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Starting with Windows Server 2016, the console host (the underlying code that supports all character-mode applications including the Windows command prompt, the Windows PowerShell prompt, and others) has been updated in several ways to add a variety of new capabilities.
Controlling the new features
The new functionality is enabled by default, but you can switch each of the new features on and off or revert to the previous console host either through the Properties interface (mostly on the Options tab) or with these registry keys (all keys are DWORD values under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console):
| Registry key | Description |
|---|---|
| ForceV2 | 1 enables all new console features; 0 disables all new features. Note: this value is not stored in shortcuts, but only in this Registry key. |
| LineSelection | 1 enables line selection; 0 to use block mode only |
| FilterOnPaste | 1 enables new paste behavior |
| LineWrap | 1 wraps text when you resize console windows |
| CtrlKeyShortcutsDisabled | 0 enables new key shortcuts; 1 disables them |
| ExtendedEdit Keys | 1 enables the full set of keyboard selection keys; 0 disables them |
| TrimLeadingZeros | 1 trims leading zeroes in selections made by double-clicking; 0 keeps the leading zeros |
| WindowsAlpha | Sets opacity value between 30% and 100%. Use 0x4C to 0xFF or 76 to 255 to specify value |
| WordDelimiters | Defines the character that is used to skip to when selecting text a whole word at a time with CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW (the default is the space character). Set this REG_SZ value to contain all characters you want to be treated as delimiters. Note: this value is not stored in shortcuts, but only in this Registry key. |
These settings are stored per each window title in the Registry under HKCU\Console. Console windows opened by a shortcut have these settings stored in the shortcut; if the shortcut is copied to another computer, the settings move with it to the new computer. Settings in shortcuts override all other settings, including global settings and defaults. However, if you revert to the original console by using Use legacy console in the Options tab, this setting is global and will persist for all windows afterwards, including after restarting the computer.
You can pre-configure or script these settings by configuring the Registry appropriately in an Unattend file or with Windows PowerShell.
16-bit NTVDM apps always revert to the older console host.
Note
If you encounter issues with the new console settings and cannot resolve them with any of the specific options listed here, you can always revert back to the original console by setting ForceV2 to 0 or with the Use legacy console control in Options.
Console behavior
You can now resize the console window at will by grabbing an edge with the mouse and dragging it. Scroll bars only appear if you set window dimensions manually (by using the Layout tab in Properties) or if the longest line of text in the buffer is wider than the current window size.
The new console window now supports word wrapping. However, if you used console APIs to change text in a buffer, the console will leave the text as it was originally inserted.
Console windows now can be semi-transparent (to a minimum transparency of 30%). You can adjust the transparency from the Properties menu or with these keyboard commands:
| To do this: | Use this key combination: |
|---|---|
| Increase transparency | CTRL+SHIFT+Plus (+) or CTRL+SHIFT+mouse scroll up |
| Decrease transparency | CTRL+SHIFT+Minus (-) or CTRL+SHIFT+mouse scroll down |
| Toggle full-screen mode | ALT+ENTER |
Selection
There are many new options for selecting text and lines, as well as for marking text and using the buffer history. The console attempts to avoid clashes with applications that might be using the same keys.
For developers
If a conflict occurs, you can typically control the behavior of the application's use of line input, processed input, and echo input modes with the SetConsoleMode() API. If you run in processed input mode, the shortcuts below apply, but in other modes, your application must handle them. Any key combinations not listed here function as they did in previous versions of the console. You can also try to resolve conflicts with various settings on the Options tab. If all else fails, you can always revert to the original console.
You can now use click-and-drag selection outside of QuickEdit mode, and this selection can select text across lines as in Notepad, rather than just a rectangular block. Copy operations no longer require you to remove line breaks. In addition to click-and-drag selection, these key combinations are available:
Text selection
| To do this: | Use this key combination: |
|---|---|
| Move the cursor to the left one character, extending the selection | SHIFT+LEFT ARROW |
| Move the cursor to the right one character, extending the selection | SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW |
| Selects text line by line up from the insertion point | SHIFT+UP ARROW |
| Extends text selection down one line from the insertion point | SHIFT+DOWN ARROW |
| If the cursor is in the line currently being edited, use this command once to extend the selection to the last character in the input line. Use it a second time to extend the selection to the right margin. | SHIFT+END |
| If the cursor is not in the line currently being edited, use this command to select all text from the insertion point to the right margin. | SHIFT+END |
| If the cursor in the line currently being edited, use this command once to extend the selection to the character immediately after the command prompt. Use it a second time to extend the selection to the right margin. | SHIFT+HOME |
| If the cursor is not in the line currently being edited, use this command to extend the selection to the left margin. | SHIFT+HOME |
| Extend the selection down one screen | SHIFT+PAGE DOWN |
| Extend the selection up one screen | SHIFT+PAGE UP |
| Extend the selection one word to the right. (You can define the delimiters for word with the WordDelimiters registry key.) | CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW |
| Extend the selection one word to the left | CTRL+SHIFT+HOME |
| Extend the selection to the beginning of the screen buffer | CTRL+SHIFT+END |
| Select all text after the prompt, if the cursor is in the current line and the line is not empty | CTRL+A |
| Select the entire buffer, if the cursor is not in the current line | CTRL+A |
Editing text
You can copy and paste text in the console using keyboard commands. CTRL+C now serves two functions. If no text is selected when you use it, it sends the BREAK command as usual. If text is selected, the first use copies the text and clears the selection; the second use sends BREAK. Here are the other editing commands:
| To do this: | Use this key combination: |
|---|---|
| Paste text into the command line | CTRL+V |
| Copy selected text to the clipboard | CTRL+INS |
| Copy selected text to the clipboard; send BREAK | CTRL+C |
| Paste text into the command line | SHIFT+INS |
Mark mode
To enter mark mode at any time, right-click anywhere in the console title bar, point to Edit, and select Mark from the menu that opens. You can also type CTRL+M. While in mark mode, use the ALT key to identify the start of a line-wrapping selection. (If Enable line wrapping selection is disabled, mark mode selects text in a block.) While in mark mode, CTRL+SHIFT+ARROW selects by character and not by word as in normal mode. In addition to the selection keys in the Editing text section, these combinations are available in mark mode:
| To do this: | Use this key combination: |
|---|---|
| Enter mark mode to move cursor in the window | CTRL+M |
| Begin line-wrapping selection in mark mode, in conjunction with other key combinations | ALT |
| Move cursor in the direction specified | ARROW keys |
| Move cursor by one page in the direction specified | PAGE keys |
| Move cursor to beginning of buffer | CTRL+HOME |
| Move cursor to end of buffer | CTRL+END |
Navigating history
| To do this: | Use this key combination: |
|---|---|
| Move up one line in output history | CTRL+UP ARROW |
| Move down one line in output history | CTRL+DOWN ARROW |
| Move viewport to top of buffer (if command line is empty) or delete all characters to the left of the cursor (if command line is not empty) | CTRL+HOME |
| Move viewport to command line (if command line is empty) or delete all characters to the right of the cursor (if command line is not empty) | CTRL+END |
Additional keyboard commands
| To do this: | Use this key combination: |
|---|---|
| Open Find dialog | CTRL+F |
| Close console window | ALT+F4 |