How to Create and Configure Terminal Profiles in VS Code

A terminal profile is a saved configuration that tells VS Code which shell to launch, what arguments to pass, and how the terminal tab should look. VS Code detects your installed shells and creates basic profiles automatically. You can customize those built-in profiles or create entirely new ones.

If you only want to change which shell opens by default, start with /vscode/how-to-change-the-default-terminal-in-vs-code. Profiles are the next step when you need custom arguments, environment variables, or per-profile keyboard shortcuts.

Once you have profiles set up, learn how to /vscode/how-to-split-terminals-and-run-multiple-terminals-in-vs-code to run different profiles side by side.

Create a profile from a detected shell

The easiest way to create a profile is to base it on a shell VS Code already found.

Profile properties

A profile can include any of these properties:

Profile examples

PowerShell without profile script (Windows)

This profile starts PowerShell with the -NoProfile flag, skipping the profile script and launching faster:

json

{
  "terminal.integrated.profiles.windows": {
    "PowerShell -NoProfile": {
      "source": "PowerShell",
      "args": ["-NoProfile"]
    }
  }
}

The source property tells VS Code to use its known PowerShell installation rather than a hardcoded path.

zsh login shell (macOS/Linux)

This profile runs zsh with the -l flag, which makes it a login shell and sources .zprofile:

json

{
  "terminal.integrated.profiles.linux": {
    "zsh (login)": {
      "path": "zsh",
      "args": ["-l"]
    }
  }
}

On macOS, use the osx platform key instead of linux.

Profile with environment variables

This profile sets the Node environment to development and removes the DEBUG variable entirely. Add or remove variables in the env map as needed:

json

{
  "terminal.integrated.profiles.osx": {
    "Node Dev": {
      "path": "/bin/zsh",
      "env": {
        "NODE_ENV": "development",
        "DEBUG": null
      }
    }
  }
}

Setting a variable to null removes it from the environment for that profile only.

WSL distribution (Windows)

This profile opens a specific WSL distro by name instead of the default one:

json

{
  "terminal.integrated.profiles.windows": {
    "Debian (WSL)": {
      "path": "C:\\WINDOWS\\System32\\wsl.exe",
      "args": ["-d", "Debian"]
    }
  }
}

Assign a keyboard shortcut to a profile

You can bind a specific key combination to open a terminal with a particular profile.

Open the Command Palette and run Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON). Add an entry like this:

json

{
  "key": "ctrl+shift+t",
  "command": "workbench.action.terminal.newWithProfile",
  "args": {
    "profileName": "zsh (login)",
    "location": "editor"
  }
}

Replace zsh (login) with the exact name of your profile. The location can be editor to open the terminal in the editor area or omitted to use the default panel location.

Configure the task and debug profile

By default, build tasks and debug sessions use your default terminal profile. If your default shell has a heavy startup script or is not POSIX-compatible, you can set a separate profile for automated use:

json

{
  "terminal.integrated.automationProfile.osx": {
    "path": "/bin/sh"
  }
}

This tells VS Code to use /bin/sh when launching terminals for tasks and debug, while your interactive terminals still use your chosen default. This keeps task output clean and predictable.

Remove unwanted profiles

To hide a built-in profile from the dropdown, set its name to null in your settings:

json

{
  "terminal.integrated.profiles.windows": {
    "Git Bash": null
  }
}

The profile disappears from the new terminal dropdown and the Select Default Profile list. You can restore it later by removing the null entry.

Unsafe profile warnings

If a shell is installed at a path writable by other users (common on Windows), VS Code marks it as an unsafe profile. It will not appear as a selectable profile until you explicitly configure it. When you do, a warning dialog appears asking you to confirm. This protects you from accidentally running a shell that another user could have tampered with.