Terminal: [Interesting Usage] Replace the Windows default conhost.exe to OpenConsole.exe

Created on 4 Jul 2019  路  4Comments  路  Source: microsoft/terminal

Since Windows Terminal is currently performing poorly in copying and pasting, I think OpenConsole is my better choice.

However, if you do not run it from OpenConsole, Windows will append the default console host (C:\Windows\System32\conhost.exe) to all console applications.

Then Microsoft said that the source code of OpenConsole comes from conhost.exe, then can we replace conhost.exe directly with OpenConsole.exe? This way we get a better default console host.

I tried it and it works well. Although OpenConsole is packaged as a UWP application, OpenConsole.exe is actually a normal Win32 window program that can be run by double-clicking its exe. You can find it from terminal\bin\x64\Release\OpenConsole.exe if you done a x64 release build.

Then, go to C:\Windows\System32, right-click conhost.exe, "Properties", and edit the permission list to give the current user the "Full Control" permission.

Then, rename conhost.exe to conhost-old.exe and copy OpenConsole.exe to here and rename it to conhost.exe.

Open any console application (powershell, wsl, ...) and enjoy your new console.

Issue-Question Needs-Tag-Fix Needs-Triage Resolution-Answered

Most helpful comment

You found our secret! We offer no warranty for using openconsole like this!

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You found our secret! We offer no warranty for using openconsole like this!

Works for me including win 2019 server

It _might_ work all the way down to Windows 8.1. Again, no warranty!

The open issue of this is #492
(for people coming here from search)

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