How to Change the Title Bar in Command Prompt

To change a classic Command Prompt window’s title, type title Build Console and press Enter. To make a custom name appear whenever you open a particular shortcut, add /k title Build Console to that shortcut’s target. If Command Prompt opens as a tab in Windows Terminal, set a profile tab title there instead.

Change the title of the current Command Prompt window

Open Command Prompt, enter the title command followed by the text you want, then press Enter:

title Build Console

The title updates immediately and applies to that console window. You can use a short task name, project name, server label, or path. For example:

title C:\Projects\Widget

Microsoft documents title [string] as the command for setting the Command Prompt window title. The command changes the label only; it does not move the shell to that folder or change the prompt. If you use title %CD%, Command Prompt substitutes the current directory once when the command runs. The title will not keep following later cd commands automatically, so run it again when you want to refresh the path. See Microsoft’s title command reference.

Set a reusable title in a shortcut

For a window you launch repeatedly, put the title command in its shortcut. The /k option tells cmd.exe to run the command and leave Command Prompt open afterward.

1. Right-click the desktop, choose New, then Shortcut.
2. In the location field, enter cmd.exe /k title Build Console, then select Next.
3. Give the shortcut a recognizable name, such as Build Console, and select Finish.
4. Open the shortcut. The new Command Prompt window should use the title you supplied.

If you are editing an existing Command Prompt shortcut, open Properties and look on the Shortcut tab. Add /k title Build Console after the quoted path to cmd.exe in the Target field. For example: "C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe" /k title Build Console. Keep the executable path inside its quotes and the options outside them. Microsoft explains that /k runs the supplied command and keeps the command processor running; /c runs it and then exits, which would close the window. See the cmd command reference.

The shortcut’s Start in field controls the initial working folder. Set it to a directory such as C:\Projects\Widget if you want the shell to open there. That setting is separate from the title: use the title text to label the window, and Start in to choose where commands begin. Renaming the shortcut itself only changes its desktop or Start menu label; it does not reliably rename the running console window.

Create one shortcut per task and give each a different title, such as title API Server or title Test Console. This makes minimized windows easier to tell apart.

If Command Prompt opens in Windows Terminal

Windows Terminal displays Command Prompt in a tab, so the visible tab name can be controlled by the Terminal profile. Open Terminal Settings, select Open JSON file, and find the Command Prompt profile object in settings.json. Add these properties inside that profile, keeping the surrounding JSON commas and braces valid:

"tabTitle": "Build Console",
"suppressApplicationTitle": true

tabTitle supplies the tab’s label, while suppressApplicationTitle prevents the shell from replacing that visible title. These settings apply to the Windows Terminal tab, not to a separate classic console window. Microsoft’s Windows Terminal profile settings and tab title guide describe the options.

Quick troubleshooting

• The title changes back: A shell or program may be setting the title again. Re-enter title Your Label, or use the Windows Terminal profile option above if you are working in a Terminal tab.
• The path is out of date: A title is text, not a live directory indicator. Run title %CD% again after changing folders, or use a fixed project label.
• The window closes after launch: Check the shortcut target and use /k, not /c, when you want the command window to stay open.