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Terminal and shell tools

If you spend real time in a terminal, these are the apps worth installing first. This topic focuses on Windows terminal emulators, shell-friendly utilities, and command-line essentials.

12 appsQuick install this topicExplore comparisons

Quick install this topic

Review the included apps, then run the recommended per-app commands in PowerShell. Open other installation methods if you prefer an import file or DSC configuration.

Run this command in PowerShell on Windows with App Installer (winget) available. Review installer prompts and publisher requirements before proceeding.

Review the apps below before installing. This installs the first 12 apps in this topic.

Recommended

Per-app install commands

Run only the apps you actually want. Best when you already have most of these installed and only need to top up.

winget install --id 'Git.Git' --exact
winget install --id 'Microsoft.WindowsTerminal' --exact
winget install --id 'Python.Python.3.12' --exact
winget install --id 'Docker.DockerDesktop' --exact
winget install --id 'OpenJS.NodeJS' --exact
winget install --id 'WinSCP.WinSCP' --exact
winget install --id 'Rustlang.Rustup' --exact
winget install --id 'PuTTY.PuTTY' --exact
winget install --id 'Tailscale.Tailscale' --exact
winget install --id 'Cloudflare.cloudflared' --exact
winget install --id 'Vercel.Hyper' --exact
winget install --id 'Warp.Warp' --exact
Other installation methods
Option 1

Batch install with winget import

One copy-paste, no manual download. The command below pulls topic-terminal-shell-tools.packages.json from winpkg.com and runs winget import on it. Best for moving an app set between machines.

$f = "$env:TEMP\topic-terminal-shell-tools.packages.json"; Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing -Uri "https://winpkg.com/topics/terminal-shell-tools/packages.json" -OutFile $f; winget import -i $f

Run in PowerShell. Saves to %TEMP% and runs winget on it.

Already downloaded the file? Use the short command
winget import -i topic-terminal-shell-tools.packages.json
Option 2

Declarative setup with winget configure

One copy-paste, no manual download. The command below pulls topic-terminal-shell-tools.winget from winpkg.com and applies it with winget configure. Best for repeatable dev-box bootstrap and onboarding scripts.

$f = "$env:TEMP\topic-terminal-shell-tools.winget"; Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing -Uri "https://winpkg.com/topics/terminal-shell-tools/topic.winget" -OutFile $f; winget configure $f

Tip: on Windows with App Installer, double-clicking a downloaded .winget file runs winget configure on it automatically — no terminal needed.

Already downloaded the file? Use the short command
winget configure topic-terminal-shell-tools.winget

Focused install options in this topic

Smaller install flows, kept inside Topics
Developer quick setup

Developer Toolkit

A practical Windows developer starter bundle for rebuilding an editor, terminal, runtime, and tooling stack in one go.

Developer workstation setupTeam onboardingFresh coding machines
Bring your dev stack back with one install flow.
Microsoft Visual Studio CodeGitDocker DesktopPython 3.12Node.jsGo Programming Language
Remote work quick setup

Networking & Remote

A focused bundle for remote access, secure connectivity, and machine-to-machine utilities on Windows.

Remote workOps / support setupsNetworking-heavy machines
Bring remote access and networking tools back quickly.
WinSCPPuTTYTailscaleWireGuardcloudflaredTelegram Desktop

Why this topic matters

  • •Strong fit for developers, operators, and remote-work setups
  • •Includes terminal apps plus core CLI tools
  • •Useful bridge between app pages, networking workflows, and broader setup decisions

Apps in this topic

Compare related apps →
PuTTY icon
PuTTYSimon Tatham

A free implementation of SSH and Telnet for Windows and Unix platforms, along with an xterm terminal emulator.

puttygenplinkpsftp
v0.85.0.0MIT
Details →
Tailscale icon
TailscaleTailscale Inc.

Tailscale is a WireGuard based mesh VPN, used to connect your computers and other devices together securely without proxies.

meshnetworkvpn
v1.104.2BSD-3-Clause
Details →
cloudflared icon
cloudflaredcloudflare

Cloudflare Tunnel provides you with a secure way to connect your resources to Cloudflare without a publicly routable IP address.

argo-tunnelcloudflarecloudflare-tunnel
v2026.10.3Apache-2.0
Details →
Warp icon
WarpDenver Technologies, Inc.

Warp is the intelligent terminal with AI and your dev team’s knowledge built-in. Warp brings AI, collaboration, and a modern-UX to this essential developer tool to help you become even more powerful.

aiconsoleterminal
vv0.2026.10.14.08.27.stable_01Proprietary
Details →