Windows Terminal - Choose Neovim "Stable" or "Test" Config

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Neovim Windows Terminal profile with $env:NVIM_APPNAME

To create a dedicated Neovim profile in Windows Terminal that automatically sets the $env:NVIM_APPNAME environment variable, you should customize your Windows Terminal settings.json to add a specific profile for Neovim with the appropriate environment variable.

This allows you to launch Neovim with a separate config directory (profile) just by selecting the profile from the Windows Terminal dropdown—ideal for testing configs or keeping different setups isolated.

Neovim (Vim-based text editor): https://neovim.io/

Check in Neovim: :h NVIM_APPNAME, :echo $NVIM_APPNAME and :echo stdpath("config")

These are my settings (Windows Terminal): “settings.json”

You need to do this first:

1. Copy the Neovim “TEST” configuration to the “nvimt” folder: C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\nvimt
2. Then run the Neovim-TEST profile (Ctrl-Shift-2) in the “Windows Terminal”.

These are my folders (stable and test):

C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\
nvim
nvim-data

nvimt
nvimt-data

Step-by-Step: Windows Terminal Neovim Profile with $env:NVIM_APPNAME

1. Open Windows Terminal Settings

• Press Ctrl + , or use the dropdown menu (top bar) → Settings.
• Alternatively, open the settings.json file for advanced editing.

2. Add a New Profile for Neovim

Locate the "profiles" section and add a new object under "list". Here is my profile for Neovim with NVIM_APPNAME set:

        "list":
        [
            {
                "commandline": "\"C:\\UTILS\\Neovim\\bin\\nvim.exe\"",
                "environment":
                {
                    "NVIM_APPNAME": "nvim"
                },
                "font":
                {
                    "face": "SauceCodePro Nerd Font",
                    "size": 16,
                    "weight": "medium"
                },
                "guid": "{85d07d3a-2606-428a-9cf8-16ba4c45c770}",
                "hidden": false,
                "icon": "C:\\UTILS\\Neovim\\share\\nvim\\runtime\\neovim.ico",
                "name": "Neovim-STABLE",
                "startingDirectory": "%USERPROFILE%\\Documents"
            },
            {
                "commandline": "\"C:\\UTILS\\Neovim\\bin\\nvim.exe\"",
                "environment":
                {
                    "NVIM_APPNAME": "nvimt"
                },
                "font":
                {
                    "face": "SauceCodePro Nerd Font",
                    "size": 16,
                    "weight": "medium"
                },
                "guid": "{31d2b985-d9d6-4288-b31d-8fd24d6b9bf0}",
                "hidden": false,
                "icon": "C:\\UTILS\\Neovim\\share\\nvim\\runtime\\neovim.ico",
                "name": "Neovim-TEST",
                "startingDirectory": "%USERPROFILE%\\Documents",
                "tabColor": "#FFFFCC"
            },

          ...

        ]

• Change "nvimt" to whatever profile/directory name you want Neovim to use, e.g., "astronvim", "lazyvim", etc.
• Adjust commandline, icon, colorScheme, or fontFace as needed.
• environment is the critical key: it will set the environment variable only for terminals started from this profile.¹²³

I want this: when I start Windows Terminal, it should immediately open Neovim with “Stable” configuration.
I set that up here: Settings, Startup (Default Profile = “Neovim-STABLE”) (Ctrl-Shift-1)

3. Save and Use Your Profile

• Save the edited settings.json (the terminal reloads automatically).
• Use the down-arrow in Windows Terminal to select your new “Neovim (Custom Profile)” tab.
• Every new tab with this profile will run nvim with NVIM_APPNAME set, making Neovim use the config directory at %LOCALAPPDATA%\<NVIM_APPNAME> (e.g., for "lvim", it uses C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\lvim).⁴⁵⁶

Key Points

• Isolated configs: Multiple NVIM_APPNAME profiles let you isolate configs/plugins/data per Neovim profile.
• No scripting needed: The environment option in profile config ensures the variable is set just for that profile—no need to edit PROFILE scripts or system-wide variables.
• Custom launch: You can have as many Neovim profiles (for different setups) in the Windows Terminal dropdown as you wish; just duplicate and adjust the environment variable for each.

Reference Profile Block

{
    "guid": "{unique-guid-here}",
    "name": "Neovim (Astronvim)",
    "commandline": "nvim",
    "environment": { "NVIM_APPNAME": "astronvim" }
}

With this Windows Terminal profile setup, simply open a dedicated Neovim tab to use your chosen config profile—fast and easily switchable without manual commandline set or export gymnastics.²⁵⁶³⁴¹