Contour Free plan 8.8 Visit mintty
mintty.github.io
What it is
mintty is a free Windows terminal emulator for Cygwin, MSYS, MSYS2, related projects, and WSL. It provides xterm-compatible emulation and DEC terminal screen controls, with 256 colours, True Colour, Unicode, bidirectional text, emoji, Arabic shaping, image display, Sixel, ReGIS, and Tektronix 4014 graphics emulation. Input features include configurable shortcuts, Unicode composition, AltGr, Windows IME, mouse modes, selection, copy and paste, drag and drop, and Ctrl-click opening of files or URLs. Window features include virtual tabs, session switching, fullscreen, transparency, multiple monitors, and high DPI. Options can be supplied on the command line or in a text configuration file, without registry entries. mintty is the default Cygwin Terminal, installed by default in MSYS2, included with Git for Windows as Git Bash, and able to host WSL. It omits PuTTY networking functionality; the project points to OpenSSH and inetutils packages instead. The listed latest release is 3.8.3.
Spec sheet
- Purpose
- Mintty is a terminal emulator for Cygwin, MSYS, MSYS2, derived projects, and WSL.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Platforms
- The site says mintty works on Windows versions from Windows XP onwards and can host WSL.Read 9 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Free plan
- YesRead 22 Sep 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Integrations
- Mintty is installed as the default Cygwin Terminal, comes with MSYS2, and is installed by default in Git for Windows as Git Bash.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Security
- The manual says mintty prompts for confirmation before pasting multiline clipboard contents when line-ending controls are not filtered, as a measure against malicious command-line pastes.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Support
- The project directs bug reports and enhancement suggestions to its GitHub issue tracker and general Cygwin questions to the Cygwin mailing list.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Clipboard and links
- It supports text selection, copy and paste, drag and drop, and opening files or URLs with Ctrl+click.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Color and text
- It supports 256 colors, True Color, Unicode, bidirectional rendering, and Arabic shaping.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Compatibility caveat
- The site notes that Windows console input and output can have interworking problems with pseudo-terminal mode; it says Cygwin 3.1.0 compensates through the Windows 10 ConPTY API.Read 9 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Compatibility limit
- The site notes that native Windows console input and output can have interworking problems in pseudo-terminal mode, with Cygwin 3.1.0 compensating through the Windows 10 ConPTY API.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Configuration
- Settings can be supplied on the command line or in a configuration file, and options are stored in a text file without registry entries.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Display
- It supports 256 colours, True Colour, Unicode, bidirectional text, emoji, image display, Sixel, ReGIS, and Tektronix 4014 vector graphics emulation.Read 9 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Documentation
- The Cygwin package includes a mintty manual page, and the site links to a wiki for keycodes, control sequences, and other hints.Read 9 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Downloads
- The homepage links to the source repository, latest releases, a release archive, and a current snapshot download.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Graphics
- It supports image display, Sixel graphics, ReGIS graphics, and Tektronix 4014 vector graphics emulation.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Input
- Input features include Unicode character composition, configurable key modifiers, AltGr, Windows IME, and multiple mouse modes.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Input and interaction
- Features include configurable keyboard shortcuts, mouse selection, copy and paste, drag and drop, and Ctrl-click opening of files and URLs.Read 9 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Latest release shown
- The releases page lists version 3.8.3 as the latest release.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Networking
- Mintty leaves out PuTTY's networking functionality, which the homepage says is provided by packages such as OpenSSH and inetutils.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Scripting API
- YesRead 22 Sep 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Security information
- The project page links to its source code repository; the pages reviewed do not state security certifications or compliance claims.Read 9 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Split panes
- NoRead 22 Sep 2026 · mintty.github.io
- SSH support
- NoRead 22 Sep 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Supported platforms
- WindowsRead 22 Sep 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Terminal emulation
- It provides xterm-compatible terminal emulation with DEC terminal screen-control features.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- Window features
- It offers virtual tabs, a tab bar, screen and scrollback search, transparency, and multi-monitor support.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
- WSL
- The project states that mintty can host WSL.Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
Plans and prices
Mintty Free Terminal emulator for Cygwin, MSYS, MSYS2, derived projects, and WSL Read 10 Oct 2026 · mintty.github.io
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Free Windows terminal emulator
- Supports WSL and multiple environments
- Rich colour, Unicode, and graphics support
- Virtual tabs and session switching
- Settings avoid registry entries
Limits
- Windows only
- No built-in SSH support
- No split panes
- Pseudo-terminal interworking can affect native console I/O
Who it suits
It suits Windows users running Cygwin, MSYS, MSYS2, Git Bash, or WSL who need configurable terminal emulation. It also fits users who want tabs, rich text rendering, and graphics support.
Verdict
mintty offers broad terminal rendering and window controls for Windows Unix-like environments. Users needing SSH networking or split panes must rely on other tools or packages.
Where Specifiction places it
- Terminal Emulators#17 of 408.2
- Terminal apps#27 of 417.9
