Temporarily Changing Console Properties in Windows 7

Question

In Windows XP, when you make a change to the console settings (not just for the command-prompt, but all console apps), eg dimensions, colors, fonts, etc., it asks if you want to make the changes permanent, or only for that instance. This is quite useful because sometimes you only want to change it for that one instance, not forever.

In Windows 7, it seems like making a change always makes it permanent. (Note, I’m talking about the Properties menu item, not the Defaults menu item, hence the problem.)

Is there a way/setting to get Windows 7 to behave like XP in the this respect?

Answer 1

I'm sure someone at MS thought the old way (from NT onwards) was confusing for people so they removed it. Just like you I used it also and I liked the idea. But oh well!

Here's how you get the same functionality.

Make a new shortcut in a folder of your choice. The command line of the folder is cmd.exe. Run it and then change the properties. The properties will be saved in the shortcut.
If you want different saved properties, make another shortcut and if it's in the same folder, just name it different from the first shortcut and the it will also save its properties the same way.

If you run cmd.exe directly from the "Run" box, it will have windows default properties.

@Syntech brought up an interesting point that deserves further clarification.
Default menu option on the console menu for Windows Vista and higher doesn't directly affect the current session. Contrary to the link it actually seems to only apply to console windows that are not cmd.exe. Why, because once you set the "Properties" of "c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe" titled window, those become the ongoing "default" of all future windows opened that have the same title (i.e. ...cmd.exe ) and they no longer look at the "Default" "console" property values. If you make shortcuts, like I've explained above, you will benefit from each shortcut "remembering" its settings for each session on every launch.

From Windows NT to XP the behavior was different. And that is the behavior the original question was referring to. In XP and older, when you change the properties, you are prompted to choose as shown below. The original question poster is missing, just as I am, the "Apply properties to current window only" option.

Since we're missing that option, the workaround I suggest is to make a "temporary" shortcut to cmd.exe and keep a backup. Change it as much as you like and restore from backup as often as you need.

HTH

Reference:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff758104.aspx

Answer 2

Actually, if you change settings through the Properties menu item in the Command Prompt window, it doesn't affect all instances and the Defaults and Properties dialogs have two distinct goals.

Defaults

The Defaults dialog allows you to set the configuration common to all instances of the Command Prompt.

It includes at least one feature that is not available in the Properties dialog, the ability to enable and disable AutoComplete.

Properties

The Properties dialog allows you to set the configuration for the shortcut that started that instance of Command Prompt.

The changes you make in this dialog override the settings made through the Defaults dialog. The settings can also be accessed directly through the properties of the shortcut:

So far, so good, but this was never really the question. So, how do you make temporary changes to just that single open instance?

I guess, you can't. The best I could come up with was starting a temporary instance with start cmd and adjusting the properties for that one, which doesn't seem to affect any other shortcut.