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How to Open the Command Prompt in Windows. This wikiHow teaches you how to open the Command Prompt program in Windows. There are several ways to do this, from simply searching in the Start menu to using a Run command.

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  • Run cmd.exe in Administrator mode without explorer.exe 3 answers

Is there any way to open cmd.exe in Windows 7 if explorer.exe has been disabled (which means you can't use the Start Menu)

Twisty Impersonator
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Aman Aman

marked as duplicate by magicandre1981, Tog, Matthew Williams, Excellll, music2myearOct 2 '14 at 19:22

This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.

5 Answers

Yes. Hit CTRL+ALT+DEL and bring up Task Manager. Then on the File menu, hit New Task... Type cmd in the box and BAM! -- a command prompt window. Although, you could also just respawn the shell by typing explorer in the box too.

Wes SayeedWes Sayeed
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If you cannot start Explorer, or Explorer's run box has been disabled, and Task Manager's run box has also been disabled, but you can still use Word (or Excel &c.) you can often open the macro editor and use VBA to start any executable you want.

Anonymous CowardAnonymous Coward

Just to promote this to an answer (rather than a comment on the currently-highest-voted, but not-actually-the-best-way-to-do-this answer):

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up the Task Manager. On the Task Manager window's File menu, choose 'Run new task'. Type cmd in the box and hit Enter or press 'OK'. Alternatively, if you think Explorer would be OK once it's restarted, instead of typing cmd in the box, type explorer.

(In general, if your system has gotten to the point where Windows Explorer has crashed, you don't want to hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete unless you're OK with your computer misinterpreting you and restarting itself. This is especially true if, in the chain of events that led to Explorer crashing, you perhaps have already given the three-finger salute a few times. In this sense, the Task Manager key combination is 'safer'.)

MarthaMartha
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AuraAura

Go to task manager via Ctrl + Alt + Esc and run a new task.

Type iexplore- IE will open then after type

in the address bar, press Enter. That's all.

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Itachi UchihaItachi Uchiha
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Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged windows-7cmd.exe or ask your own question.

On Windows 10, Microsoft continues to fade out Command Prompt in favor of PowerShell. Although you can still use the console, you'll notice that the option is no longer available on the Power User menu (Windows key + X), on the File menu for File Explorer, or in the extended context menu (Shift + Right-click).

While there is an option in the Settings app to add Command Prompt to the Power User menu, you won't find an option to bring it back to the extended context menu. However, it's still possible to re-incorporate the option in Windows 10, if you're comfortable modifying the Registry.

In this Windows 10 guide, we walk you through the steps to bring back the 'Open command window here' option to the context menu.

How to add 'Open command window here' to the context menu

Adding the 'Open command window here' to the extended-folder context menu is a two-step process. First, you need to bring back the option when you open the menu when right-clicking a folder, and second, using similar steps, you need to return the option when right-clicking the background of a folder.

Adding 'Open command window here' to the folder context menu

In order to re-incorporate the option to launch Command Prompt on the extended context menu, you'll need to modify the Registry using the following steps:

Warning: This is a friendly reminder that editing the registry is risky, and it can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you don't do it correctly. We recommend making a full backup of your PC before proceeding.

If you're ready, follow these steps:

  1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
  2. Type regedit, and click OK to open the Registry.

  3. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellcmd

  4. Right-click the cmd (folder) key, and click Permissions.

  5. Click the Advanced button.

  6. On 'Advanced Security Settings,' click the Change link next to 'Owner.'

  7. Type your account name in the provided field, click Check Names to verify you're typing the account name correctly, and click OK.

  8. Check the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects option.

  9. Click Apply.
  10. Click OK.
  11. On 'Permissions,' select the Administrators group.

  12. Under 'Permissions for Administrators,' select Allow for the Full Control option.

  13. Click Apply.
  14. Click OK.
  15. Inside the cmd (folder) key, right-click the HideBasedOnVelocityId DWORD, and click Rename.

  16. Change the DWORD name from HideBasedOnVelocityId to ShowBasedOnVelocityId, and press Enter.

Once you complete these steps, using the Shift + Right-click combo on a folder will display the 'Open command window here' option.

At any time, you can revert the changes following the same instructions, but on step No. 16, make sure to rename the DWORD from from ShowBasedOnVelocityId to HideBasedOnVelocityId, and press Enter.

Adding 'Open command window here' to the background context menu

The instructions mentioned above add the option to open Command Prompt on the folder context menu, but not when you Shift + right-click the background of the folder that is currently open.

If you want to Shift + right-click a background to open the location using Command Prompt, you need to follow these extra steps:

  1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
  2. Type regedit, and click OK to open the Registry.

  3. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryBackgroundshellcmd

  4. Right-click the cmd (folder) key, and click Permissions.

  5. Click the Advanced button.

  6. On 'Advanced Security Settings,' click the Change link next to 'Owner.'

  7. Type your account name in the provided field, click Check Names to verify you're typing the account name correctly, and click OK.

  8. Check the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects option.

  9. Click Apply.
  10. Click OK.
  11. On 'Permissions,' select the Administrators group.

  12. Under 'Permissions for Administrators,' select Allow for the Full Control option.

  13. Click Apply.
  14. Click OK.
  15. Inside the cmd (folder) key, right-click the HideBasedOnVelocityId DWORD, and click Rename.

  16. Change the DWORD name from HideBasedOnVelocityId to ShowBasedOnVelocityId, and press Enter.

Once you complete these steps, when using the Shift + right-click combo on a folder background you will see the 'Open command window here' option.

You can revert the changes following the same instructions, but on step No. 16, make sure to rename the DWORD from from ShowBasedOnVelocityId to HideBasedOnVelocityId, and press Enter.

Thanks @johannesmp (Windows Central reader) for this part of the tip!

How to remove 'Open PowerShell window here' from the context menu

You'll also notice that using the above steps will bring back the 'Open command window here,' but it'll keep the 'Open PowerShell window here' too.

If you want to remove the PowerShell entry from the extended context menu, do the following:

Won
  1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
  2. Type regedit, and click OK to open the Registry.

  3. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellPowerShell

  4. Right-click the PowerShell (folder) key, and click Permissions.

  5. Click the Advanced button.

  6. On 'Advanced Security Settings,' click the Change link next to 'Owner'.

  7. Type your account name in the provided field, click Check Names to verify you're typing the account name correctly, and click OK.

  8. Check the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects option.

  9. Click Apply.
  10. Click OK.
  11. On 'Permissions,' select the Administrators group.

  12. Under 'Permissions for Administrators,' select Allow for the Full Control option.

  13. Click Apply.
  14. Click OK.
  15. Inside the PowerShell (folder) key, right-click the ShowBasedOnVelocityId DWORD, and click Rename.

  16. Change the DWORD name from ShowBasedOnVelocityId to HideBasedOnVelocityId, and press Enter.

After completing these steps, using Shift + Right-click will only show the 'Open command window here' option.

To bring back the PowerShell option, follow the same instructions, but on step No. 16, make sure to rename the DWORD from HideBasedOnVelocityId to ShowBasedOnVelocityId, and press Enter.

Wrapping things up

While you can run the majority of the commands using PowerShell, a lot of people still prefer Command Prompt, and the context menu option provides a quick way to open the utility in a specific location without having to type a long command to navigate to a folder path. But now, thanks to a hidden option in the Registry, you can bring that experience back to Windows 10.

Cmd Won't Open Windows 10

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For more help articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources: