The command line in any version of Windows is a very important and sought-after attribute. If you have ever done network configuration on a computer, you should be familiar with it. Despite the fact that some methods of calling the command line are the same for all versions of Windows OS, many users have a question about how to call the command line in Windows 10? This will be discussed in this article.
Ways to call the command line in Windows 10
There are several ways to launch the command line. This article will discuss the 3 simplest and fastest ones.
Command line in Windows 10
Method 1 - Through search
In Windows 10, right next to the start menu there is a search icon in the form of a magnifying glass. This is a search. It can be used to find and open Command Prompt.
To do this, click on this icon, and in the window that opens, type “ Command line«.
Launch via Windows 10 search
In the search results, click on the command line icon and select " Run as administrator«.
This will launch Command Prompt in Windows 10.
Method 2 - Through the start menu
To open the command line in Windows 10 through the start menu, just click on it right click mouse and select “ Command Line (Administrator)".
Launch via the Start context menu
Method 3 - Through the “Run” command
This method suggests using the “Run” command. To do this, you need to open a special window using the key combination “ Win"+"R«.
The combination of the “Win” + “R” buttons on the keyboard
In the window that opens, type “ CMD«.
Why is it better to run the command line as an administrator?
The thing is that when configuring or setting up certain functions operating system Administrator rights may be required to make changes. And if you try to change something through the command line in normal mode, you simply may not have enough rights and the command you entered will not be executed.
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Many problems and work situations in Windows 10 require system commands via the command line. Most of the instructions on the Internet dedicated to the “ten” are impossible to complete without running this system tool, and their authors do not always go into detail on how to open the command line in Windows 10, especially when it must function with administrator privileges.
What’s so difficult about launching the command line, which in XP and “seven” was carried out by executing one command or clicking on the corresponding shortcut in the Start section called “Standards”. The fact is that in Start there is no longer this shortcut in its usual place, and the “Run” button in the new operating system has disappeared, so the topic needs detailed coverage.
Next, we will learn how to open the command prompt in Windows 10 by everyone possible methods both with administrator privileges and in standard mode. From the methods of calling it given in the article, even experienced users will make many discoveries for themselves, such as calling the console from any Explorer directory.
The simplest way to open a command console window
The fastest and easiest way to launch a system tool is by using the functionality of a new menu called WinX, the name of which is derived from the key combination that calls it.
- We press the buttons with the window icon (Win) and X on the keyboard, or right-click on Start or the taskbar.
- In the drop-down list of system tools, select “Command Line (Administrator)” or simply “Command Prompt”, depending on what you will do in Windows environment 10.
Using the Windows 10 search bar functionality
Most system, all third party applications and some system commands are launched through the search bar. To do this, you need to enter the appropriate command and click “Enter” or start typing the name of the application and select the appropriate one from the list of results. The search button does not appear on the taskbar to make this task easier.
If it is not there, use the Win+S combination to open the search window. Then enter “command”, and after the first 5-6 letters in the search results you will see a link to launch the tool, and using context menu icons it can be run with administrator privileges.
Launching the command line through Explorer
Probably the majority Windows users 10 doesn’t even realize that the OS allows you to call the command line from any directory opened in Explorer. This is done in the following way: hold down Shift, right-click on free space window and select the “Open command window” option.
This will open a window with a black background, in which the path to the current directory will be indicated.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to call the tool with administrator rights this way.
Let's use the command "cmd"
The command line is an application that is launched by running the cmd.exe file located in the system directory. For a 32-bit OS this is the Windows\System32 directory, and for a 64-bit OS it is Windows\SysWOW64.
If necessary, the tool can be launched directly from the directory in which it is stored, or you can create a shortcut in any convenient place, be it the desktop or the taskbar.
For reference: when you launch the command line in Windows 10 using the described methods, in addition to calling it from the SysWOW64 directory, the cmd.exe file located in System32 opens. For regular user it makes no difference which file will be launched, there will be no difference in functionality, despite the different sizes of the executable files.
You can quickly load the system console by running the cmd.exe command at the command interpreter or search prompt. If everything is clear with the second one, then to call the “Run” window there is a combination of Win + R. After entering cmd.exe, click “OK” or “Enter”.
And finally. Not everyone knows about the introduction of support for the Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V keyboard shortcuts for working with text in command line Windows 10. But by default this option is disabled. Its activation is carried out as follows:
- Right-click on the window header;
- select “Properties”;
- On the first settings tab, uncheck the box next to the option “Use the previous edition of the console.”
- Click "OK".
- Restart the console.
Despite the fact that the question of how to open the command line may not seem like something that should be answered in the form of instructions, many users who upgraded to Windows 10 from 7 or XP ask it: since in their usual place - There is no command line in the All Programs section.
My advice is if you don't know how something runs in Windows 10 or can't find a setting, click the search button on the taskbar or Windows key + S and start typing the name of that item.
If you start typing “Command Prompt,” it will quickly appear in the search results. By simply clicking on it, the console will open in normal mode. By right-clicking on the found element, you can select “Run as administrator”, also in latest versions The OS item “Run as administrator” appeared in a separate panel to the right of the search results.
Opening a Command Prompt in Explorer
Not everyone knows, but in any folder open in Explorer (with the exception of some “virtual” folders), you can hold Shift, right-click on an empty space in the Explorer window and select “Open Command Window”. Update: This option has disappeared in Windows 10 1703, but you can.
This action will open a command prompt (not as an administrator), in which you will be in the folder in which the specified steps were performed.
Using the task manager to run the command line, including as an administrator
Dispatcher Windows tasks 10, among other things, allows you to launch programs and can be used to quickly launch the command line: in the task manager menu, select File - Run new task and enter cmd.exe
If you check the “Create task with administrator rights” option, the command line will be launched with the appropriate rights.
The command line is normal Windows program 10 (and not only), which is a separate executable file cmd.exe, which is located in the folders C:\Windows\System32 and C:\Windows\SysWOW64 (if you have an x64 version of Windows 10).
That is, you can launch it directly from there; if you need to call the command line as an administrator, run it by right-clicking and selecting the desired context menu item. You can also create a cmd.exe shortcut on your desktop, start menu, or taskbar for quick access to the command prompt at any time.
By default, even in 64-bit Windows versions 10, when you launch the command line using the methods described earlier, cmd.exe from System32 opens. I don’t know if there are any differences in working with the program from SysWOW64, but the file sizes are different.
Another way to quickly launch the Command Prompt “directly” is to press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard and type cmd.exe into the Run window. Then just click OK.
How to open the command line in Windows 10 - video instructions
Additional Information
Not everyone knows, but the command line in Windows 10 began to support new functions, the most interesting of which are copying and pasting using the keyboard (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V) and mouse. By default, these features are disabled.
To enable it, in an already running command line, right-click on the icon at the top left and select “Properties”. Uncheck “Use a previous version of the console”, click “OK”, close the command line and run it again so that the Ctrl key combinations work.
“Where did they hide everything? Why habitual and constantly required applications disappeared from their places? - this is what users who switched to Windows 10 from “Seven” and “Pig” think something like this. “Where did the command console go?”
In fact, she didn't go anywhere. It remains in the same place, but for some reason it has become more difficult for many to launch it. Perhaps out of habit. To make your task easier, today I’ll tell you about how to open the command line in Windows 10 7 most easy ways and I’ll share some tricks “for the lazy.”
The easiest way: through the RMB menu of the Start button
If you did not manage to update your “top ten” to version 1703, click on Start with the right mouse button (RMB) or press the combination Windows keys and X. Commands for opening the console are located at the bottom of the first part of the menu.
In build 1703, the command line in the RMB Start menu was for some reason replaced with PowerShell. Here's what happened:
You can use this application in the same way as the console, but if you prefer the familiar black window, let’s return it to its place:
- Let’s open the system utility through the same menu “ Options" and go to the section " Personalization».
- Select from the list of subsections “ Task bar" On the right next to the command " Replace command line with shellPowerShell..."move the slider to the position " Off».
The ancient way: through the directory of installed programs
You have most likely used this method before, but it may seem unusual because the catalog is in the top ten installed applications changed a little. So:- Go to Start and open the list “ All programs" We go down almost to the very bottom - to the letter “C”.
- Expand the section “ Service – Windows» – and here she is, my dear, in front of us.
If you are going to use the console for administrative tasks, click on " Command line» right mouse button, select « Additionally" And " Run as administrator».
Quick way: through the Run dialog
- To open the above dialog box, press the combination Windows and R on the keyboard or go to the context menu of the Start button and select “ Execute».
- Enter the command “ cmd" (without quotes) and click OK.
Universal method: using the system search function
- We click on the icon with the image of a magnifying glass in the taskbar or press Windows and S on the keyboard - both actions do the same thing - they open a search window. Enter in the field " Search inWindows"already familiar command" cmd" A list of files and folders that have this word in their names will appear at the top. And the first number in it will be what we were looking for.
If you want to run the console as an administrator, right-click on the found file and select the appropriate command. Or after entering " cmd» in the search field, press the Enter-Shift-Ctrl combination on your keyboard.
Tricky way: create shortcuts
If you use the console regularly, you may find it convenient to open it with a shortcut on the taskbar, desktop, or Start. Let's figure out how to create it.On the taskbar
Let's find cmd using Windows search(you already know how to do this), right-click on it and select “ Pin to taskbar" The shortcut will be located at the bottom of the screen near the Start button.
By default, the command line starts from account current user. To open it one-time with administrative rights, click on the RMB shortcut, right-click again on the item “ Command line" and select " Launch from admin».
If you want the utility to run with admin rights all the time, open it through the same menu “ Properties" On the " Label" in the window that appears, click " Additionally».
In the additional properties window, check the box " Run as administrator" and save the setting.
In Start
We find the console through the search and open its context menu - exactly the same as for creating a shortcut on the taskbar. Select " Pin to home screen " After this, a shortcut (more precisely, a tile) will appear in the right half of the Start menu.
To call the console with administrator rights, you will again have to go to the right-click menu. The option is hidden in the " Additionally».
On the desktop
To create a command prompt shortcut on your desktop, you will first have to open the location where it is stored. executable file– cmd.exe. It hides deep in the depths of the \Windows\system32 system directory. In order not to search for it through Explorer, create a shortcut on the taskbar according to the instructions above (later you can delete it), go to properties and click the button “ File location»
Having opened in the target directory and found the desired object, right-click on it with the “rodent” button. In the menu that opens, select the command " Create a shortcut" and confirm that you agree to save it to your desktop.
The lazy way: assigning hotkeys to launch the console
Is it awkward to click on a shortcut? Or maybe lazy, like me? Assign a keyboard shortcut to open Command Prompt. To do this, go to the properties of the previously created shortcut, place the cursor in the “ Quick call" and press any 2-3 keys together.
After saving the setting, the command line will open using this combination.
The most practical way: create an open CMD command in the Explorer context menu
About one of the most practical ways to call frequently used system utilities I consider adding the appropriate commands to the explorer context menu. For example, a desktop. This is done very simply.To enable the command line in the desktop RMB menu, copy the instructions below into Notepad or a program that replaces it. Save the file with a custom name. Specify as extension. reg(to assign an arbitrary extension to a notepad text document, press Shift+Ctrl+S and change the file type from “txt” to “all”).
empty line
@="Command line"
If you want to delete the command, copy to Text Document following instructions, save it in reg file format and execute.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
empty line
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\1]
In a second there will be no trace of her.
I hope this is more than enough. Now you definitely won’t have any problems opening a black window in Windows 10.
Command line - Windows element, which allows you to perform operations with files and components, bypassing GUI systems. The command line should not be confused with the Run function. The latter is responsible only for opening programs and components. But the command line can completely replace the standard Windows Explorer and change operating system settings, make changes to file properties and format connected media.
Therefore, in order to effectively manage your computer even in a situation where the OS graphical interface has failed, you need to know everything about the command line Windows string 10: how to call and how to use it.
Launch
In the Windows OS family, there are three ways in which you can launch the Command Prompt.
Using the Start icon
The first method involves using the context menu of the Start button. To launch the command line this way you need to:
- Right-click on the Start button.
- In the list that appears, the user should select the “Command Prompt” menu item, preferably with the addition of “Administrator”.
Advice! You can call a similar menu by pressing the Win + X key combination.
Using built-in search
To launch the required component, you can use updated search, which is available on the Taskbar. To do this you need:
- Click on the search bar (or press the Win + Q key combination).
- Enter the words “Command Line” in the text field.
- Select the component of the same name from the search results.
Via the Run command
The third method involves using the Run command mentioned above. To start it required component, follows:
- On your keyboard, press Win + R at the same time.
- Enter “cmd” in the text field that appears and press “Enter”.
File location
You can call the command line in Windows 10 directly from the cmd.exe file, which is located at “C:\Windows\System32”.
Also, shortcuts for quickly opening this program are located in the Start menu -> All applications -> System Tools - Windows.
You can easily pin a shortcut to the taskbar, in the (tiled area) or on the desktop at the user's discretion.
Video instruction
Popular methods of calling the command line are described and shown in the video.
Finally
To start mastering the command line functions, use the “Help” command, which will display the main keys for working with this tool.
Having learned to use cmd.exe, the user will gain even more control over his device and will be able to independently restore the operating system even in the event of critical failures.