But don’t worry; you can easily fix this issue with a few troubleshooting steps. Let’s look at three of them.
1. Reinstall Windows Terminal
Sometimes, Windows Terminal can get uninstalled from your system, causing the error message. You can check if this is the case by pressing the magnifying glass icon on the Taskbar and typing “windows terminal.” If the app doesn’t show up in the search results, it’s not installed on your system, and you should head to the Microsoft Store to re-download it.
Make sure you’ve connected your computer to the internet and follow the below steps to reinstall Windows Terminal:
Hit the Win Key, type “Microsoft store” in the search bar, and click on the Microsoft Store app in the results under Best match to open it. At the top of the Microsoft Store, click inside the search bar, type “windows terminal,” and press Enter. Windows Terminal will appear at the top of the results page. Click on the blue Install button.
Windows 11 will now download and install Windows Terminal. And the Install button in the Microsoft Store will change to Open once complete. Now you’ll be able to open Windows Terminal like normal.
2. Make Sure You’ve Enabled Windows Terminal
If Windows Terminal is available on your system, but Windows 11 still can find wt.exe, it could be that the app is disabled.
To enable Windows Terminal, follow the steps below:
Right-click Start on the Taskbar and select Apps and Features. Expand More settings and then click on App execution aliases. Scroll download until you find Windows Terminal or Terminal from the list of apps. If the toggle on the right is Off, click on it to set it to On.
If Windows Terminal is already enabled in App execution aliases, try turning it off and on again to perform a mini reset. Then, check to see if you can now open the app.
3. Use the System File Checker
When Windows can’t find wt.exe, it could be because the file is corrupted or damaged. Luckily, there are several tools that can help fix them, and one of these is the System File Checker (SFC).
To use SFC, follow the steps below:
Press the magnifying glass icon on the Taskbar and type “cmd. " Click on Run as administrator on the right panel to open Command Prompt. You’ll get a prompt from User Access Control (UAC) asking if you want Command Prompt to make changes to your app. Click Yes. Type “SFC /scannow” in Command Prompt and press Enter to run the command.
The SFC utility will now start verifying the integrity of your system files. If it finds a problem with any of them, including wt.exe, it will do some repairs. After SFC does its thing, restart your computer and see if Windows Terminal is now working.
Corrupted or damaged system files could mean your computer has a malware infection. In that case, you might want to run a full system scan and keep doing it at least once a week. You can use a third-party program like Bitdefender, Norton, or Avira or the built-in Microsoft Defender to scan for and remove malware from your system.
Windows Terminal, Restored
The “Windows can’t find ‘wt.exe’” error message prevents you from using one of Windows 11’s best command-line tools: Windows Terminal. Reinstalling the app, making sure it is on, and running an SFC scan can eliminate the problem. And if all else fails, try reinstalling Windows 11.
