Windows Terminal, like any other tool in Windows, can be customized. Users using Terminal or Command Prompt often customize text, color, environmental variables, etc. However, if, for some reason, Windows terminal resets, you lose all your customization. This post will share how to back up Windows Terminal settings.
If you wish to recreate the same configuration on your other devices, having the ability to back up the Windows Terminal settings will often be helpful. Configuration changes must be undone. Or perhaps you can start fresh with the same settings.
How to Back up Windows Terminal Settings
To manually back up Windows Terminal settings, one can use File Explorer, Command Prompt, or PowerShell to copy and store the file in a different location.
1] File Explorer Method to Back up Windows Terminal Settings
Close the application and follow these instructions to back up the Windows Terminal settings via File Explorer manually.
- To access the configuration file folder, copy and paste the following path in the File Explorer address bar and press Enter.
%LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState
- Right-click on the settings.json file and click on the copy button.
- Go to the folder where you want to save your backup settings, right-click and select the paste button.
The file will be backed up in your chosen folder once you have finished the steps.
2] Use Terminal to Back up Windows Terminal Settings
Use the steps below to back up the terminal app settings using Command Prompt or PowerShell. This is how you go about it:
- On your Windows PC, right-click the Windows logo and click on Windows Terminal.
- To back up the settings.json file, copy and paste the command and press Enter.
Copy C:\Users\sjc-12\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json C:\Users\sjc-12\Downloads
Note: In the command, replace sjc-12 with your username and the folder path where you want to keep the backup of the file.
After you finish the steps, the settings.json will be copied to your selected location.
Related: How to Customize Windows Terminal
How to Verify and Restore Windows Terminal Backup?
The best way to verify the file is by restoring it somewhere else or on the same PC. Once you do that, this is how you restore when you need it.
1] Use File Explorer to Restore Windows Terminal
Close the app and follow these steps to restore the terminal settings file manually:
- Go to the backup folder in File Explorer where you have kept the backup
- Right-click on the settings.json file and click on the copy button.
- Go to the Windows Terminal Folder (path mentioned below), and paste or replace the existing file with the one you copied.
%LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState
2] Use Commands to Restore Windows Terminal Settings
Use the steps given below to restore the Windows Terminal app settings.json file:
- On your Windows PC, right-click the Windows logo and choose Windows Terminal.
- Copy and paste the following command in the Windows Terminal window and press Enter.
Copy C:\Users\sjc-12\Documents\wt_backup\settings.json %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState
- In the command, replace C:\Users\sjc-12\Documents\wt_backup\ with your PC’s username and the folder path where you want to keep the backup of the file.
Conclusion
So, these are how you can back up Windows Terminal settings. After backing up the settings.json file, you can verify and restore Windows Terminal settings through File Explorer and commands. I hope this article was helpful!
