// troubleshooting guide · espanso
Espanso Wrong Characters in Terminal
- Status
- Workaround available
- platforms:
- Windows, Linux, macOS
- updated:
- November 15, 2026
- reports:
- 3
- Method
- how we research
RUNBOOK · espanso/terminal-wrong-characters3 FIXES
// quick answer
Terminals paste differently. Use an app-specific config with a different backend or paste_shortcut for the terminal.
Most likely fix: Create a terminal config
How to fix it
// try these in order, the most common fix is first
FIX 1Create a terminal config
- 01Run `espanso path` to find the config folder
- 02Create config/terminal.yml with a filter_exec or filter_class
- 03Use #detect# in the terminal to find the values
Did this fix it?FIX 2Change paste shortcut
- 01Add `paste_shortcut: CTRL+SHIFT+V` (or SHIFT+INSERT) and `backend: clipboard`
Did this fix it?FIX 3Try Windows Terminal
- 01Use Windows Terminal instead of the legacy console on Windows
Did this fix it?
Symptoms
Special characters like @ come out wrong, text is lower-cased or duplicated in terminals.
Why it happens
- C-01Terminal uses Ctrl+Shift+V or Shift+Insert to paste
- C-02Keys backend mishandles layout
- C-03Legacy Windows console drops Unicode
// this guide also covers
- espanso terminal
- espanso kitty special characters
- espanso wrong characters
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