How to open the Command Prompt in Windows 11

The Command Prompt, or CMD, is a powerful tool in Windows that allows you to control the system using text commands. Although many tasks are now performed through the graphical interface, sometimes the command prompt offers the fastest and most direct way to solve a problem or perform a specific setting.

“Windows Update Center”

In this article, we will look at the simplest and most common methods for launching the Command Prompt. You will quickly find the one that seems most convenient to you and will be able to easily apply it in the future.

1. Open the command prompt in Windows Terminal.

Windows Terminal — is a powerful and effective application. Among other things, it helps you quickly access the Command Prompt, Windows PowerShell, WSL, and other tools that can be opened in a single window but in separate tabs.

When you launch Windows Terminal, it opens the PowerShell tab by default. You can open the command prompt in a new tab or change the settings so that the command prompt opens every time you launch Windows Terminal. Let's see how to do both.

More info: Installing a virtual machine in Windows 11

1. To launch the app, press the WINDOWS logo key to open the menu “Start”, start typing on the keyboard “Windows Terminal”, then click on the corresponding result in the search window. You just installed the long-awaited Windows 11 update, restarted your computer in anticipation, and instead of the welcome screen, you saw a black screen, an error, or endless loading. Sound familiar? You are not alone. This problem happens quite often and can cause panic, especially if you have important files left on your computer. to open Windows Terminal with administrator privileges, right-click on the Windows Terminal search result and select Select a category in the context menu.

1. In the Windows Terminal window, click the down arrow and select from the drop-down menu “Command Prompt”. You can also use the CTRL SHIFT 2 key combination to open the command line in a new tab.

Set the command line in the Windows terminal by default

1. To set the command line as the default profile in Windows Terminal, click the down arrow and select “Settings”. You can also press CTRL to launch the terminal settings.

1. On the tab “Startup” in the Windows Terminal settings, which opens by default, click on the drop-down menu in the section “Default profile”.
2. Then select “Command line”.

1. Click “Save” in the lower right corner to launch the default command line in the terminal.

From now on, the command line will open when you launch Windows Terminal.

Opening the command prompt in Windows 11 is easy — just press the Start button, type “Command Prompt” in the search box, and select it from the results. You can also press the Win + X key combination or right-click on the Start icon and select the desired item from the menu that opens. If you need to run the command with administrator privileges, select “Run as administrator.” This is a universal tool for quickly executing system commands and configuring your computer.

How to always open the command line as an administrator in Windows Terminal

To always run the command line as an administrator using the Windows terminal, follow these steps:

1. Open Windows Terminal.

2. Click the menu button next to the new tab option and select “Settings”.

3. In the section “Profiles” click “Command Line”.

4. Turn on the switch for “Run this profile as an administrator”, to automatically launch the command prompt with elevated privileges.

5. Press the button. The task must be confirmed in a pop-up window, and it is not possible to cancel this action immediately. Unfortunately, as of today, Telegram does not have tools for faster mass deletion of subscribers, so you will have to repeat the above steps for each individual user..

After completing these steps, close the terminal, and when you reopen the command prompt, the console will open as an administrator.

2. Open the command prompt from the Start menu.

Another easy way to open the command prompt is from the Start menu.

1. To open the command prompt from the Start menu, press the WINDOWS key or click the Start icon on the taskbar. Then start typing on the keyboard Command prompt.

1. Click on the corresponding result to open the command line.

1. As in the previous case, to get rid of a member by blocking them, open the community in the app, tap on its name at the top of the screen, and use the “Command Line” and select “Run as administrator”.

How to pin the command prompt to the Start menu

To pin the command prompt to the Start menu, press WINDOWSS, enter Command Prompt, right-click “Search results” and select “Pin to Start Screen” or “Pin to taskbar”(see the image above).

“Channel”

To launch the command prompt from the Run window, press WINDOWS R to open it, type ‘cmd’ in the text field, and then press “OK” to open the “Command Prompt”.

4. Open the command prompt using the shortcut on the desktop.

If you often need to access the command line to perform various tasks, it makes sense to add a shortcut to your desktop.

1. To add a shortcut for the command prompt to the desktop, right-click any empty part of the desktop, in the context menu “New Item” and select “Shortcut” from the list of options.

1. In the window “Create shortcut” enter “cmd” in the text field under “Object location” and click the button ‘Next’.

1. Then enter the desired name for the shortcut in the section provided and click the button “Finish”.

To open the command prompt using a shortcut on the desktop, right-click on it and select ‘Open’ or to run with elevated privileges “Run as administrator”.

5. Open the command line from Explorer.

Windows 11 also allows you to open the command prompt using the address bar in File Explorer or go to the location where the Command Prompt executable file is located and run the application.

Using the address bar

To open the command prompt from Explorer, enter “cmd” in “address bar” explorer and press ENTER.

From file location

1. In Explorer, enter the following path in the address bar and press ENTER.

1. In the System32 folder, find the cmd.exe executable file and double-click on it to start the command prompt.

1. To open the command prompt with administrator privileges, right-click on the file and select from the context menu “Show more options”.

1. In the next menu, select “Run as administrator”.

6. Open Command Prompt from Task Manager.

You can also open the Command Prompt using Task Manager by creating a new task.

1. Open “Task Manager”

1. In the Task Manager window, select the menu “File” in the upper left corner and press “Run a new task”.

1. Now, in the text box next to “Open” enter “cmd” and press “OK”. If you want to open the command prompt with elevated privileges, check the box “Create this task with administrator privileges”.

7. Open the command prompt from the Windows recovery environment.

If your system won't boot, you can run Command Prompt from Windows RE (Recovery Environment).

1. You will need to simulate a Windows 11 crash. To do this, turn on your computer and wait for Windows to start booting up. Once this happens, press and hold the power button to turn off the computer. You will need to repeat this three times, and when you turn on the system for the fourth time, it will go into automatic recovery mode.

Windows will run diagnostics and attempt to fix the problems.

1. Now click“Advanced options”, to enterWindow RE.

1. Then, from the options presented on the screen, select“Troubleshooting”.

1. In the additional settings, selectCommand line.

As you can see, there are quite a few ways to launch the Command Prompt in Windows 11. You don't have to remember them all — just choose one or two that seem most convenient to you.

The main thing is that now you know where to find this useful tool. Don't be afraid to use it, because many tasks can be solved much faster in the command line than through the graphical interface.

If you are just getting started with the console, simply enter the commands carefully and attentively. Over time, you will get used to this powerful tool and be able to use it effectively.