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in a terminal, using cmd.exe, Shift arrow keys does not select text anymore since windows 11 (I believe).

Kuile, Ernest ter (ITDS EZ) - KLM 20 Reputation points
2025-12-24T13:29:01.02+00:00

Under windows, I use the terminal a lot. Inside the terminal, selecting text was always easy using the keyboard only, and I did this often.

Since Windows 11 this stopped working, but only for cmd.exe (not for powershell inside the same terminal).

I found a previous answer on your site, but with an erroneous answer. The information asked for the opening the cmd window Properties (right-click on the windows title). But (probably since windows 11) there is no such thing. Its called the 'Settings' now. Furthermore this ask to select the Options 'Tab', but there are no tabs anymore, and the menu does not have an 'Option' entry.

Furthermore there does not seem to be anything called Quick Edit Mode anywhere in these settings.

Previous response on MS site, unfortunately locked.

Any better answer? one also working since windows 11?

Windows for business | Windows 365 Business

Answer accepted by question author

VPHAN 35,285 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2025-12-24T14:06:45.2966667+00:00

Hello Kuile, Ernest ter (ITDS EZ) - KLM,

The issue you are encountering stems from the architectural shift in Windows 11, which now defaults to hosting command-line shells inside the modern Windows Terminal application (wt.exe) rather than the legacy Windows Console Host (conhost.exe). The "Properties" dialog and "QuickEdit Mode" settings you are searching for belong exclusively to the legacy console infrastructure and do not exist within the Windows Terminal interface, which utilizes a different rendering engine and JSON-based configuration profiles. Furthermore, the disparity you notice between PowerShell and Command Prompt (cmd.exe) is technical, not accidental: PowerShell utilizes the PSReadline module to handle input, which enables modern text editor capabilities like Shift+Arrow highlighting. Native cmd.exe relies on archaic standard input processing and does not support inline text highlighting or selection with the keyboard in its raw state.

To perform keyboard-based text selection within a cmd.exe tab in Windows Terminal, you must explicitly invoke the Mark Mode feature, which replaces the mouse-based "QuickEdit" functionality. You can activate this by pressing Ctrl + Shift + M. Once Mark Mode is engaged, you will notice selection handles or a cursor change; use the Arrow keys to navigate to the starting position of the text you wish to capture, then hold Shift and use the Arrow keys to highlight the desired block. Pressing Enter or Ctrl + C will copy the selection to the clipboard and exit the mode. This is the standard, native method for keyboard selection in the Windows 11 Terminal environment.

If you specifically recall being able to highlight text on the input line while typing (identical to how Notepad or PowerShell behaves) without entering a special mode, it is highly probable that your previous environment utilized a third-party readline injector such as Clink. Native cmd.exe has never possessed this capability on its own. Installing a utility like Clink injects the GNU Readline library into the cmd process, which effectively forces the Command Prompt to accept standard editing shortcuts, including Shift+Arrow selection, thereby replicating the behavior you see in PowerShell.

I hope you've found something useful here. If it helps you get more insight into the issue, it's appreciated to accept the answer. Should you have more questions, feel free to leave a message. Have a nice day!

VP

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  1. VPHAN 35,285 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-12-26T08:36:58.4166667+00:00

    Hello Kuile, Ernest ter (ITDS EZ) - KLM,

    I'm following up to ensure the distinction between the legacy cmd.exe input processing and the modern Windows Terminal interface is clear. To summarize, cmd does not natively support Shift+Arrow selection on the input line like PowerShell does because it lacks the PSReadline module. You must utilize Mark Mode by pressing Ctrl + Shift + M to select text within the terminal buffer using the keyboard. If your goal is to enable text highlighting on the command line itself while typing, the only method to achieve this in a native cmd environment is by installing the Clink utility, which injects GNU Readline support into the shell.

    If the issue has been successfully resolved, please consider accepting the answer as it helps other people sharing the same question benefit too. Thank you!

    VP

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  2. AI answer

    2025-12-24T13:29:10.2666667+00:00

    In Windows 11, the behavior of text selection in cmd.exe may have changed, and it appears that the traditional method of using Shift + Arrow keys for text selection is not functioning as expected. This could be related to changes in how the console settings are managed in Windows 11.

    To address the issue, you can try the following steps:

    1. Open the Command Prompt: Right-click on the Start button and select "Windows Terminal" or search for cmd.exe and open it.
    2. Access Settings: Click on the down arrow in the title bar of the terminal window and select "Settings".
    3. Check for Quick Edit Mode: In the settings, look for an option related to text selection or Quick Edit Mode. If you cannot find it, it may have been removed or altered in Windows 11.
    4. Keyboard Shortcuts: You can also refer to the keyboard shortcuts available for text selection and navigation in the terminal. For example, using Ctrl + M can help you enter mark mode, which allows for different selection methods.

    If the issue persists, consider using PowerShell or Windows Terminal, which may offer better support for keyboard shortcuts and text selection.

    References:

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