microsoft / microsoft/terminal

Windows Terminal startup delay when launched via CreateProcess

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#19,859 3 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
Issue-Bug Needs-Attention Needs-Triage
Dominant language
C++
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

### Windows Terminal version

1.23.20211.0

### Windows build number

10.0.26200.7634

### Other Software

Visual Studio 2026 18.2.0

### Steps to reproduce

- Open Visual Studio and create a new MFC App with the default settings
- Change the implementation of the `OnAppAbout()` function to
```
STARTUPINFOA si;
ZeroMemory(&si, sizeof(si));
si.cb = sizeof(si);

PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;
ZeroMemory(&pi, sizeof(pi));

char CmdLine[] = "cmd.exe";

CreateProcessA(NULL, CmdLine, NULL, NULL, FALSE, 0, NULL, NULL, &si, &pi);
WaitForSingleObject(pi.hProcess, INFINITE);

CloseHandle(pi.hThread);
CloseHandle(pi.hProcess);
```
- Build and run the app
- Click _Help > About MFCApplication..._
- Observe a delay of a few seconds before the terminal appears
- Change _Settings > System > Advanced > Terminal_ setting to _Windows Console Host_
- Click _Help > About MFCApplication...._
- Observe that the terminal appears almost instantly

### Expected Behavior

When launching the new Windows Terminal, the window should open quickly, similar to the legacy one.

### Actual Behavior

When launching the new Windows Terminal, there is a noticeable delay before the window appears.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by reproducing the delay with the provided MFC App and CreateProcessA sequence, then compare it with Windows Console Host selected under Settings > System > Advanced > Terminal. No source files, tests, or entry points are named; done means identifying the startup delay and making Windows Terminal appear promptly when launched this way.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
desktop, operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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