10 Ways to Open the Command Prompt in Windows 10

Key Takeaways

  • The Command Prompt is a valuable tool that offers unique features and keyboard shortcuts that can improve efficiency.
  • There are multiple ways to open the Command Prompt, such as using the Windows+X Power Users menu or searching for it in the Start menu.
  • Users can also open the Command Prompt from Task Manager, File Explorer, the Run box, or by creating a shortcut on the desktop.


The Command Prompt has been around forever, and 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.

The Command Prompt is a pretty useful tool. It allows you to do some things quicker than you can do them in the graphic interface and offers some tools that you just can’t find in the graphic interface at all. And in true keyboard-ninja spirit, the Command Prompt also supports all kinds of clever keyboard shortcuts that make it even more powerful. While it’s easy to just open the Command Prompt from the Start menu, that’s not the only way to do it. So, let’s take a look at the rest.

This article is based on Windows 10, but the majority of these methods should work in other versions of Windows, too.


Open Command Prompt from Windows+X Power Users Menu

Press Windows+X to open the Power Users menu, and then click “Command Prompt” or “Command Prompt (Admin).”

Hit Windows+X, then click "Command Prompt" or "Command Prompt(Admin)."

Open a Command Prompt from Task Manager

Open Task Manager with more details. Open the “File” menu and then choose “Run New Task.” Type cmd or cmd.exe , and then click “OK” to open up a regular Command Prompt. You can also check the “Create this task with administrative privileges” to open Command Prompt as administrator.

Open the Task Manager, go to File > Run New Task, type "cmd" into the bar, then click "OK."

Open a Command Prompt in Admin Mode from Task Manager the Secret Easy Way

To quickly open a command prompt with administrative privileges from Task Manager, open the “File” menu and then hold the CTRL key while clicking “Run New Task.” This will immediately open Command Prompt with administrative privileges — no need to type anything.

Go to File, then click "Run New Task" while holding the Ctrl key to open an elevated Command Prompt.

You can easily open the Command Prompt by clicking Start and then typing “cmd” into the search box. Alternatively, click/tap on the microphone icon in Cortana’s search field and say “Launch Command Prompt.”

To open Command Prompt with administrative privileges, right-click the result and then click “Run as Administrator.” You could also highlight the result with the arrow keys and then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter.

Type "cmd " into the Start Menu search bar. Right-click and hit "Run as Administrator" if you need admin privileges.

Click Start. Scroll down and expand the “Windows System” folder. Click “Command Prompt.” To open with administrative privileges, right-click Command Prompt and choose “Run as administrator.”

Open the Start Menu, scroll down to the folder named "Windows System," then click "Command Prompt."

Open Command Prompt from File Explorer

Open File Explorer, and then navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 folder. Double-click the “cmd.exe” file or right-click the file and choose “Run as administrator.” You can also create a shortcut to this file and store the shortcut anywhere you like.

Navigate to C:\Windows\system32 and double-click the Command Prompt executable("cmd.exe"). Right-click and click "Run as Administrator" to launch an elevated Command Prompt.

Open Command Prompt from the Run Box

Press Windows+R to open “Run” box. Type “cmd” and then click “OK” to open a regular Command Prompt. Type “cmd” and then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open an administrator Command Prompt.

Press Windows+R to open a Run box. Type "cmd" into the run bar, then hit Enter or click "OK."

Open Command Prompt from the File Explorer Address Bar

In File Explorer, click the address bar to select it (or press Alt+D). Type “cmd” into the address bar and hit Enter to open the Command Prompt with the path of the current folder already set.

Type "cmd" into the address bar in File Explorer to launch a Command Prompt with the path set to that folder.

Open Command Prompt Here from the File Explorer File Menu

In File Explorer, navigate to any folder you want to open at the Command Prompt. From the “File” menu, select one of the following 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.

In File Explorer, click "File," then click "Open Command Prompt" or "Open Command Prompt as Administrator."

Open Command Prompt from a Folder’s Context Menu in File Explorer

To open a Command Prompt window to any folder, Shift+right-click the folder in File Explorer and then choose “Open command window here.”

While in File Explorer, hold Shift and right-click a folder, then click "Open Command Window Here."

Create a Shortcut for Command Prompt on the Desktop

Right-click an empty spot on the Desktop. From the context menu, select New > Shortcut.

Right-click empty space on your desktop, hover over "New," then click "Shortcut."

Type “cmd.exe” into the box and then click “Next.”

You don’t need to specify the full path for cmd.exe because the system32 folder is on the System PATH.

Enter "cmd.exe" for the location of the item.

Give the shortcut a name and then click “Finish.”

Name the shortcut something reasonable, then click "Finish."

You can now double-click the shortcut to open Command Prompt. If you want to open the Command Prompt with administrative privileges instead, right-click the shortcut and choose “Properties” from the context menu. Click the “Advanced” button and check the “Run as administrator” option. Close both open properties windows

Right-click the shortcut, then click "Properties." Select the "Advanced" button, then tick the box that says "Run as Administrator" to make the Command Prompt launch as administrator.

Now you just have to double-click the shortcut to open Command Prompt as an administrator.

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