# Windows Run dialog

'define expected-reading 3 min
'define created 04 October 2021
'define edited 31 October 2021
[$pagenav]

:contents
:numbered
1. [url #opening-the-run-dialog Opening the Run dialog]

2. [url #commands Commands]
   .numbered
   1. [url #folders Folders]
   2. [url #programs Programs]
   3. [url #windows-settings Windows settings]

3. [url #for-more For more]



On Windows, most often you run an application by finding and double-clicking it's [`.exe`] file. What a lot of people don't realise is that you can launch any application or open any file you want by typing a single command. That can be achieved inside the [=Run dialog=].

## Opening the Run dialog

To open the Run dialog, you can either:

[*A)*] Press [`Win + R`] key combination

or

[*B)*] Right click on the Windows menu, and then press [`Run`]

[image ./img/open-run-windows-menu.png]

## Commands

[image ./img/run-dialog.png]

### Folders

You can open any folder by typing in it's [=full path=]. So, if you have a folder named [`Work`] inside your [`Documents`] folder, the full path will be something like [`C:\Users\John\Documents\Work\\`].

If your desired folder is directly in your account folder, so [`Desktop`], [`Documents`], [`Pictures`], etc. you can just type in the name of the folder. For example, if you want to open your [`Pictures`] folder, just type in [`pictures`] and it will be opened.

There are, of course, some more special location, some of which are:

.table_2
|= Command
|= Location
|: [`%ProgramFiles%`]
|: Program Files Folder
|: [`%AppData%`]
|: User's App Data Folder

[=Bonus=]: [`%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu`] will open the Start Menu folder, from which you can edit what goes inside your start menu.

### Programs

You can always run any application by typing in it's full path. So, to launch something like FireFox, you'll need to type in [`C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe`].

But, whats more important is that you can more easily launch some Windows apps, like Calculator or Control Panel. Here is a list of commands and the application they launch:

.table_2
|= Command
|= Application
|: [`calc`]
|: Calculator
|: [`mspaint`]
|: Microsoft Paint
|: [`snippingtool`]
|: Snipping Tool
|: [`notepad`]
|: Notepad
|: [`sndvol`]
|: Volume Mixer
|: [`soundrecroder`]
|: Sound Recorder
|: [`wuapp`]
|: Windows Updates
|: [`shutdown`]\*
|: Shutdown or restart computer
|:
|:
|: [`cmd`]
|: Command Prompt
|: [`powershell`]
|: Windows PowerShell
|: [`control`]
|: Control Panel
|: [`taskmgr`]
|: Task Manager
|: [`msinfo32`]
|: System Information
|: [`winver`]
|: Windows Version Window
|: [`cleanmgr`]
|: Disk Cleanup
|: [`dfrgui`]
|: Disk Cleanup (defragmentation)
|: [`mstsc`]
|: Remote Desktop Connection
|:
|:
|: [`regedit`]
|: Registry Editor
|: [`msconfig`]
|: System Configuration Settings
|: [`dcomcnfg`]
|: Component Services
|: [`sigverif`]
|: File Signature Verification Tool

\*: The [`shutdown`] command [url https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/shutdown requires parameters]:

.bulleted
- [`/s`] will shutdown in one minute
- [`/r`] will restart in one minute
- [`/t`] specifies after what amount of time to shutdown or restart (a number needs to be entered afterwards, so [`/t 0`] for immediate execution)
- [`/f`] forces running applications to close (might result in data loss!)

### Windows settings

There are also many "shortcuts" to different Windows settings windows. Those include:

.table_2
|= Command
|= Setting
|: [`mmsys.cpl`]
|: Sound Properties
|: [`powercfg.cpl`]
|: Power Options
|: [`timedate.cpl`]
|: Time and Date Options
|: [`ncpa.cpl`]
|: Network Connections
|:
|:
|: [`inetcpl.cpl`]
|: Internet Properties
|: [`compmgmt.msc`]
|: Computer Manager
|: [`devmgmt.msc`]
|: Device Manager
|: [`diskmgmt.msc`]
|: Disk Management
|: [`firewall.cpl`]
|: Windows Firewall
|:
|:
|: [`sysdm.cpl`]
|: System Properties
|: [`services.msc`]
|: Services
|: [`comexp.msc`]
|: Component Services
|: [`gpedit.msc`]
|: Group Policy Editor
|: [`lusrmgr.msc`]
|: Local Users and Groups
|: [`certmgr.msc`]
|: Certificate Manager
|: [`taskschd.msc`]
|: Task Scheduler
|: [`fsmgmt.msc`]
|: Shared Folders

[=Note=]: [`cpl`] stands for [*Control Panel Item*] and [`msc`] stands for [*Microsoft System Configuration*].

## For more

For more commands, check out [url https://windowsruncommands.com/ windowsruncommands.com]. They have a much bigger list of commands and shortcuts you can use.