Win + R (Run) Commands for Windows 10 that are useful to know

Most users are familiar with some of the commands Win + R (a combination of pressing the Windows emblem key and R on the keyboard) or the "Run" dialog box, but usually just a basic set of commonly used such commands. But there are quite a few more commands of this type, and you can use them not only if your system is fully operational, which can be very useful.

In this material are the most interesting Win+R commands for Windows 10 (they will also work for older versions of the system), which with great probability may be useful one day, and the first part of the instructions on how the commands of the Win+R can be applied. Run window outside the system desktop. You may also find it useful: Windows 10 hotkeys, Utilities built into the Windows system.

About the application of the execution commands.

In the articles on the topic of Win + R commands, you can see reasonable considerations on the subject: why do I need it? After all, in Windows 10 I can use taskbar search or other ways to run what I need: in the context menu of the Start button, in the control panel, or in other locations.

Yes, this is true, but there are equally reasonable arguments for using the Run commands:

1. Some items are faster to execute exactly through Win + Respecially in Windows 10. An example is the network connections window and it is not the only element of this type.
2. These commands can be executed even in case the system hangs. Suppose that all you see after system boot is a black screen with the mouse pointer, but the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + Del (or Ctrl + Shift + Esc) works to start Task Manager. Well: in the Task Manager (in the «detailed» view) we can choose the menu «File» - «Start a new task» and use any of the commands in question.
3. Individual commands. (those with an .exe extension, that is, they run the Windows system utilities) we can run and use outside of operating system. For example, if we boot from a Windows 10 bootable pendrive, press Shift + F10 (Shift + Fn + F10 on some laptops) a command line will open, the same command line can be opened in the recovery environment, and already there you can use some of the commands, for example, to launch the registry editor or system restore.

I hope I have managed to convince some of the readers, now let's jump right into the commands.

A list of Win + R commands for Windows 10 that is useful to know

Before you begin, please note: some of the commands have the extension .msc (computer console items), some have the extension .cpl (control panel items), and some have the extension .exe (system utilities built into Windows).

And a reminder: to open the Run dialog box, you have to hold down the Win key (with the Windows logo) and press the R key, and enter the command in the window that opens. The second easy way for Windows 10 is to right-click the Start button and select "Run" from the context menu.

Execution commands to run system utilities and some built-in programs

Let's start with the commands that allow you to quickly run the .exe utilities built into Windows 10 (they are also present in previous versions of the system), specifying an extension in the command is usually optional.

explorer.exe

At first glance, this command doesn't seem useful: it just launches the "Explorer" window, but that's on a properly functioning system. If you find yourself in a "black screen and mouse pointer" situation, the same command will likely work differently: launch the desktop, taskbar, and other familiar Windows items.

msconfig.exe

With msconfig we can run the System Configuration window, useful in many ways.

With this window, we can:

• Activate safe mode with different settings or perform a clean boot windows 10.
• Remove unnecessary operating systems from the boot menu.
• Run the Windows built-in diagnostic utilities on the Service tab.
• Change advanced boot parameters (Be careful here: changing the number of CPU cores, maximum memory and other parameters is not something the average user should experiment with. It has no benefit, it is likely to be harmful) .

control.exe

The command opens the Windows control panel - nothing special. But, with the same command we can also execute individual elements of the control panel, for example

msinfo32.exe

Using the command msinfo32 the system information window will open.

In the window, you can get information about the hardware and software components of your computer: find out the motherboard model, the MAC address, the amount of RAM, the number of processor cores, the version of Windows 10 and the bits.

cleanmgr.exe

The command launches the Windows built-in "Disk Cleanup" utility, designed to remove unnecessary temporary files and, after clicking "Clean up system files", unused system files, which can be gigabytes in size. .

There is also a way to run the utility with additional features, on top of it: Windows Disk Cleanup in advanced mode.

mstsc.exe

Win + R - mstsc.exe It starts the "Connect to Remote Desktop" window, the purpose of which, I suppose, is clear from the name.

For more details on the type of remote desktop, see How to use Microsoft Remote Desktop (RDP).

sdclt.exe

The command opens Windows 10 backup and recovery options with the ability to create a system recovery disc, configure file history, create a system backup.

mmc.exe

mmc.exe Launches the Management Console (MMC), a tool for running Microsoft and third-party add-ins designed primarily for system administrators to manage and monitor the health and hardware and software components of a system.

resmon.exe.

Using the command resmon.exe. You can open the built-in 'Resource Monitor' utility, which can be useful for analyzing system performance and resource consumption. More information: Using the Windows Resource Monitor.

regedit.exe.

One of the most mentioned commands, regedit.exe., launches the Windows Registry Editor, which can be used to adjust system behavior in a number of ways: most tweakers and optimization utilities for the operating system involve changes to the system registry for most functions. Here is a quick tutorial on how to use the Registry Editor.

perfmon.exe

perfmon.exe Opens the System Monitor utility with tools to monitor system performance. It also implements a system stability monitor.

mrt.exe

This command launches the built-in "Microsoft Windows Malware Removal Tool", which many people don't know you have on your system (not to be confused with Windows Defender).

The utility is updated monthly and can serve as a basic detection tool when threats are suspected on a computer. However, third-party malware removal tools can be more effective.

And some more commands from the same section that can also be requested:

• winver.exe - A window with information about the version, revision and compilation of the installed Windows.
• calc.exe - run the built-in calculator.
• charmap.exe - running the character table utility.
• osk.exe. - running the on-screen keyboard.
• taskmgr.exe - to open the Windows Task Manager.
• dxdiag.exe - A DirectX diagnostic utility that displays information about the system, parameters, and capabilities of your computer's graphics and audio components.
• shutdown.exe - to shutdown, restart and other tasks, for example, the command off / o / r / t 0 Reboot into the recovery environment. It is used with parameters. You can read about one of the application options in the article Computer shutdown timer.

Commands for launching control panel and control console items

The following set of commands allows you to quickly launch the items available in the control panel, as well as individual controls, such as the "device manager" or the "local group policy editor".

1. compmgmt.msc. - This command will open a window that contains the elements (system utilities) for managing the computer. You can run them all individually, but for some people this may be more convenient.
2. devmgmt. msc. - Device administrator.
3. diskmgmt.msc - Windows disk management. It can be used to partition disks and for other disk management purposes.
4. eventvwr. msc. - Windows event viewer. It allows to analyze the behavior of the system in case of failures, the causes of the errors.
5. services.msc - The services.msc command opens the "Services" window, where you can see the current status of Windows services, start or stop them, and change their startup type. Unfortunately, in the latest versions of Windows 10 changing the parameters of a number of system services in the specified interface is no longer available.
6. gpedit.msc - Local group policy editor. It is not available in Windows 10 Home.
7. ncpa.cpl - A list of Windows network connections with the ability to view their status and settings. It helps if your Windows 10 internet connection is down and many other situations.
8. appwiz. cpl. - Software installation and removal interface.
9. lusrmgr.msc - Management of local users and groups.
10. powercfg.cpl - Configuration of the power of your laptop or PC.
11. firewall.cpl - Windows firewall configuration.
12. sysdm.cpl - System configuration window, with options to configure the swap file, restore points (system protection), performance settings and environment variables.
13. mmsys.cpl. - Windows recording and playback devices.
14. taskschd.msc. - Windows 10 Task Scheduler.

Commands to quickly open Windows 10 system folders

Using the Run dialog box, you can quickly open some commonly used operating system folders. The commands are enclosed in quotation marks, but it is not necessary to enter them, for example, in the second command you only enter a period:

1. Open the root of the system drive (C :) - ««
2. Open current user's folder (C: Username) - «.«
3. Open the folder «Users» - «..«
4. Open the temporary files folder - «% temp%.«
5. Open the AppDataRoaming folder of the current user - «% appdata%.«
6. Open the AppDataLocal folder of the current user - «% localappdata%.«
7. Open the folder C: NWindows - «% systemroot%«
8. Open the folder C: NProgramaData - «% program data%.«

All the commands described in this article are fairly standard, but they can help you quickly open frequently needed items. The list does not include all the available commands, but only those that are most likely to be required by a novice user, and that also work equally in both Windows 10 and earlier versions of the system.

Surely you will also have something to add to the list, I will be happy to comment on it.