std::wcout printing unicode characters but they are hidden

Question

So, the following code:

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <io.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <codecvt>

int main()
{
    setlocale(LC_ALL, "");

    std::wstring a;
    std::wcout << L"Type a string: " << std::endl;
    std::getline(std::wcin, a);
    std::wcout << a << std::endl;
    getchar();
}

When I type "åäö" I get some weird output. The terminal's cursor is indented, but there is no text behind it. If I use my right arrow key to move the cursor forward the "åäö" reveal themselves as I click the right arrow key.

If I include English letters so that the input is "helloåäö" the output is "hello" but as I click my right arrow key "helloåäö" appears letter by letter.

Why does this happen and more importantly how can I fix it?

Edit: I compile with Visual Studio's compiler on Windows. When I tried this exact code in repl.it (they use clang) it works like a charm. Is the problem caused by my code, Windows or Visual Studio?

This looks like an issue in Windows console. Once you press any key, your program exits, so appearing letter by letter is not a case of the program. Try to run your program in Windows Terminal or Power Shell, does the issue still exist there? — 273K, Jan 20 '21 at 14:01
Does this answer your question? [How do I print UTF-8 from c++ console application on Windows](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1371012/how-do-i-print-utf-8-from-c-console-application-on-windows) — JosefZ, Jan 20 '21 at 16:31
@S.M. I added the ´std::endl´, I ran it in PowerShell and I compiled it with MinGW but with the same result every time. At this point, I'm pretty sure it is something with the code. — Elton Stålspets, Jan 20 '21 at 19:34

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 20 '21 at 19:59

Windows requires some OS-specific calls to set up the console for Unicode:

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <io.h>
#include <fcntl.h>

int main()
{
    _setmode(_fileno(stdout),  _O_U16TEXT);
    _setmode(_fileno(stdin), _O_WTEXT);

    std::wstring a;
    std::wcout << L"Type a string: ";
    std::getline(std::wcin, a);
    std::wcout << a << std::endl;
    getwchar();
}

Output:

Type a string: helloåäö马克
helloåäö马克

std::wcout printing unicode characters but they are hidden

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