Windows Console

A Windows Console with cmd.exe in Windows 10 20H2
Other names	Win32 console
Developer(s)	Microsoft
Repository	github.com/microsoft/terminal/tree/main/src/host
Written in	C++
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Platform	IA-32, x86-64, ARM64
Type	Terminal emulator
License	MIT License
Website	docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/

Windows Console is the infrastructure for console applications in Microsoft Windows. An instance of a Windows Console has a screen buffer and an input buffer. It allows console apps to run inside a window or in hardware text mode (so as to occupy the entire screen). The user can switch between the two using the Alt+↵ Enter key combination. The text mode is unavailable in Windows Vista and later. Starting with Windows 10, however, a native full-screen mode is available.

Windows Console instances are typically used for apps that do not need to display images but might use color. Examples include cmd.exe, Windows PowerShell, Far Manager, and Midnight Commander.

In 2019, the console host was open-sourced under the MIT License, alongside Windows Terminal.^[1]