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> Typing “cmd” (or “PowerShell”) in File Explorer’s address bar will remain a quick way to launch the command shell at that location. Where the hell is this st

> Typing “cmd” (or “PowerShell”) in File Explorer’s address bar will remain a quick way to launch the command shell at that location. Where the hell is this stuff documented?!

gpvos 10y ago
I learnt it from colleagues. Maybe it was mentioned on a blog somewhere. It's the Microsoft way!
eptgrant 10y ago
This has just changed my life. I thought right click -> Open Command Window Here was the only way. (Sometimes need to hold shift? Maybe just in user directories)
- ygra 10y ago
  It's also in the File menu.
  - nikbackm 10y ago
    Not on Windows 7 here, but Windows 8 has it at least.
    - ygra 10y ago
      Well, I was kinda counting on a discussion about a change in Windows 10 to have that implicit context.
- emmanueloga_ 10y ago
  On a related note, I recently discovered WoX [1] and I'm pretty happy with it. I think it is an even more convenient launcher: Alt+Space from anywhere, type cmd, ENTER. With a couple plugins you can type things like "win <TAB>" to select from a list of open windows, "g search-term" to google a term, etc. 1: https://github.com/Wox-launcher/Wox https://github.com/Wox-launcher/Wox
  - NetStrikeForce 10y ago
    The plugins part I understand, but Alt+Space, type cmd, ENTER wouldn't be the same as "windows key, type cmd, ENTER" that's been available for a few years baked in the OS?
    - ptx 10y ago
      ...or Win+R, "cmd", enter – which has been there for more than 20 years.
      - emmanueloga_ 10y ago
        Because Win+R doesn't autocomplete the command, other than the history of things you already run. WoX will pickup and do fuzzy completion on all programs of the start menu, for instance.
ankka 10y ago
This is one of the biggest problems with Windows, Visual Studio, Office and other larger (enormous) software Microsoft makes: an insane amount of features but documentation is nonexistent or hard to find. The software itself is quite powerful and feature-rich, but finding the right tools from the menus, hidden hotkeys etc is difficult or impossible.
- pjmlp 10y ago
  Still way better documented than most FOSS software that isn't an copy of any century old UNIX utility. Just like on any many FOSS projects one gets the actual valuable documentation by buying books.
  - Longhanks 10y ago
    Well, with FOSS projects, you can at least have a look at the source. Won't replace proper documentation, but that's still better than "reverse engineering" binary tools.
    - cptskippy 10y ago
      Which is not really an option for your average joe.
ygra 10y ago
Not much actually documented these days about the UI, considering probably that the vast majority of users never read or even opened the online help. In any case, this has been working since forever. The address bar effectively was a Start ▸ Run with the current folder as working directory (if possible) when it was introduced. They have been careful not to break that.
omgtehlion 10y ago
Dunno, but been using this for years. Works not only for cmd, but also for any other executable on %PATH%
pidg 10y ago
I still haven't forgiven them for changing what <Backspace> does in File Explorer (used to go up one level, now goes 'back' in the history). Even though that was undocumented.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- nix0n 10y ago
  Hopefully you have discovered Alt+<Up Arrow>
  - pidg 10y ago
    I have now! :D
rikkus 10y ago
Here [1] I have my own question though: Any idea how to give keyboard focus to the 'address bar' in file explorer, like Ctrl-L does in browsers? [1] http://www.howtogeek.com/235101/10-ways-to-open-the-command-prompt-in-windows-10/ http://www.howtogeek.com/235101/10-ways-to-open-the-command-...
- ygra 10y ago
  Alt+D (only on English UI languages), or Ctrl+L. Works for me at least.
  - Too 10y ago
    Alt+d works in all browsers also :)
    - nitrogen 10y ago
      I know this is a bit late, but F6 is another option.
WorldMaker 10y ago
Maybe it's not that well documented because it is kind of an oddball use of other features? From what I can tell: To be as useful as it can be the File Explorer does everything it can to resolve a path. This seems to include an eventual last ditch fallback to shell create process, for whatever reason. (Maybe leftover from the proliferation era of pseudo-folders that were separate processes or when the address bar was reused as a taskbar search bar in 9x? Sounds like a good topic for the oldnewthing blog, I'd imagine.) Because the new process inherits the current working directory from the File Explorer window that launched it, you wind up where you expect to. You can use any command in your path, too, beyond just cmd or PowerShell. For instance, I just did gVim and VS Code for fun. (The interesting part here is that I have a Code.lnk file on my desktop apparently so had to over-specify VS Code's command name to get that to work: `code.cmd`. I also had to remember to add the `code.cmd .` to get it to actually open that folder in a new window.)

> Typing “cmd” (or “PowerShell”) in File Explorer’s address bar will remain a quick way to launch the command shell at that location. Where the hell is this stuff documented?!

gpvos 10y ago

I learnt it from colleagues. Maybe it was mentioned on a blog somewhere. It's the Microsoft way!

eptgrant 10y ago

This has just changed my life. I thought right click -> Open Command Window Here was the only way. (Sometimes need to hold shift? Maybe just in user directories)

ygra 10y ago
It's also in the File menu.
- nikbackm 10y ago
  Not on Windows 7 here, but Windows 8 has it at least.
  - ygra 10y ago
    Well, I was kinda counting on a discussion about a change in Windows 10 to have that implicit context.
emmanueloga_ 10y ago
On a related note, I recently discovered WoX [1] and I'm pretty happy with it. I think it is an even more convenient launcher: Alt+Space from anywhere, type cmd, ENTER. With a couple plugins you can type things like "win <TAB>" to select from a list of open windows, "g search-term" to google a term, etc. 1: https://github.com/Wox-launcher/Wox https://github.com/Wox-launcher/Wox
- NetStrikeForce 10y ago
  The plugins part I understand, but Alt+Space, type cmd, ENTER wouldn't be the same as "windows key, type cmd, ENTER" that's been available for a few years baked in the OS?
  - ptx 10y ago
    ...or Win+R, "cmd", enter – which has been there for more than 20 years.
    - emmanueloga_ 10y ago
      Because Win+R doesn't autocomplete the command, other than the history of things you already run. WoX will pickup and do fuzzy completion on all programs of the start menu, for instance.

ankka 10y ago

This is one of the biggest problems with Windows, Visual Studio, Office and other larger (enormous) software Microsoft makes: an insane amount of features but documentation is nonexistent or hard to find. The software itself is quite powerful and feature-rich, but finding the right tools from the menus, hidden hotkeys etc is difficult or impossible.

pjmlp 10y ago
Still way better documented than most FOSS software that isn't an copy of any century old UNIX utility. Just like on any many FOSS projects one gets the actual valuable documentation by buying books.
- Longhanks 10y ago
  Well, with FOSS projects, you can at least have a look at the source. Won't replace proper documentation, but that's still better than "reverse engineering" binary tools.
  - cptskippy 10y ago
    Which is not really an option for your average joe.

ygra 10y ago

Not much actually documented these days about the UI, considering probably that the vast majority of users never read or even opened the online help. In any case, this has been working since forever. The address bar effectively was a Start ▸ Run with the current folder as working directory (if possible) when it was introduced. They have been careful not to break that.

omgtehlion 10y ago

Dunno, but been using this for years. Works not only for cmd, but also for any other executable on %PATH%

pidg 10y ago

I still haven't forgiven them for changing what <Backspace> does in File Explorer (used to go up one level, now goes 'back' in the history). Even though that was undocumented.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
nix0n 10y ago
Hopefully you have discovered Alt+<Up Arrow>
- pidg 10y ago
  I have now! :D

rikkus 10y ago

Here [1] I have my own question though: Any idea how to give keyboard focus to the 'address bar' in file explorer, like Ctrl-L does in browsers? [1] http://www.howtogeek.com/235101/10-ways-to-open-the-command-prompt-in-windows-10/ http://www.howtogeek.com/235101/10-ways-to-open-the-command-...

ygra 10y ago
Alt+D (only on English UI languages), or Ctrl+L. Works for me at least.
- Too 10y ago
  Alt+d works in all browsers also :)
  - nitrogen 10y ago
    I know this is a bit late, but F6 is another option.

WorldMaker 10y ago

Maybe it's not that well documented because it is kind of an oddball use of other features? From what I can tell: To be as useful as it can be the File Explorer does everything it can to resolve a path. This seems to include an eventual last ditch fallback to shell create process, for whatever reason. (Maybe leftover from the proliferation era of pseudo-folders that were separate processes or when the address bar was reused as a taskbar search bar in 9x? Sounds like a good topic for the oldnewthing blog, I'd imagine.) Because the new process inherits the current working directory from the File Explorer window that launched it, you wind up where you expect to. You can use any command in your path, too, beyond just cmd or PowerShell. For instance, I just did gVim and VS Code for fun. (The interesting part here is that I have a Code.lnk file on my desktop apparently so had to over-specify VS Code's command name to get that to work: `code.cmd`. I also had to remember to add the `code.cmd .` to get it to actually open that folder in a new window.)