diff --git a/.changeset/windows-hotfix.md b/.changeset/windows-hotfix.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6c14f166
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/windows-hotfix.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+### Bug Fixes
+- On Windows, File > New window no longer freezes Stroke. The window opens, and the app closes normally
+- On Windows, psql tables in the Terminal tab no longer show garbled borders like `│`, and NULL shows as `(null)`
diff --git a/src-tauri/src/commands.rs b/src-tauri/src/commands.rs
index 8935f1fd..5ea34bc9 100644
--- a/src-tauri/src/commands.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/src/commands.rs
@@ -270,8 +270,13 @@ pub async fn read_file(path: String) -> Result<String, String> {
 /// The chrome is built to match the main window exactly: frameless everywhere,
 /// macOS keeping its native traffic lights, and the dark base colour painted
 /// before the first frame so no white flash escapes while the frontend boots.
+///
+/// Async on purpose. A synchronous command runs on the main thread, and
+/// building a WebView2 window there deadlocks on Windows (tauri-apps/wry#583):
+/// the window never appeared, and every other window froze with it, so the
+/// app could not even be closed.
 #[tauri::command]
-pub fn open_new_window(app: tauri::AppHandle) -> Result<(), String> {
+pub async fn open_new_window(app: tauri::AppHandle) -> Result<(), String> {
     // Labels must be unique and stable-ish; the counter restarts with the app,
     // and a closed label is free to reuse, so probe for the first gap.
     let label = (2..64)
@@ -290,7 +295,12 @@ pub fn open_new_window(app: tauri::AppHandle) -> Result<(), String> {
     .resizable(true)
     // Hidden until its page reveals itself, same as the main window.
     .visible(false)
-    .background_color(tauri::window::Color(8, 8, 8, 255));
+    .background_color(tauri::window::Color(8, 8, 8, 255))
+    // The rest of the main window's settings (lib.rs): inspector in debug
+    // builds only, no injected zoom polyfill, no navigating away from the app.
+    .devtools(cfg!(debug_assertions))
+    .zoom_hotkeys_enabled(false)
+    .on_navigation(crate::navigation_allowed);
 
     #[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
     {
@@ -304,6 +314,10 @@ pub fn open_new_window(app: tauri::AppHandle) -> Result<(), String> {
     }
 
     let window = builder.build().map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+    // The surface on the OS's side of light and dark before the first frame.
+    let surface = crate::surface_for_theme(window.theme().unwrap_or(tauri::Theme::Dark));
+    let _ = window.set_background_color(Some(surface));
+    crate::set_webview_backdrop(&window, surface);
     crate::arm_reveal_failsafe(&window);
     Ok(())
 }
diff --git a/src-tauri/src/db/terminal.rs b/src-tauri/src/db/terminal.rs
index 388713f2..ea8145d0 100644
--- a/src-tauri/src/db/terminal.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/src/db/terminal.rs
@@ -317,6 +317,21 @@ const PSQL_PROMPT1: &str =
     "%[%033]133;A%007%]%[%033[1;34m%]%/%[%033[0m%]%R%[%033[33m%]%x%[%033[0m%]%# %[%033]133;B%007%]";
 const PSQL_PROMPT2: &str = "%[%033]133;A;k=s%007%]%[%033[2m%]%/%R%x%#%[%033[0m%] %[%033]133;B%007%]";
 
+/// Table borders and the NULL marker. Unicode borders and `∅` everywhere but
+/// Windows: psql writes those borders as UTF-8 whatever its client encoding,
+/// and the Windows console reads its output in the ANSI code page (1252), so
+/// every `│` came out as `│`; `∅` reached it through a 1252 argv as `?`. There
+/// psql keeps its own ASCII borders, and NULL shows as `(null)`, which read
+/// the same in any code page.
+fn psql_display_args(windows: bool) -> Vec<String> {
+    if windows {
+        vec!["--pset=null=(null)".to_string()]
+    } else {
+        // NULL apart from the empty string.
+        vec!["--pset=linestyle=unicode".to_string(), "--pset=null=\u{2205}".to_string()]
+    }
+}
+
 async fn pg_launch(config: PgConfig) -> Result<Launch, String> {
     let (c, tunnel) = resolve_pg_ssh(config).await?;
     let mut env = vec![
@@ -355,10 +370,10 @@ async fn pg_launch(config: PgConfig) -> Result<Launch, String> {
             // and narrow results stay plain tables. (`format=wrapped` was tried
             // and dropped: it squeezes columns and breaks names mid-word.)
             "--pset=expanded=auto".to_string(),
-            "--pset=linestyle=unicode".to_string(),
-            // NULL apart from the empty string.
-            "--pset=null=\u{2205}".to_string(),
-        ],
+        ]
+        .into_iter()
+        .chain(psql_display_args(cfg!(windows)))
+        .collect(),
         env,
         unset: &["PGSERVICE", "PGPASSWORD", "PGSSLMODE", "PGSSLROOTCERT", "PGTZ", "PGOPTIONS"],
         tunnel,
@@ -985,6 +1000,15 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!env.contains_key("PGTZ"));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn psql_keeps_ascii_borders_on_windows() {
+        let unix = psql_display_args(false);
+        assert!(unix.contains(&"--pset=linestyle=unicode".to_string()));
+        let windows = psql_display_args(true);
+        assert!(windows.iter().all(|a| a.is_ascii() && !a.contains("linestyle")), "{windows:?}");
+        assert!(windows.contains(&"--pset=null=(null)".to_string()));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn sqlite_gets_box_mode_by_version() {
         let c = SqliteConfig { name: "t".into(), file_path: "/tmp/x.db".into() };
diff --git a/src-tauri/src/lib.rs b/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
index 37c4e9fe..8d47abbf 100644
--- a/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ use tauri::Manager;
 const DARK_SURFACE: tauri::window::Color = tauri::window::Color(8, 8, 8, 255);
 const LIGHT_SURFACE: tauri::window::Color = tauri::window::Color(247, 247, 247, 255);
 
-fn surface_for_theme(theme: tauri::Theme) -> tauri::window::Color {
+pub(crate) fn surface_for_theme(theme: tauri::Theme) -> tauri::window::Color {
     match theme {
         tauri::Theme::Light => LIGHT_SURFACE,
         _ => DARK_SURFACE,
@@ -58,6 +58,16 @@ fn surface_for_theme(theme: tauri::Theme) -> tauri::window::Color {
 /// never loads), which would otherwise leave a live process with no window.
 const REVEAL_FAILSAFE: std::time::Duration = std::time::Duration::from_secs(4);
 
+/// Whether a window may navigate to `url`: only the app's own pages. A link
+/// to anywhere else opens in the browser instead of replacing the app.
+pub(crate) fn navigation_allowed(url: &tauri::Url) -> bool {
+    if matches!(url.scheme(), "tauri" | "ipc") {
+        return true;
+    }
+    let host = url.host_str().unwrap_or("");
+    host == "localhost" || host == "tauri.localhost" || host == "127.0.0.1"
+}
+
 pub(crate) fn arm_reveal_failsafe(window: &tauri::WebviewWindow) {
     let window = window.clone();
     std::thread::spawn(move || {
@@ -82,7 +92,7 @@ pub(crate) fn arm_reveal_failsafe(window: &tauri::WebviewWindow) {
 ///   - WKWebView (macOS):    `underPageBackgroundColor`
 ///   - WebView2 (Windows):   `ICoreWebView2Controller2::DefaultBackgroundColor`
 ///   - WebKitGTK (Linux):    `webkit_web_view_set_background_color`
-fn set_webview_backdrop(window: &tauri::WebviewWindow, color: tauri::window::Color) {
+pub(crate) fn set_webview_backdrop(window: &tauri::WebviewWindow, color: tauri::window::Color) {
     #[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
     set_macos_webview_backdrop(window, color);
     #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
@@ -397,14 +407,7 @@ pub fn run() {
             // a stray trackpad pinch near a column resize handle would then page-zoom
             // the whole webview (devicePixelRatio jumps, canvas renders blurry).
             .zoom_hotkeys_enabled(false)
-            .on_navigation(|url| {
-                let scheme = url.scheme();
-                if matches!(scheme, "tauri" | "ipc") {
-                    return true;
-                }
-                let host = url.host_str().unwrap_or("");
-                host == "localhost" || host == "tauri.localhost" || host == "127.0.0.1"
-            })
+            .on_navigation(navigation_allowed)
             .build()?;
 
             // Match the surface to the OS appearance before the first frame. Both