The Windows 7 OS interface, as we know it, as a rule, does not cause serious problems for users in using it. At first glance, everything in it is worked out to the smallest detail and allows you to easily achieve any set goals. But, despite this, there are still specific tasks that in the Windows environment can only be performed using the seemingly archaic, but still relevant, command line. It is a text console for entering commands that initiate the start or stop of any processes in the system, etc. In this topic, we will look at how to open the command line in Windows 7 in the fastest and most accessible ways.
Method two. Open the console using the “Start” menu and selecting “Standard programs” from the list
In order to use this method, you need to click on the “Start” button, usually located in the lower left corner of the monitor. After that, click on the “All programs” link:
In the drop-down list of programs, you need to find the “Standard” folder, click on it and select the “Command Line” program in this folder:
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 Windows key combination and X. The 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:
- Settings system utility through the same menu and go to the “ Personalization ” section.
- Select “ Taskbar ” from the list of subsections. On the right, next to the command “ Replace the command line with PowerShell... ”, move the slider to the “ Off ” position.
This is interesting: How to speed up Windows 10 startup
Method four. Open the console by finding the program file in Explorer
It’s far from the most convenient way, but who knows, maybe there are fans of finding files in Explorer and opening them exactly where they are located in the file system. To do this, we will need to open Explorer and know the location of the command line program file.
The cmd.exe program is located in the C:\Windows\system32 directory - once you find it, you can open it by double-clicking:
All the ways to open the command line - why so many?
I was prompted to write this note about all the ways to open the command line by your questions in the note about the missing msvcr100.dll file, where in the last paragraph we looked at a way to fix the problem through the command line.
Of course, modern systems are quite simply controlled with the mouse and we rarely use entering various commands, but sometimes you need to do something specific and often this is done by simply entering a command into the terminal, and today we will look at how to launch it (all the options known to me ). We will call the line on behalf of the Administrator and with a limited account.
Open a command prompt window from the Win + X menu
This is probably the easiest way to open the command line on Windows 10 - press the “Win + X” combination on the keyboard and select the desired item in the menu that appears.
The convenience of this method is that you can select several command line operating modes at once - these are:
- Command line - normal, with limited rights;
- Command Prompt (Administrator) - with unlimited rights (be careful)
There are a lot of interesting things in this menu and I recommend that you familiarize yourself with it in detail; sometimes it helps a lot and saves time.
Open a command prompt window from the Task Manager
Open Task Manager and go to detailed mode (Click more details). Click "File" in the top left corner and then go to "Run New Task." Type CMD or cmd.exe and click OK to open a command prompt. In addition, you can check the box that will launch the command line with Administrator rights.
Command Prompt in Administrator Mode Using Task Manager - The Secret Method
Here, almost everything is the same as in the previous paragraph, to launch the command line as an administrator - just hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard while clicking File > Create a new task, thereby you will open the command line with administrator rights (no need to enter any commands)
Open Command Prompt from Search Results
You can easily open a command prompt window by simply typing “CMD” in the search field ( Win + S on your keyboard). Perhaps when Cortana is brought to Russia, we will be able to command the computer with our voice, but for now we will do without it...
To launch the terminal this way with administrator rights, enter CMD in the search field and right-click and select “Run as administrator.” Alternatively, to avoid touching the mouse at all, use the arrow keys to select Command Prompt and press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open a Command Prompt window in administrator mode.
Launch Command Prompt from all applications in the Start menu
Open the Start menu by clicking on the Windows icon in the lower left corner. Go to all applications and find “System - Windows” there, and then click on “Command Prompt”
Open the command line from Explorer
You can also open the Command Prompt through Windows Explorer - just go to C:\Windows\System32 and find the cmd.exe file there. You can either double-click, or by right-clicking, select “Run as administrator” - it all depends on you and what rights you want to run the terminal with.
Command line from the Run menu
Press the " Win + R " buttons on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. Type CMD and press OK (or Enter on your keyboard).
Open Command Prompt from Explorer's address bar
Open Windows Explorer and click on the address bar (or press ALT + D on your keyboard). Just enter CMD in the address bar and thereby you will launch a command line indicating the path of the current folder (where you were at the time you called the terminal)
Command line from the File menu in Explorer
Open standard Windows Explorer, go to the folder or drive that will be selected as the starting one in the command line. Click "File" on the ribbon and select "Open Command Prompt." Here you have two launch options:
- Open command line - opens a command line in the folder of our choice with standard permissions;
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator - opens a command prompt window in the folder of our choice with administrator rights.
Open a command window in Windows Explorer
To open a command line window in any folder or drive you need, just go there through standard Explorer. Right-click on the folder or any empty space on the right side of Windows Explorer while holding down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, and select “Open Command Window” from the context menu. The terminal will launch indicating the path to the folder in which we were located.
Context menu
Everyone knows how to open the context menu. To do this, just right-click on the file or folder. But not everyone knows that the context menu has hidden functions. In order to see all the available functions of the context menu, you need to hold down the Shift key before calling it.
So, in order to open the command line using the context menu, you need to hold down the Shift key and right-click on any folder or drive. After this, you need to select the “Open command window” function.
This method of calling the command line is also convenient because in this case the command line will start working from the folder or drive you selected.
General search
Another option to open the command prompt on a computer running Windows 7 is to use the search option in all directories and files stored on the hard drive. To enable the console, the user should:
- Open the "Computer" menu and click on the search bar - this time it is located at the top right of the "Explorer" window.
- Enter cmd prompt. exe without abbreviating it to cmd (otherwise you will have to filter out too many false results), and wait while the system search is in progress.
- Upon completion, double-click with the left mouse button on the result that best matches the request, and begin entering and applying commands.
Tip: It is not necessary to wait until Windows 7 completes the search if the console file is already displayed in the list of found ones. To interrupt further search for matches, just click on the red oblique cross to the right of the “Search results” line.
Directly launch the executable file “cmd” in the Windows 7 system folders
The last of the methods discussed is not the most convenient, but it is clearly better than the previous one and helps to launch the console if standard methods of activating it do not allow this (system errors or malware have blocked it). To directly activate the console you must:
- Go to Explorer.
- Select your system drive.
- Enter the “Windows” folder and the “System32” subfolder.
- Find the cmd.exe file there. This can be done manually or using the built-in search.
Important! This method is not recommended for beginners and other users. It justifies itself only in cases where the utility does not start in the usual way (it could have disappeared). The reason is that during the search process, important system files can be deleted or changed, and the OS will crash.
You can also log in through Explorer
Now it’s clear how to open the console in Windows 7 as an administrator. You need this utility regardless of whether a person works with a PC professionally or is just an amateur. It is worth remembering that when calling CMD with administrator rights, you may be required to enter the account password.
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 “ Short call ” field and press any 2-3 keys together.
After saving the setting, the command line will open using this combination.
Creating a shortcut (first option)
If the need to launch the command line arises regularly, it would be logical to create a shortcut on the desktop for quick access to the utility. The user will have to:
- Right-click on any free space on the desktop and go to the “Create” sublist.
- Select the "Shortcut" option.
- In the new window, click on the “Browse” button.
- Expand the "Computer" menu.
- And follow the algorithm described in the first section to reach the cmd file. exe . Select it with the left mouse button and click “OK”.
- As soon as the full path where the executable file is located appears in the address bar of the shortcut creation window, click “Next”.
- And if you wish, you can set a name for the shortcut - this does not affect the performance in any way.
- As a result, a shortcut will appear on the desktop that allows you to launch the command line by double-clicking the left mouse button.
Important: launching the utility as an administrator in this case is carried out in the same way as described earlier - just call the context menu for the shortcut and select the desired option.
