How does "Default Terminal" work?

[tang-nn]

Why do I directly double-click the cmd.exe file in the System32 directory, it will also open in Windows Terminal? How is it achieved? Ask for answers

[237dmitry]

What is your default terminal application? Check settings of Windows Terminal or conhost.exe. In my settings "Let Windows decide"

Win+R > conhost

[tang-nn]

I want to know how it works

[237dmitry]

I want to know how it works

Change the default terminal applications and check values in the HKCU\Console\%%Startup registry key.

Can be read here

[tang-nn]

I deleted the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console\%SystemRoot%_system32_cmd.exe,
Also opens in Terminal

[tang-nn]

It should be a bug when my cmd is opened in Terminal

[237dmitry]

I deleted the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console%SystemRoot%_system32_cmd.exe

You deleted console host settings for Windows\System32\cmd.exe (color, size, font etc) This out of subject.

It should be a bug when my cmd is opened in Terminal

In my environment all works as expected (win 11 22H2).

• set default terminal application
• relogin (maybe no need to do)

[tang-nn]

[zadjii-msft]

What you're seeing is the "Default Terminal" feature in Windows 11, which lets you change which application is used as the default terminal emulator for command-line applications. That was previously always "conhost.exe", but now the Windows Terminal can be used as the default emulator too.

How it works is... complicated... and I believe we're tracking writing those docs in #9462. It was originally spec'd here: #7414

The other comment you have in this thread, about the leading spaces, looks like it's the same thing we're discussing with you in #15836, so I'm gonna collapse that as off-topic.