Windows – How to install mintty into ‘Git Bash’ on windows

gitgit-bashwindows

I have installed git on windows from http://git-scm.com/download/win and I use the Git Bash shortcut to access git commands.

Unfortunately, Git Bash uses the Windows Command (CMD.EXE) Terminal which is horrible to work with.

How can I change Git Bash to use mintty instead of CMD.EXE?

Best Answer

Head over to http://code.google.com/p/mintty/ and download the latest zip file containing the mintty msys package. As of 18 Oct 2014, the latest version is mintty-1.1.3-msys.zip

Extract mintty.exe from the zip file and copy it to the bin folder where you installed git. If you installed git to the default location, the path is C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\bin

Next right click on the windows shortcut for Git Bash. Change the target to: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\bin\mintty.exe" /bin/sh --login -i. If you installed git to a different location, you will need to use your installed path.

Now clicking on the Git Bash shortcut should open mintty.

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