Unicode / Emoji Not Displaying Properly in Windows Terminal

[n_fatima]

I’ve been facing an issue where Unicode characters and emojis are not displaying correctly in my terminal. Sometimes they appear as boxes or question marks.

I’ve tried:
- UTF-8 encoding
- Changing fonts
- Testing on different systems

But the issue still persists.

While troubleshooting, I tested Unicode text and encoding using this tool:
https://banglaconvertertool.com/

It helped me check whether the issue is related to encoding or rendering.

Has anyone found a reliable fix for this?

[Pallipurath]

Hi @n_fatima 

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query.

The most reliable fix for Unicode/emoji rendering issues in Windows Terminal is to update to the latest Windows Terminal version (≥1.19), switch to a font with full emoji/Unicode coverage , and ensure your shell is using UTF‑8 encoding. 

Update Windows Terminal

• Open Microsoft Store → search for Windows Terminal.
• Install or update to the latest stable release (≥1.19).
• Alternatively, install Windows Terminal Preview for newer fixes.
• Many emoji rendering bugs were patched in recent builds.

Change Terminal Font

• Open Windows Terminal → click the down arrow → Settings.
• Under your profile (PowerShell, Command Prompt, WSL), set Font Face to:
• Segoe UI Emoji (built into Windows 10/11).
• Or install Noto Color Emoji for broader Unicode coverage.
• Save and restart the terminal.

Force UTF‑8 Encoding

• For PowerShell:
• powershell
• [Console]::OutputEncoding = [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8
• For CMD:
• cmd
• chcp 65001
• For C++/Python apps, ensure locale is set to UTF‑8 (setlocale(LC_CTYPE, ".UTF8")).

Test Rendering

• Press Win + . to open the emoji picker.
• Insert emojis directly into the terminal.
• If they still appear as boxes, confirm font supports that emoji.

For further details contact Microsoft.

Take care and have an amazing day!