main
Core fixes: - ptyqt: remove TOO_OLD_WINSDK guard, fix env block inheritance - app/main.cpp: force OpenGL RHI backend (HLSL 5.0 has register overlap bug in generated shaders) - PreprocessedTerminal.qml: default shell cmd.exe on Windows, remove non-existent enableItalic property Submodules: - ptyqt now hosted on Gitea (lovecraft/ptyqt) - qmltermwidget tracks gitea windows-port branch Docs: - CLAUDE.md: updated with working build steps and Windows notes - README.md: rewritten for Windows fork - .gitignore: exclude deployed DLLs, debug logs, IDE dirs Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
cool-retro-term-win
Windows port of cool-retro-term — a terminal emulator that mimics the look and feel of old cathode tube screens.
| > Default Amber | C:\ IBM DOS | $ Default Green |
|---|---|---|
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Screenshots
Description
cool-retro-term is a highly customizable terminal emulator with CRT visual effects: scan lines, bloom, burn-in, chromatic aberration, screen curvature, and more. This fork ports it to Windows 10/11.
- Settings (colors, fonts, effects) accessible via right-click context menu
- Multiple profiles (Amber, Green, IBM DOS, Vintage, ...)
- Powered by Qt 6 + QML + ConPTY
Download
Pre-built releases coming soon. Build from source in the meantime (see below).
Building from Source
Prerequisites
- Qt 6.x with MinGW 13.1 toolchain (select during Qt installation)
- Git
Steps
# Clone with submodules
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/cool-retro-term-win.git
cd cool-retro-term-win
# Add Qt + MinGW to PATH (adjust to your Qt install location)
$env:PATH = "C:\Qt\Tools\mingw1310_64\bin;C:\Qt\6.11.0\mingw_64\bin;$env:PATH"
# Configure
qmake cool-retro-term.pro
# Build
mingw32-make
Deploy Qt DLLs
After building, deploy the required Qt runtime next to cool-retro-term.exe:
windeployqt cool-retro-term.exe
Then copy the terminal widget plugin:
# The qmltermwidget plugin directory must be present
# windeployqt handles most Qt DLLs; the QMLTermWidget plugin is deployed manually
Run
.\cool-retro-term.exe
Default shell is cmd.exe. To use PowerShell: right-click → Settings → General → Custom Command → powershell.exe.
CLI Arguments
cool-retro-term.exe [options]
-e <command> Run command instead of default shell
--workdir <path> Set initial working directory
--profile <name> Load named profile
--fullscreen Start fullscreen
--default-settings Reset to default settings
Upstream
This project is a Windows port of Swordfish90/cool-retro-term. Terminal emulation via qmltermwidget. ConPTY support via ptyqt.
Description
A terminal emulator which mimics the old cathode display for Windows. Based on cool-retro-term by Swordfish90: https://github.com/Swordfish90/cool-retro-term
Languages
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15.8%
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8.7%
QMake
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Shell
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Other
3.4%





