Cmder — Portable Console Emulator for Windows

Introduction

Cmder is a portable console emulator for Windows that bundles ConEmu, clink, and Git for Windows into a single package. It provides a Unix-like terminal experience on Windows without requiring WSL, offering colored output, tab completion, and a polished interface out of the box.

What Cmder Does

• Provides tabbed terminal sessions with split-pane support on Windows
• Bundles Unix commands (ls, grep, cat, ssh) via Git for Windows MSYS2
• Adds bash-style line editing and history to cmd.exe via clink
• Supports cmd, PowerShell, bash, and WSL shells in tabs simultaneously
• Runs as a portable app from USB or any directory without admin rights

Architecture Overview

Cmder wraps ConEmu as the terminal multiplexer and rendering engine. clink injects into cmd.exe to provide readline-style editing, completions, and history persistence. The Git for Windows layer provides MSYS2 utilities, giving access to standard Unix tools. All components are preconfigured and portable in a single directory.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Download Mini (no Git) or Full (with Git for Windows) from the releases page
• Extract to any folder; settings persist within the Cmder directory
• Customize via Settings (Win+Alt+P) for fonts, colors, startup tasks
• Add custom startup scripts in config/user_profile.cmd or user_profile.ps1
• Register as default terminal via cmder /REGISTER ALL (requires admin once)

Key Features

• Fully portable: carry your configured terminal on a USB drive
• Monokai color scheme and custom prompt configured by default
• Aliases support: define shortcuts in config/user_aliases.cmd
• Integration with VS Code, IntelliJ, and other editors as external terminal
• Supports task-based startup to launch multiple shells in predefined layouts

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Windows Terminal — Microsoft-native, faster rendering, but not portable
• ConEmu — the underlying engine; Cmder adds clink, Git, and defaults
• MobaXterm — includes SSH/X11 but is partially closed-source
• Terminus (Tabby) — Electron-based, cross-platform, heavier resource usage

FAQ

Q: Does Cmder work alongside Windows Terminal? A: Yes, you can use both. Some users keep Cmder for its portability and aliases.

Q: How do I add Cmder to right-click context menu? A: Run Cmder.exe /REGISTER ALL from an elevated command prompt.

Q: Can I use Cmder with WSL? A: Yes, add a task in Settings > Startup > Tasks with the command: wsl.exe -d Ubuntu.

Q: Is Cmder still relevant with Windows Terminal available? A: Cmder remains useful for its portability, bundled Unix tools, and zero-install setup on managed machines.

Sources

• https://github.com/cmderdev/cmder
• https://cmder.app/