This document outlines the roadmap towards delivering Windows Terminal 2.0 by Spring 2021.
The Windows Terminal project is engineered and delivered as a set of 4-week milestones. New features will go into Windows Terminal Preview first, then a month after they've been in Preview, those features will move into Windows Terminal.
| Duration | Activity | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks | Dev Work
|
Release to Internal Selfhosters at end of week 2 |
| 1 week | Quality & Stability
|
Push to Microsoft Store at end of week 3 |
| 1 week | Release
|
Release available from Microsoft Store & GitHub Releases |
Below is the schedule for when milestones will be included in release builds of Windows Terminal and Windows Terminal Preview. The dates are rough estimates and are subject to change.
| Milestone End Date | Milestone Name | Preview Release Blog Post |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-06-18 | 1.1 in Windows Terminal Preview | Windows Terminal Preview 1.1 Release |
| 2020-07-31 | 1.2 in Windows Terminal Preview 1.1 in Windows Terminal |
|
| 2020-08-31 | 1.3 in Windows Terminal Preview 1.2 in Windows Terminal |
|
| 2020-09-30 | 1.4 in Windows Terminal Preview 1.3 in Windows Terminal |
|
| 2020-10-31 | 1.5 in Windows Terminal Preview 1.4 in Windows Terminal |
|
| 2020-11-30 | 1.6 in Windows Terminal Preview 1.5 in Windows Terminal |
|
| 2020-12-31 | 1.7 in Windows Terminal Preview 1.6 in Windows Terminal |
|
| 2021-01-31 | 1.8 in Windows Terminal Preview 1.7 in Windows Terminal |
|
| 2021-02-28 | 1.9 in Windows Terminal Preview 1.8 in Windows Terminal |
|
| 2021-03-31 | 1.10 in Windows Terminal Preview 1.9 in Windows Terminal |
|
| 2021-04-30 | 2.0 RC in Windows Terminal Preview 2.0 RC in Windows Terminal |
|
| 2021-05-31 | 2.0 in Windows Terminal Preview 2.0 in Windows Terminal |
Incoming issues/asks/etc. are triaged several times a week, labeled appropriately, and assigned to a milestone in priority order:
- P0 (serious crashes, data loss, etc.) issues are scheduled to be dealt with ASAP
- P1/2 issues/features/asks assigned to the current or future milestone, or to the Terminal 2.0 milestone for future assignment, if required to deliver a 2.0 feature
- Issues/features/asks not on our list of 2.0 features are assigned to the Terminal Backlog for subsequent triage, prioritization & scheduling.
The following are a list of the key scenarios we're aiming to deliver for Terminal 2.0.
👉 Note: There are many other features that don't fit within 2.0, but will be re-assessed and prioritized for 3.0, the plan for which will be published in 2021.
| Priority* | Scenario | Description/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Settings UI | A user interface that connects to settings.json. This provides a way for people to edit their settings without having to edit a JSON file. Issue: #1564 |
| 0 | Command palette | A popup menu to list possible actions and commands. Issues: #5400, #2046 Spec: #2193 |
| 1 | Tab tear-off | The ability to tear a tab out of the current window and spawn a new window or attach it to a separate window. Issue: #1256 Spec: #2080 |
| 1 | Clickable links | Hyperlinking any links that appear in the text buffer. When clicking on the link, the link will open in your default browser. Issue: #574 |
| 1 | Default terminal | If a command-line application is spawned, it should open in Windows Terminal (if installed) or your preferred terminal Issue: #492 Spec: #2080 |
| 1 | Overall theme support | Tab coloring, title bar coloring, pane border coloring, pane border width, definition of what makes a theme Issue: #3327 Spec: #5772 |
| 1 | Open tab as admin/other user | Open tab in existing Windows Terminal instance as admin (if Terminal was run unelevated) or as another user. Issue: #5000 |
| 1 | Traditional opacity | Have a transparent background without the acrylic blur. Issue: #603 |
| 2 | SnapOnOutput, scroll lock | Pause output or scrolling on click. Issue: #980 Spec: #2529 Implementation: #6062 |
| 2 | Infinite scrollback | Have an infinite history for the text buffer. Issue: #1410 |
| 2 | Pane management | All issues listed out in the original issue. Some features include pane resizing with mouse, pane zooming, and opening a pane by prompting which profile to use. Issue: #1000 |
| 2 | Theme marketplace | Marketplace for creation and distribution of themes. Dependent on overall theming |
| 2 | Jump list | Show profiles from task bar (on right click)/start menu. Issue: #576 |
| 2 | Open with multiple tabs | A setting that allows Windows Terminal to launch with a specific tab configuration (not using only command line arguments). Issue: #756 |
| 3 | Open in Windows Terminal | Functionality to right click on a file or folder and select Open in Windows Terminal. Issue: #1060 Implementation: #6100 |
| 3 | Session restoration | Launch Windows Terminal and the previous session is restored with the proper tab and pane configuration and starting directories. Issues: #961, #960, #766 |
| 3 | Quake mode | Provide a quick launch terminal that appears and disappears when a hotkey is pressed. Issue: #653 |
| 3 | Settings migration infrastructure | Migrate people's settings without breaking them. Hand-in-hand with settings UI. |
| 3 | Pointer bindings | Provide settings that can be bound to the mouse. Issue: #1553 |
Feature Notes:
* Feature Priorities:
- Mandatory
- Optimal
- Optional / Stretch-goal