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Move fast and break stuff, Windows Terminal style: Final update before release will nix your carefully crafted settings

Users advised to move file out of folder, let a new one be generated, then copy it back over – if you want to keep them

The last major update for Windows Terminal prior to version 1.0 dropped last night but be warned: there are some breaking settings changes.

Microsoft's open-source Windows Terminal has come along in leaps and bounds since its first tentative steps last year. With (the now virtual) Build event due next month, users would be forgiven for expecting a non-preview release to crop up in the Microsoft store shortly.

However, the gang behind the project emitted one final major update last night, somewhat lunching the settings file. Program manager Kayla Cinnamon put it delicately, posting: "We have made some changes to our settings that we'd like to bring to your attention..."

Senior project manager Rich Turner was a little more blunt.

And goodness, there are a lot of breaking changes to catch the unwary.

With version 1.0 looming, the team has indulged in a clear-out of deprecated settings from the .json file used by the app. The globals property is no longer supported and requestedTheme has been renamed to theme in the long list of settings changes.

We'd have to echo Cinnamon's advice: copy the existing settings file somewhere else, let Windows Terminal create a new one and then manually copy the settings back over.

It's irritating (especially if one has created scripts to generate the files) but this is preview code and stuff might break.

More potentially confusing is the renaming of the settings file (which will happen automatically) from profiles.json to settings.json. On the face of it, this is a logical move, if it were not for Visual Studio Code also using files called settings.json, which might initially confound some.

Cinnamon also stated that "Indexing in the Terminal starts at 0", a comment that could kick off a tab-versus-spaces-style spat between the "1 is the magic number" brigade and the "0 is the only true way" acolytes.

Settings updates and localisation support aside, the Windows Terminal looks to be nearly ready for release. Those expecting it in the Windows 10 May 2020 Update are in for a disappointment however – it will, for now, be sticking with the Microsoft Store. ®

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