Settings could not be loaded from file. Element not found (when running unpackaged)

[Eddie-Shipman]

Windows Terminal version

Preview 1.11.2421

Windows build number

10.0.18363

Other Software

No response

Steps to reproduce

Install the Preview version from this link then open. Can't open the settings file and can't save settings after change

Expected Behavior

Was expecting to load and be able to open and set the default profile

Actual Behavior

Got the following dialog:

I see no settings.json file in the installation and the one named defaults.json doesn't change. Also, there was no directory created here: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft. WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\

I found it here: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Terminal
But after checking for well-formed JSON, it looks correct. Just can't understand why it won't open.

Not sure if it matters but I did NOT run through and actual installation, I renamed the files, msixbundle/msix, as zip and extracted them

[zadjii-msft]

Can you share the actual json file, and maybe also the contents of state.json, if there is one next to settings.json?

[Eddie-Shipman]

// This file was initially generated by Windows Terminal 0.11.1333.0    
// It should still be usable in newer versions, but newer versions might have additional    
// settings, help text, or changes that you will not see unless you clear this file    
// and let us generate a new one for you.    
    
// To view the default settings, hold "alt" while clicking on the "Settings" button.    
// For documentation on these settings, see: https://aka.ms/terminal-documentation    
{    
    "$schema": "https://aka.ms/terminal-profiles-schema",    
    
    "defaultProfile": "{61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf}",    

    // You can add more global application settings here.
    // To learn more about global settings, visit https://aka.ms/terminal-global-settings

    // If enabled, selections are automatically copied to your clipboard.
    "copyOnSelect": false,

    // If enabled, formatted data is also copied to your clipboard
    "copyFormatting": false,

    // A profile specifies a command to execute paired with information about how it should look and feel.
    // Each one of them will appear in the 'New Tab' dropdown,
    //   and can be invoked from the commandline with `wt.exe -p xxx`
    // To learn more about profiles, visit https://aka.ms/terminal-profile-settings
    "profiles":
    {
        "defaults":
        {
            // Put settings here that you want to apply to all profiles.
        },
      "list": [
        {
          // Make changes here to the powershell.exe profile.
          "guid": "{61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf}",
          "name": "Windows PowerShell",
          "commandline": "powershell.exe",
          "hidden": false
        },
        {
          // Make changes here to the cmd.exe profile.
          "guid": "{0caa0dad-35be-5f56-a8ff-afceeeaa6101}",
          "name": "Command Prompt",
          "commandline": "cmd.exe",
          "hidden": false
        }
      ]
    },

    // Add custom color schemes to this array.
    // To learn more about color schemes, visit https://aka.ms/terminal-color-schemes
    "schemes": [],

    // Add custom keybindings to this array.
    // To unbind a key combination from your defaults.json, set the command to "unbound".
    // To learn more about keybindings, visit https://aka.ms/terminal-keybindings
    "keybindings":
    [
        // Copy and paste are bound to Ctrl+Shift+C and Ctrl+Shift+V in your defaults.json.
        // These two lines additionally bind them to Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.
        // To learn more about selection, visit https://aka.ms/terminal-selection
        { "command": {"action": "copy", "singleLine": false }, "keys": "ctrl+c" },
        { "command": "paste", "keys": "ctrl+v" },

        // Press Ctrl+Shift+F to open the search box
        { "command": "find", "keys": "ctrl+shift+f" },

        // Press Alt+Shift+D to open a new pane.
        // - "split": "auto" makes this pane open in the direction that provides the most surface area.
        // - "splitMode": "duplicate" makes the new pane use the focused pane's profile.
        // To learn more about panes, visit https://aka.ms/terminal-panes
        { "command": { "action": "splitPane", "split": "auto", "splitMode": "duplicate" }, "keys": "alt+shift+d" }
    ]
}

There is no state.json file. I found the location of settings.json is actually in
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Terminal
instead of in
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState

Even if I copy the file to both locations, I still get the error dialog.

I tried unzipping to a new installation folder after deleting the above directories. It did not create the LocalState folder upon running or editing the settings; it crated the other folder but there is no settings.json file there. I clicked the Open JSON file button, it opened Visual Studio with no file open. Making changes to the settings results in the same error when attempting to save.

The error dialog says "Element not found" What element is it looking for, do you think?

[JSamir]

I've got the same issue after updating windows terminal via scoop to the latest stable version. Uninstalling/reinstalling did not help. The json files were valid too.

I have uninstalled the latest version and reinstalled 1.11.3471.0 and everything works again.

One thing I noticed is that after windows terminal loads the default settings since it cannot read the settings.json apparently, in the default config there is no wsl. If I remember correctly, wsl is detected automatically also in the default config right? So maybe the latest version has a problem that is somehow related to wsl? I did remove the wsl part of my config but that did not help though. Also it did not help to remove all the files from \AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Terminal.

[Eddie-Shipman]

@JSamir Thanks for that, I downloaded that version and it worked for me. I'm just curious as to what is causing the error

@zadjii-msft Mike, any ideas on why it happened?

[zadjii-msft]

Honestly, no idea. %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Terminal is a perfectly fine place for the settings to be if you're running unpackaged (which is what happens when the Terminal is installed from scoop).

Only theory is that we somehow failed to create the settings file entirely, but that should give a more descriptive error... Actually I think it's supposed to: #7950

[rdbisme]

Same problem here. After update from scoop, settings.json can't be loaded anymore. I tried to remove the %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Terminal completely. At next startup the folder is created again and I get the error nonetheless.

Terminal (Unpackaged)
Version: 1.12.220208003-release1.12

[zadjii-msft]

Since we've got a number of reports of this happening for unpackaged installs, I'm gonna bump this one into 1.14, so we make sure someone takes a look sooner than later. I wonder if this has anything to do with state.json loading? I honestly have no idea.

[rdbisme]

Well, the state.json is created in that same folder. But I removed it so...

[Rosefield]

I had this happen to me as well when my instance of WT preview updated from 1.12.x to 1.13 through the store so it isn't just unpackaged installs,.

I misremembered and had a different error than this / cannot reproduce.

[lhecker]

I can't replicate this issue personally with neither 1.12 nor 1.13. I also tried using the settings.json posted at the beginning of this issue.

Can someone who has this issue try and download the latest release on GitHub, extract it and run it? Basically:

• Download a release
• Extract the .msixbundle (it's just a zip)
• Extract the .msix file matching your platform (it's also a zip)
• Run WindowsTerminal.exe

I just want to make sure whether running our "official release" unpackaged would produce the same issue, since I personally can't...

[Saberos]

I can't replicate this issue personally with neither 1.12 nor 1.13. I also tried using the settings.json posted at the beginning of this issue.

Can someone who has this issue try and download the latest release on GitHub, extract it and run it? Basically:

* [Download a release](https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.12.10393.0)

* Extract the .msixbundle (it's just a zip)

* Extract the .msix file matching your platform (it's also a zip)

* Run WindowsTerminal.exe

I just want to make sure whether running our "official release" unpackaged would produce the same issue, since I personally can't...

Can confirm I can reproduce the issue with above steps using versions v1.12.10393.0 and v1.13.10395.0.

[audetto]

Can someone who has this issue try and download the latest release on GitHub, extract it and run it? Basically:

* [Download a release](https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/releases/tag/v1.12.10393.0)

* Extract the .msixbundle (it's just a zip)

* Extract the .msix file matching your platform (it's also a zip)

* Run WindowsTerminal.exe

This is exactly what I reported the very first time with 1.12.10393.0 (see #12547)

[lhecker]

Ah dang, I only read the most recent comments in this issue. I'm sorry about that. 😕
I'll try to replicate the issue on Windows 10, but I suspect I won't succeed with that either.
Since only someone who's able to reproduce the issue can fix it, this bug is a bit troublesome unfortunately...

[Eddie-Shipman]

This happened in Preview 1.11.2421
Initially, I did NOT run through an actual installation, I renamed the files, msixbundle/msix, as zip and extracted them.

The error dialog says "Element not found" What element is it looking for, do you think?

[lhecker]

The error dialog says "Element not found" What element is it looking for, do you think?

It's probably a ERROR_NOT_FOUND or TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND. You could try to run DebugView and see if anything obvious comes up when you start Windows Terminal. There's a good chance that the source of this error is written in there.

[audetto]

I tried to build it from source, but it has proven very hard.
Would it not be possible to provide a "debug/logging" version which tells a bit more which file and which element is looking for?

[Eddie-Shipman]

I downloaded 1.11.3471.0 and the error didn't occur, so it has to be some change that happened between those versions.

[DHowett]

Do you happen to have any files in...

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Terminal\Fragments
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows Terminal\Fragments

?

If not, can you run the following PowerShell command? It might produce a lot of output...

Get-AppxPackage | ? {
    If (-Not [String]::IsNullOrEmpty($_.InstallLocation)) {
        $am = [xml](Get-Content (Join-Path $_.InstallLocation "AppxManifest.xml"))
        $am.InnerXml.Contains("terminal.settings")
        Return
    }
    $False
} | Select -Expand PackageFullName

[Eddie-Shipman]

I was able to downgrade to version 1.11.3471.0 and everything worked as desired.

[DHowett]

In addition to the request above, would you mind collecting a trace for us? I'd love to get this issue kicked once and for all. Here is how to capture a trace.

[audetto]

Running 1.12.10393.0 in VS2019

any useful?

[audetto]

I have a trace but it is inside the corporate network... I will have to ask how to bring it out. Anything I could do with it?

Maybe make it readable and take a screenshot?

[lhecker]

@audetto If you copy and paste the text with ```<text here>``` on GitHub it's easier to read. 🙂

Yes, it's very helpful! Thanks to your screenshot I immediately found the source of the issues and will submit a PR soon.
Thank you again for your help figuring this out. 😊

[audetto]

Sorry, I can't, it is all running in a remote app where I cannot copy from...

[ghost]

🎉This issue was addressed in #12687, which has now been successfully released as Windows Terminal v1.12.1073.:tada:

Handy links:

• Release Notes
• Store Download

[ghost]

🎉This issue was addressed in #12687, which has now been successfully released as Windows Terminal Preview v1.13.1073.:tada:

Handy links:

• Release Notes
• Store Download