Run Commands Cheatsheet

Read the web version at PCTips.com

Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box. Enter any command and try it out.

Don’t Skip These Basics

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

Get System Info

Command Action

msinfo32 Open System Info

For more cheat sheets, head over to www.pctips.com

Shortcut Action

dxdiag Open the DirectX Diagnostic tool

winver Display the full Windows build and version

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 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:recent Open the Recent items page

shell:system Open the System32 folder

Open the C: drive in Windows Explorer (replace the drive letter to

C:
access any other partition)

For more cheat sheets, head over to www.pctips.com

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

Launch Third-Party Programs

Command Action

winword Launch Microsoft Word

word /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

For more cheat sheets, head over to www.pctips.com

Shortcut Action

control admintools Open the Windows Admin Tools page

appwiz.cpl Open the Programs and Features page

ncpa.cpl Configure Network Adapter settings

mmsys.cpl Configure Sound Device settings

desk.cpl Configure Display settings

control mouse Configure Mouse settings

control keyboard Configure Keyboard settings

control printers Configure 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

file history Configure File History for backups

control.exe /name
Access the built-in troubleshooters
microsoft.troubleshooting

For more cheat sheets, head over to www.pctips.com

Access System Management Tools

Command Action

diskmgmt.msc Open the Disk Management console

devmgmt.msc Open the Device Manager console

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

Turn optional Windows features on or off (Hyper-V for virtualization,

optionalfeatures
Windows Subsystem for Linux, etc)

rstrui Use System Restore to roll back your PC

systemreset Access the Windows Reset feature

For more cheat sheets, head over to www.pctips.com

Shortcut Action

mdsched Launch the Memory Diagnostic tool

verifier Launch the Driver Verifier tool

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

Sate Your Curiosity

Command Action

fonts View installed fonts and manage font settings

fsquirt Launch the Bluetooth File Transfer wizard

psr Launch the Steps Recorder

For more cheat sheets, head over to www.pctips.com

Shortcut Action

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)

Sign out of your account (the logoff will begin as soon as you press
logoff
enter)

shutdown Power off your PC

For more cheat sheets, head over to www.pctips.com