Bash does not start - Error “Unsupported console settings” in Windows 10

When you try to launch Bash.exe (Bash on Ubuntu on Windows) in Windows 10, the console window may open and close immediately. This happens if legacy mode is turned on for Command Prompt.

Also, if you open a Command Prompt window and type bash.exe, the following error would show up:

Unsupported console settings. In order to use this feature the legacy console must be disabled.

If you have an existing Command Prompt shortcut (cmd.exe), right-click on the shortcut and click Properties. In the Options tab, disable the checkbox for Use legacy console (requires relaunch)

bash command prompt legacy mode error

If you don’t have an existing shortcut to Command Prompt, open a Command Prompt window (cmd.exe), right-click on the title bar, and click Properties. From the Options tab, you can disable legacy mode. It would be applied globally.

To apply the settings for multiple systems using a script or batch file, here is the command you need for disabling legacy mode.

REG.EXE ADD HKCU\Console /v ForceV2 /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

After doing so, Bash should now launch correctly.

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