How to Customize Windows Terminal Look Better Themes, Fonts & Oh My Posh Guide (2026 Step-by-Step )

If your Windows Terminal looks like a plain black box, you’re not alone. By default, it’s functional but not visually appealing. The good news? You can transform it into a modern, stylish, and productivity-focused terminal with just a few steps.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

• Add beautiful themes
• Enable transparency effects
• Install Nerd Fonts for icons
• Use Oh My Posh for advanced styling

1. Requirements (What You Need First)

Before customizing, make sure you have Windows Terminal installed (Windows 11 usually has it pre-installed). If not, you can download it from the Microsoft Store or the Official GitHub.

Also ensure you have Winget (App Installer) installed. Search “App Installer” in Microsoft Store if needed.

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2. Enable Acrylic Transparency

This gives your terminal a modern glass-like look.

Steps:

1. Open Windows Terminal
2. Click the down arrow (Ë…) next to tabs and select Settings
3. Go to Appearance
4. Enable: Use acrylic material in tab row

This adds a frosted glass effect at the top.

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3. Add Custom Color Themes

Windows Terminal supports many themes, but you can add better ones.

Option 1: Use Built-in Themes

• Go to Color Schemes
• Choose from available options

Option 2: Import Custom Themes (Recommended)

1. Visit a theme website (like Windows Terminal Themes)
2. Click Get Theme (copies JSON code)
3. In Terminal Settings → Click Open JSON file
4. Press Ctrl + F → search "schemes"
5. Paste your theme inside the list (add a comma if needed)
6. Save the file

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4. Install Nerd Fonts (Very Important)

Nerd Fonts enable icons, symbols, and fancy blocks. Without them, your terminal will show broken or empty boxes.

Steps:

1. Go to Nerd Fonts Downloads
2. Download a font like FiraCode Nerd Font or Meslo Nerd Font
3. Extract the ZIP file, select all .ttf files, right-click → Install

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5. Apply Fonts in Windows Terminal

1. Open Terminal Settings
2. Go to Defaults → Appearance
3. Change Font Face to: FiraCode NF or similar

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6. Install Oh My Posh (Core Styling Tool)

Oh My Posh is what adds those colorful blocks and segments. Run the following command in your terminal:

winget install JanDeDobbeleer.OhMyPosh -s winget

After installation, restart your terminal.

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7. Apply and Customize Themes

To preview themes, run:

get-poshthemes

Popular themes include jblab_2021, paradox, and agnoster. To apply a theme temporarily, run:

oh-my-posh init pwsh --config class="text-[#F472B6] font-bold">class="text-[#4ADE80]">"$env:POSH_THEMES_PATH\jblab_2021.omp.json" | Invoke-Expression

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8. Make Changes Permanent

Without this step, your theme resets after restart. Follow these steps:

1. Open profile file:

notepad $PROFILE

If an error appears, run this to create the file first:

New-Item -Path $PROFILE -Type File -Force

2. Paste this into the notepad: oh-my-posh init pwsh --config "$env:POSH_THEMES_PATH\jblab_2021.omp.json" | Invoke-Expression
3. Save and close

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9. Extra Customization Tips

• Background Opacity: Go to Appearance and set Background opacity to 70–80%.
• Background Image: Add a custom wallpaper or use your desktop background in the Appearance settings.
• Padding & Layout: Adjust spacing to improve readability.

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10. Final Result

After completing all steps, your terminal will look modern and professional, show Git info and execution time, and significantly improve your workflow.

Conclusion

Customizing Windows Terminal is not just about looks—it improves your workflow, readability, and efficiency. With tools like Nerd Fonts and Oh My Posh, you can turn a basic terminal into a powerful developer workspace.