Buzz
This guide shows you how to open a program on your Windows PC using Command Prompt. While you can only open programs installed in directories created by Windows (such as the Desktop), you can still add your program's directory to the Command Prompt list to open it from there.
Steps
Open Basic Programs
- If you are using Windows 8, move your cursor to the top right corner of the screen and click the magnifying glass icon in the menu that appears.
Type command prompt in the Start menu to search for the Command Prompt program on your computer.
- If you are using a computer with restricted access, you will not be able to open Command Prompt.
Type start in the Command Prompt. Be sure to leave a space after start.
Type the program's name into the Command Prompt. You must enter the system file name, not the display name shown under the program’s icon (for example, the system name for Command Prompt is cmd). Some common program names include:
- File Explorer - explorer
- Calculator - calc
- Notepad - notepad
- Character Map - charmap
- Paint - mspaint
- Command Prompt (new window) - cmd
- Windows Media Player - wmplayer
- Task Manager - taskmgr
Press ↵ Enter. After typing the command start program_name, your computer will execute the 'launch' command for the selected program. The program will open shortly after entering the command.
- If the selected program doesn't start, it may be located in a directory not included in Command Prompt's search path. You can add the program's directory to the Command Prompt search path to resolve this issue.
Open specific programs
Navigate to the folder where your program is stored. Access the folder containing the program you want to open by clicking on any folder you need to open.
- When the icon for the program you want to open via Command Prompt appears in the middle of the File Explorer window, you have opened the correct folder.
- If you are unsure where the program is stored, you can go to the "Program Files" folder on your hard drive, as many programs are stored here, or use the search bar at the top of the window.
Select the path to the program's folder. Right-click on the address bar at the top of the File Explorer window. The address bar's content will be highlighted in green.
Copy the path by pressing Ctrl and C at the same time.
Click on the This PC folder on the left side of the File Explorer window.
Click on the This PC again. This action will deselect any folder within the This PC folder, allowing you to open the properties of This PC.
Click on the Computer tab in the top-left corner of the page to view the toolbar.
Click on Properties. This is the white box icon with a red checkmark. After clicking it, a new window will appear displaying additional information.
Click on the Advanced system settings option in the top-left corner of the window. This action will open another window.
Click on the Advanced tab at the top of the window.
Nhấp vào lựa chọn Environment Variables… (Biến môi trường) ở bên dưới cửa sổ. Màn hình sẽ hiển thị một cửa sổ khác.
Nhấp vào Path (Đường dẫn) trong cửa sổ "System variables" ở gần cuối trang.
Nhấp vào lựa chọn Edit… (Chỉnh sửa) ở cuối trang.
Nhấp vào New (Mới) ở phía trên góc phải trang Edit.
Dán đường dẫn của chương trình. Ấn phím Ctrl và V cùng lúc để dán đường dẫn vào cửa sổ Path.
Nhấp OK để lưu đường dẫn.
Mở đường dẫn. Gõ cd vào Command Prompt, ấn phím cách, rồi ấn Ctrl+V để dán đường dẫn của chương trình và ấn ↵ Enter.
Gõ start vào Command Prompt. Bạn nhớ đặt một khoảng trắng sau start.
Nhập tên của chương trình. Gõ chính xác tên của chương trình như hiển thị trong thư mục, rồi ấn ↵ Enter và chương trình sẽ được khởi động.
- Nếu có khoảng trắng trong tên của chương trình, bạn gõ dấu gạch dưới ("_") tại vị trí khoảng trắng (chẳng hạn như system_shock thay vì system shock).
- Hoặc, bạn có thể đặt đường dẫn trong dấu ngoặc kép. (Ví dụ: start "C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe")
Advice
- One way to ensure you can open any program using Command Prompt is by installing all your programs in the Documents folder.
Warning
- If you do not have administrator access on your computer, you won’t be able to open Command Prompt or change the default path.
