diff --git a/src-tauri/src/pty.rs b/src-tauri/src/pty.rs
index fb45a9f..094d847 100644
--- a/src-tauri/src/pty.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/src/pty.rs
@@ -67,10 +67,13 @@ impl PtyManager {
             cmd.arg("-d");
             cmd.arg(d);
         }
-        if let Some(c) = cwd.as_deref() {
-            cmd.arg("--cd");
-            cmd.arg(c);
-        }
+        // Default new panes to the WSL user's home (~) rather than the
+        // Windows-side cwd we inherit from the launcher (typically
+        // C:\Users\<you>, which shows up as /mnt/c/Users/<you> inside WSL).
+        // wsl.exe resolves `~` against the distro's default shell.
+        let resolved_cwd = cwd.as_deref().unwrap_or("~");
+        cmd.arg("--cd");
+        cmd.arg(resolved_cwd);
         // Force a login shell so .bashrc etc. run and PATH is populated.
         // wsl.exe without an explicit command launches the default shell
         // interactively, which is exactly what we want.