Command Prompt is one of the command-line interface programs used to execute commands in Windows operating systems.
How to Enable “Open Command Window Here” Option in Context Menu in Windows Vista and Later. Simply follow these simple steps: 1. Type regedit in RUN or Start Menu search box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor. Now go to following keys one by one: HKEYCLASSESROOT Directory shell cmd HKEYCLASSESROOT Drive shell cmd 3. Open command window here. Open the Windows command line directory of any folder in Windows by holding down Shift key, right-clicking on a folder, and choosing the Open command window here option. Using this tip you can quickly open any folder in the Windows command line without having to use the Windows command line commands to navigate to.
Some popular Command Prompt commands you might have heard of include ping, netstat, tracert, shutdown, and attrib, but there are many more. We have a complete list here.
Windows Open Command Prompt Here Windows 7
While Command Prompt probably isn't a tool most of you will use on a regular basis, it can really come in handy now and then, maybe to troubleshoot a specific Windows problem or to automate some kind of task.
How you open Command Prompt differs between Windows versions, so you'll find steps below for Windows 10, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, and Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. See What Version of Windows Do I Have? if you're not sure.
Open Command Prompt in Windows 10
Click or tap Command Prompt from the list.
Another way to open Command Prompt in Windows 10 is to look in its Start menu folder:
Select the Start button.
Find the Windows System folder from the list of apps and tap or click it.
Click or tap Command Prompt under the Windows System folder.
One more method for opening Command Prompt in Windows 10 is through the Power User Menu. If you're using a keyboard or mouse, choose Command Prompt from the menu that appears after pressing Win+X or right-clicking the Start button.
You might see Windows PowerShell options in the Power User Menu instead of Command Prompt. In more recent versions of Windows 10, Command Prompt has been replaced by PowerShell, but you can still access it from the Power User Menu by editing the taskbar settings.
Open Command Prompt in Windows 8 or 8.1
Swipe up to show the Apps screen. You can accomplish the same thing with a mouse by clicking on the down arrow icon at the bottom of the screen.
Prior to the Windows 8.1 update, the Apps screen can be accessed from the Start screen by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, or right-clicking anywhere, and then choosing All apps.
If you're using a keyboard or mouse, a really quick way to open a Command Prompt window in Windows 8 is through the Power User Menu—just hold the WIN and X keys down together, or right-click the Start button, and choose Command Prompt.
Swipe or scroll to the right on the Apps screen to locate the Windows System section heading.
Tap Command Prompt under Windows System.
A new Command Prompt window will open on the Desktop.
You can now execute whatever command you needed to run. See our List of Windows 8 Command Prompt Commands for a complete list of the commands available through Command Prompt in Windows 8, including short descriptions and links to more in-depth information if we have it.
Windows Open Command Prompt Here Win 10
Open Command Prompt in Windows 7, Vista, or XP
Click Start (Windows XP) or the Start button (Windows 7 or Vista).
In Windows 7 and Windows Vista, it's a bit faster to enter command in the search box at the bottom of the Start Menu and then click Command Prompt when it appears in the results.
Use Command Prompt to execute commands. Here's our List of Windows 7 Commands, List of Windows Vista Commands, and List of Windows XP Commands if you need a command reference for any of those versions of Windows.
Elevated Command Prompts and Old Windows Versions
In versions of Windows released before Windows XP, like Windows 98 and Windows 95, Command Prompt does not exist. However, the older and very similar MS-DOS Prompt does. This program is located in the Start Menu, and can be opened with the command run command.
Some commands, like the sfc command that's used to repair Windows files, require that Command Prompt be opened as an administrator before they can be executed. You'll know if this is the case if you get a 'check that you have administrative rights', '... command can only be executed from an elevated command prompt', or 'you must be an administrator' message after trying to execute the command.
See How to Open an Elevated Command Prompt for help starting Command Prompt as an administrator, a process that's a bit more complicated than what's outlined above.
After upgrading to Windows 10 Creators Update, you may find that the “Open command window here” option is not showing up in the context menu of File Explorer, and it was replaced with “Open PowerShell window here“. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to add the missing option “Open command window here” back to the context menu in Windows 10 Creators Update.
How to Add “Open command window here” Back to Windows 10 Creators Update?
- Press the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command. Type regedit and hit Enter.
- In the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectory. By default, the Directory key is protected from changes. You’ll need to take ownership of it firstly. Follow this tutorial to take ownership of the Directory key before proceeding with the steps below.
- Browse to the following key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellcmdRight-click the HideBasedOnVelocityId value on the right pane, and select Rename. Rename it to ShowBasedOnVelocityId.
- Next, browse to this key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryBackgroundshellcmdRename a DWORD value HideBasedOnVelocityId to ShowBasedOnVelocityId.
- Once done, hold down the SHIFT key and then right-click on a folder in File Explorer, you’ll see the “Open command window here” option is back to the context menu. The option will also be available when using SHIFT + right-click on an empty space within a folder.