Did you know you can view detailed system specs by entering msinfo32 into the search bar? Windows supports hundreds of useful Run commands like this. For instance, if your PC feels slow, you’ll want to uninstall some programs and run the Disk Cleanup Wizard. Or you may want to periodically update your Device Drivers. Or maybe you need to access a page nested deep in the Control Panel. There’s a run command for these and most other Windows tasks.
The Basics
Press Windows + R to launch the Run dialog box. Or, press Win + X and select the Run option there. Then, enter the commands in the Run prompt to try them out. Note: For most commands, entering them directly into the search box works too.
Command
Action
msinfo32
Open the System Information applet
ncpa.cpl
Open the Network Connections page
cmd
Launch Command Prompt
powershell
Launch PowerShell
msconfig
Launch the System Config utility
appwiz.cpl
Open the Programs and Features page
devmgmt.msc
Launch the Device Manager utility
diskmgmt.msc
Launch the Disk Management utility
sysdm.cpl
Configure System Properties
control
Launch the Control Panel
services.msc
Launch the Services Management Console
regedit
Launch the Registry Editor
notepad
Launch Notepad
osk
Bring up the On-Screen Keyboard
%temp%
Access the temp folder in the File Explorer
Run as Admin: After typing the command, you can press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to execute it with admin privileges. This is useful for launching programs like cmd or MS Word as an administrator.
Get System Info
Command
Action
msinfo32
Open System Info
dxdiag
Open the DirectX Diagnostic tool
winver
Display the full Windows build and version
When my laptop starts lagging, I use the Task Manager to check if any program is hogging the CPU/RAM. Monitoring the GPU temperature has also helped me fix crashes on more than one occasion. Use these commands to monitor your system in real-time or to record data:
Command
Action
taskmgr
Open the Task Manager
perfmon
Open the Performance Monitor
resmon
Open the Resource Monitor
Open Locations in File Explorer
Command
Action
.
Open the user’s home folder
..
Open the C:\Users folder
%temp%
Open the Temp folder
%appdata%
Open the AppData\Roaming folder
%programdata%
Open the ProgramData folder
%systemdrive%
Open the drive where Windows is installed (C: by default)
%windir%
Open the Windows folder
%programfiles%
Open the ProgramFiles folder
%userprofile%
Open the User profile folder
shell:personal
Open the Documents folder
shell:downloads
Open the Downloads folder
shell:history
Open the Recent items page
shell:system
Open the System32 folder
Open any Drive: Enter C: at the Run prompt to open the C: drive in Windows Explorer. Similarly, you can access any other partition by using another drive letter (D:, E:, F:, etc).
Launch Windows Apps
Command
Action
cmd
Open a Command Prompt window
powershell
Open a PowerShell window
calc
Launch the calculator
explorer
Launch the File Explorer
mspaint
Launch Microsoft Paint
notepad
Launch Notepad
wordpad
Launch WordPad
Note: Normally, the Win + E keyboard shortcut is a better way to open the File Explorer. But it may not work if your desktop has crashed. In that case, the explorer run command can launch a new explorer instance.
Launch Third-Party Programs
Command
Action
winword
Launch Microsoft Word
winword /safe
Launch MS Word in safe mode
excel
Launch MS Excel
chrome
Launch Google Chrome
firefox
Launch Mozilla Firefox
opera
Launch the Opera browser
acrobat
Launch Adobe Acrobat
photoshop
Launch Adobe Photoshop
Navigate the Control Panel
Command
Action
control
Open the Control Panel
control admintools
Open the Windows Admin Tools page
appwiz.cpl
Open the Programs and Features page
mmsys.cpl
Configure Sound Device settings
desk.cpl
Configure Display settings
control mouse
Configure Mouse settings
control keyboard
Configure Keyboard settings
control printers
Open the Bluetooth & Devices page (which includes Printer settings)
joy.cpl
Configure installed Game Controllers
timedate.cpl
Configure Date and Time settings
control folders
Configure File Explorer settings
computerdefaults
Configure Default Apps
wscui.cpl
Configure Security and Maintenance settings
powercfg.cpl
Configure Power Options
control access.cpl
Configure Ease of Access settings
utilman
Configure Accessibility settings
sdclt
Set up Windows Backup
filehistory
Configure File History for backups
control.exe /name microsoft.troubleshooting
Access the built-in troubleshooters
Access System Management Tools
Command
Action
diskmgmt.msc
Open the Disk Management console
devmgmt.msc
Open the Device Manager console
diskpart
Launch the DiskPart utility
services.msc
Manage Windows services (run, stop, change startup behavior)
regedit
Open the Registry editor
lusrmgr.msc
Manage users and groups (accounts and passwords)
netplwiz
Alternative way to manage user accounts
control.exe /name Microsoft.UserAccounts
Change account settings for the logged-in user
sysdm.cpl
Configure System Properties
systempropertiesperformance
Directly open the Performance options page
tpm.msc
View and manage the TPM status
compmgmt.msc
Open the Computer management console
taskschd.msc
Open the Task Scheduler
eventvwr.msc
Open the Event Viewer
gpedit.msc
Manage group policy settings
secpol.msc
Manage security policy settings
dfrgui
Optimize disks via defragmentation
cleanmgr
Open the Disk Cleanup wizard.
optionalfeatures
Turn optional Windows features on or off (Hyper-V for virtualization, Windows Subsystem for Linux, etc)
rstrui
Use System Restore to roll back your PC
systemreset
Access the Windows Reset feature
Troubleshooting Tip: I use the Memory Diagnostic tool (mdsched) and Driver Verifier tool (verifier) to troubleshoot memory and driver errors. If you ever encounter startup or crashing problems on your PC, give these run commands a shot.
Change Display Settings
Command
Action
desk.cpl
Configure display settings like the resolution and refresh rate
control color
Configure the background, theme, lock screen, and similar options
colorcpl
Manage color profiles for your monitors
cttune
Improve readability with Clear Type Text Tuner
Network Commands
Command
Action
ncpa.cpl
Open the Network Connections page
mstsc
Launch the Remote desktop connection wizard
firewall.cpl
Change Windows Defender firewall settings
wf.msc
Change advanced firewall settings
Want More?
Command
Action
fonts
View installed fonts and manage font settings
fsquirt
Launch the Bluetooth File Transfer wizard
psr
Launch the Steps Recorder
charmap
Access all characters in the Character Map
eudcedit
Create custom characters and fonts
credwiz
Backup or restore credentials
intl.cpl
Manage date and time formats
narrator
Customize narrator (screen reader) settings
useraccountcontrolsettings
Set the UAC notification level
devicepairingwizard
Add a printer or device to your PC
magnify
Launch the Magnify tool
snippingtool
Launch the snipping tool (screenshots)
logoff
Sign out of your account (the logoff will begin as soon as you press enter)
shutdown /r
Restart your PC
shutdown /s /t 00
Power off your PC immediately
Note: for some run commands like explorer, taskmgr, magnify, snippingtool, etc., keyboard shortcuts are a better alternative. Instead of opening Run and typing out an entire command, simply pressing Win + E or Ctrl + Shift + Esc is much easier/faster.
