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How to Change the Default Terminal in VSCode
Visual Studio Code ships with a built-in terminal panel, but it doesn't lock you into one shell. Whether you prefer Bash, Zsh, PowerShell, Command Prompt, or Fish, VSCode lets you swap the default with a few clicks or a quick settings edit. What "best" looks like depends entirely on your operating system, workflow, and the tools your projects rely on.
What the Default Terminal Actually Controls
When you open a new terminal in VSCode — either through the menu (Terminal > New Terminal) or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+` — VSCode launches whatever shell is configured as the default terminal profile. This profile defines the executable path, startup arguments, and environment variables that shell session inherits.
VSCode introduced the terminal profiles system (replacing the older terminal.integrated.shell setting, which is now deprecated) to give developers more granular control. Each profile is a named configuration. You pick one as the default; the others stay available on demand.
How to Change the Default Terminal Profile
Method 1: Using the Terminal Dropdown (Fastest)
- Open a terminal panel in VSCode.
- Click the dropdown arrow (∨) next to the + icon in the terminal tab bar.
- Select Select Default Profile.
- A quick-pick menu appears listing all detected shell profiles on your system — choose the one you want.
VSCode immediately sets that shell as the default for all future terminal sessions in that workspace (or globally, depending on your settings scope).
Method 2: Through VSCode Settings (More Control)
- Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS).
- Type "Terminal: Select Default Profile" and press Enter.
- Choose from the listed profiles.
Alternatively, go to File > Preferences > Settings (or Ctrl+,), search for terminal.integrated.defaultProfile, and select your OS-specific variant:
- terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows
- terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.linux
- terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.osx
Set the value to the name of any profile already defined under terminal.integrated.profiles.
Method 3: Editing settings.json Directly
For developers who prefer working in raw JSON:
- Open the Command Palette and run "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)".
- Add or edit the relevant key. For example, on Windows: