart the program or install anything new.

Key Takeaways

Open the VS Code settings by pressing Ctrl+, (Windows and Linux) or Cmd+, (Mac), then search for "default profile" to find the terminal setting.
VS Code shows you a dropdown list of every terminal program already installed on your computer — you just pick the one you want.
The change applies only to VS Code and does not affect what terminal opens elsewhere on your system.
If your preferred terminal does not appear in the dropdown, you may need to install it first or add its path manually in the settings JSON file.

Opening VS Code settings and finding the terminal option

Press Ctrl+, on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+, on Mac. This opens the Settings tab in VS Code. At the top of the page, you will see a search box.

Type default profile into the search box. VS Code will filter the settings and show you "Terminal: Default Profile" — this is the setting that controls which terminal opens. You will see it listed under the "Terminal" section.

If you see multiple results, look for the one that says "Terminal: Default Profile" with a description mentioning "the default profile to use on this platform." That is the correct one.

Selecting a different terminal from the dropdown

Click the dropdown menu next to "Terminal: Default Profile." VS Code displays every terminal program it found on your computer. Common options include PowerShell, Command Prompt (cmd), Git Bash, Windows Terminal, zsh, and bash, depending on what you have installed.

Click the terminal you want to use. The change takes effect immediately — the next time you open a terminal in VS Code (by pressing Ctrl+` or using Terminal > New Terminal from the menu), it will use your new choice.

You can switch back anytime by repeating these steps and picking a different terminal from the same dropdown.

What to do if your terminal does not appear in the dropdown

If the terminal you want is not listed, it either is not installed on your system or VS Code has not detected it yet. The fastest fix is to close VS Code completely and reopen it — sometimes VS Code needs to restart to see newly installed programs.

If restarting does not work, you can add the terminal manually by editing the settings JSON file. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows and Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) to open the command palette, then type Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON) and press Enter. This opens the raw settings file in a text editor.

Find the section labeled "terminal.integrated.profiles" (or create one if it does not exist). Inside this section, you can add a new terminal by typing its name and the path to its executable file. For example, to add Git Bash on Windows, you would add a line like "Git Bash": { "path": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe" }. Save the file when you are done, and the new terminal will appear in the dropdown.

Switching terminals for a single project

If you want to use a different terminal for just one project without changing your global default, you can override the setting in that project's workspace settings. Open the project folder in VS Code, then press Ctrl+, to open settings.

At the top of the Settings tab, you will see two tabs: "User" and "Workspace." Click the "Workspace" tab, then search for "default profile" again. Change the terminal here, and it will only affect this project. When you open a different project, VS Code will use your global default terminal instead.

Troubleshooting terminal problems after changing

If you switch to a new terminal and it does not work, the most common cause is that VS Code cannot find the program at the path it is looking for. This happens when a terminal is installed in an unexpected location or when the path changed after an update.

Open the settings JSON file again (Ctrl+Shift+P, then "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)") and check the path listed for your terminal. You can verify the correct path by opening File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) and navigating to where the terminal program is actually installed. Copy the full path and paste it into the settings file, making sure to use forward slashes (/) instead of backslashes (\) in the path.

If you still see an error message when opening a terminal, try switching back to your original default terminal temporarily. This tells you whether the problem is with the new terminal itself or with how VS Code is configured to find it.

Understanding which terminal to choose

Different terminals have different strengths. PowerShell is the modern Windows terminal and handles most tasks well. Command Prompt (cmd) is older but works reliably for basic commands. Git Bash is useful if you work with Git and want Unix-style commands on Windows. Windows Terminal is Microsoft's newer unified terminal that can run PowerShell, Command Prompt, or WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) inside it.

On Mac and Linux, bash and zsh are the most common choices. zsh is the default on newer Mac systems and has better autocomplete features. bash is simpler and works everywhere.

If you are not sure which to pick, stick with your system's default — VS Code chose it because it works well on your machine. You can always experiment by switching to a different one and switching back if you do not like it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing the default terminal in VS Code affect my system terminal?

No. This setting only changes which terminal opens inside VS Code. Your system's default terminal — the one that opens when you click a terminal icon on your desktop or in your applications menu — stays the same. You can change the system default separately through your operating system settings if you want.

Can I use different terminals for different projects?

Yes. Use the "Workspace" settings tab instead of the "User" tab when you change the default profile. This makes the change apply only to that specific project. When you open a different project, VS Code will use your global default terminal.

What if I accidentally pick the wrong terminal and now nothing works?

Go back to settings (Ctrl+,), search for "default profile," and pick a different terminal from the dropdown. You can switch as many times as you need. If you are not sure which one to pick, choose PowerShell (Windows), zsh (Mac), or bash (Linux) — these are the safest defaults.

Why does my new terminal show an error when I open it?

VS Code cannot find the terminal program at the path it is looking for. Open the settings JSON file (Ctrl+Shift+P, then "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)"), find the path for your terminal, and verify it points to the actual location where the program is installed. You can check the correct path by opening File Explorer or Finder and navigating to the program's folder.

Can I add a terminal that is not in the dropdown list?

Yes, but you need to edit the settings JSON file manually. Press Ctrl+Shift+P, type "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)," and find the "terminal.integrated.profiles" section. Add a new entry with the terminal's name and the full path to its executable file, then save the file.

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