10 Ways to Open the Command Prompt in Windows 10

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The command prompt has been around forever, and while it might not be as useful in Windows as one would hope, it’s still a great resource to have at your disposal. Today we’re showing you all of the different ways to open the command prompt. We’re betting you don’t know all of them.
Of course, if you do know all of them, pat yourself on the back. And it’s worth noting that this article is based on Windows 10 but the majority of them should work in earlier versions as well.

Open Command Prompt from Win+X Power Menu

Press “Win + X”, and click/tap on Command Prompt, or Command Prompt (Admin) to open it in Administrator mode.
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Open Command Prompt from Task Manager

Open Task Manager with more details. Choose File and then Run New Task. Type cmd or cmd.exe, and hit OK to open up a regular command prompt. You can also check the box to open as administrator.
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Open a Command Prompt in Admin Mode from Task Manager the Secret Easy Way

To open a command prompt in Administrator mode from the Task Manager, you can hold the CTRL key while clicking File -> Run New Task and it’ll immediately open an administrator mode command prompt.
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Open Command Prompt from Search

You can easily open the command prompt by typing “cmd” into the search box (Win + S). Alternatively, click/tap on the microphone icon in Cortana’s search field and say “Launch Command Prompt”.
To open as Administrator, type cmd into the search box, and either right-click and choose Run as Administrator, or highlight the result with the arrow keys and press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open an administrator mode command prompt.
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Open Command Prompt from All Apps in Start Menu

Open the Start menu, and click/tap on All apps at the bottom.
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In All apps, scroll down and expand the Windows System folder, then click/tap on Command Prompt.
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Open Command Prompt from File Explorer

Open File Explorer, and navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 folder, and click/tap on cmd.exe. You can actually do this from any file browser window by right-clicking on cmd.exe and choosing Open.
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Open Command Prompt from Run

Press the “Win + R” key to open RUN dialog box. Type cmd, and click/tap on OK.
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Open Command Prompt from Explorer Address Bar

Open File Explorer, and click/tap on its address bar (or press “Alt + D” on your keyboard). Now simply type cmd in the address bar and it’ll open the command prompt with the path to your current folder already set.
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Open Command Prompt Here from File Menu

Open File Explorer, select or open a folder or drive where you want to open the command prompt from. Click/tap on the “File” tab on the Ribbon, and select “Open command prompt”. It has two options:
  • Open command prompt — Opens a Command Prompt within the currently selected folder with standard permissions.
  • Open command prompt as administrator — Opens a Command Prompt within the currently selected folder with administrator permissions.

Open Command Window Here in File Explorer

To open a Command Prompt window in any folder or drive, hold down the shift key and right-click on the folder or drive. Right-click on a folder or empty space in the right-hand pane of Explorer while holding down the SHIFT key, and from the context menu, select “Open command window here”. The prompt takes the path of the folder from where it is opened.
Note that normally you have to press the shift key to get that option. To make this option permanent, follow this simple registry hack.

Create a Shortcut for Command Prompt on the Desktop

Right-click an empty spot on the Desktop. From the context menu, select “New > Shortcut”.
In the box labeled “Type the location of the item,” enter “cmd.exe”.
Press “Next”, give the shortcut a name and choose “Finish”.
If you want to open the command prompt in Administrator mode, right-click on the new shortcut icon and choose “Properties” from the context menu. Click the “Advanced” button and check “Run as administrator”.
Now you have created a shortcut that will open the command prompt with administrative privileges when double-clicked.

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