Where Is the Windows Terminal settings.json File?
Windows Terminal settings.json path for the Store and inbox builds, and how to open it without browsing.
Last updated
Windows Terminal keeps everything in one settings.json inside its package LocalState folder. Profiles, color schemes, key bindings and defaults all live there.
Open it from inside the app: Ctrl+Shift+, (comma) or Settings, then Open JSON file. That beats memorizing the Packages path, which changes per install source.
Where Windows Terminal stores this, by platform
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json
Store build path. The inbox Windows 11 Terminal and Preview builds use a similar Packages folder with a different suffix. Exact path may vary by install source; use Open JSON file to confirm.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up Windows Terminal settings?
Copy settings.json elsewhere. Dropping it into a fresh install LocalState folder restores profiles and schemes in one move.
I edited settings.json and Terminal reset it. Why?
A JSON syntax error makes Terminal fall back to defaults and rename the bad file. Validate the JSON (trailing commas are the usual culprit) and try again.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.