# 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
|=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
|=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
|=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.