microsoft/Terminal

Terminal will always choose 16x16 image in profile icon regardless resolution and scaling when an .ico file is used.

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#19264 opened on Aug 22, 2025

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Area-UserInterfaceHelp WantedIssue-TaskProduct-Terminal

Description

Windows Terminal version

1.23.12102.0

Windows build number

10.0.26100.4946

Other Software

No response

Steps to reproduce

The attached icon has all the image sizes from 16 to 256 as follows:

Assign this test.ico file to a profile.

test.zip

Expected Behavior

Show different colors in the icon depending on the resolution and scaling, so it is selecting the best icon size for the screen like File Explorer does.

Actual Behavior

Windows terminal always shows an orange color, in the menu, tab or quick menu in the task bar. It means it is always choosing the 16x16 ico.

Importance

This is essential because WSL's new architecture only supports ico files as a shortcut icon. And as we can only ship the 256 one, it will make that Windows Terminal reduce the image and the results are not good.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
desktop
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Basic C++ knowledgeFamiliarity with Windows icon formats
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
40
Research direction
Investigate the icon loading code path, likely in the Terminal's profile settings or rendering pipeline. Look for where .ico files are parsed and the icon size is selected. The attached test.ico contains multiple sizes; the bug is that only the 16x16 size is used. Search for functions handling icon extraction or image decoding in the src/ directory. Check if there is a fallback or default size selection logic that ignores the actual display resolution and scaling.