diff --git a/tabby-core/src/services/config.service.ts b/tabby-core/src/services/config.service.ts
index fcd9d3a1..5d631890 100644
--- a/tabby-core/src/services/config.service.ts
+++ b/tabby-core/src/services/config.service.ts
@@ -263,6 +263,7 @@ export class ConfigService {
             config.version = 1
         }
         if (config.version < 2) {
+            config.profiles ??= []
             if (config.terminal?.recoverTabs !== undefined) {
                 config.recoverTabs = config.terminal.recoverTabs
                 delete config.terminal.recoverTabs
diff --git a/tabby-local/src/config.ts b/tabby-local/src/config.ts
index 60f7968f..01b2f181 100644
--- a/tabby-local/src/config.ts
+++ b/tabby-local/src/config.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export class TerminalConfigProvider extends ConfigProvider {
             showBuiltinProfiles: true,
             environment: {},
             profiles: [],
+            setComSpec: false,
         },
     }
 
diff --git a/tabby-local/src/session.ts b/tabby-local/src/session.ts
index 8c942dae..344168ae 100644
--- a/tabby-local/src/session.ts
+++ b/tabby-local/src/session.ts
@@ -122,7 +122,13 @@ export class Session extends BaseSession {
                 ...this.config.store.terminal.environment || {},
             }
 
-            if (this.hostApp.platform === Platform.Windows) {
+            if (this.hostApp.platform === Platform.Windows && this.config.store.terminal.setComSpec) {
+                for (const k of Object.keys(env)) {
+                    if (k.toUpperCase() === 'COMSPEC') {
+                        // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-dynamic-delete
+                        delete env[k]
+                    }
+                }
                 env.COMSPEC = this.bootstrapData.executable
             }
 
diff --git a/tabby-terminal/src/components/terminalSettingsTab.component.pug b/tabby-terminal/src/components/terminalSettingsTab.component.pug
index 67550b57..8c161122 100644
--- a/tabby-terminal/src/components/terminalSettingsTab.component.pug
+++ b/tabby-terminal/src/components/terminalSettingsTab.component.pug
@@ -158,3 +158,12 @@ h3.mb-3 Terminal
         [(ngModel)]='config.store.terminal.warnOnMultilinePaste',
         (ngModelChange)='config.save()',
     )
+
+.form-line(*ngIf='hostApp.platform === Platform.Windows')
+    .header
+        .title Set Tabby as %COMSPEC%
+        .description Allows opening .bat files in tabs, but breaks some shells
+    toggle(
+        [(ngModel)]='config.store.terminal.setComSpec',
+        (ngModelChange)='config.save()',
+    )