How to Open a Command Prompt on Windows (3 Easy Ways)

Press the Windows key (the key between Ctrl and Alt with the four squares), or click the magnifying glass or Start button on the taskbar. Then just start typing cmd.

The words Command PromptIn plain words: A window where you type instructions instead of clicking. The shortcut name is cmd.Technical: Windows’ text-mode shell (cmd.exe). PowerShell is a newer one. On a Mac the equivalent is Terminal.Click for the full glossary entry appear at the top of the results. Click it, or press Enter. A black window with white text opens. That is it.

Why this matters. This is the way most people open it. If you only remember one way, make it this one.

Hold the Windows key and press R. A small box called Run pops up in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Type cmd and press Enter. The same black window opens.

Why this matters. This is the fastest method once it is a habit: three key presses and no mouse. It also works on older Windows versions where the search box is different.

Right-click the Start button (the Windows logo on the taskbar), or press Windows key + X.

On Windows 11 choose Terminal (not “Terminal (Admin)”, which is for changing system settings). On Windows 10 choose Windows PowerShell (some updated Windows 10 versions say Terminal). Both are text windows where the commands in our lessons work, including ping, ipconfig and tracert.

Command PromptIn plain words: A window where you type instructions instead of clicking. The shortcut name is cmd.Technical: Windows’ text-mode shell (cmd.exe). PowerShell is a newer one. On a Mac the equivalent is Terminal.Click for the full glossary entry or PowerShell? They look nearly the same and are two different programs. Command Prompt is the older one, and it is the one our lessons show. PowerShell is newer and more powerful. For every command in our beginner lessons, either one works. If a lesson ever says “Command Prompt only,” it will tell you.

Open the Start search again, type cmd, and instead of pressing Enter, right-click Command PromptIn plain words: A window where you type instructions instead of clicking. The shortcut name is cmd.Technical: Windows’ text-mode shell (cmd.exe). PowerShell is a newer one. On a Mac the equivalent is Terminal.Click for the full glossary entry in the results and choose Pin to taskbar (or Pin to Start).

Now there is a small black icon on your taskbar. Click it any time. To put one on the desktop instead, right-click an empty part of the desktop, choose New → Shortcut, type cmd.exe, click Next, give it a name like “Command Prompt,” and click Finish.

Why this matters. Most people can click an icon but will not remember a key combination. If you are setting this up for a parent or a kid, this is the step that makes it stick. The traceroute lesson goes one step further and shows how to make an icon that runs a whole set of tests.

Click in the black window so you can see a blinking cursor, type the line below exactly, and press Enter.

> echo Hello from StashGrid

The window should answer with the same words back. That is a command working. Now try one that is actually useful:

> ipconfig

You will get a list of your network connections. Look for the line that says IPv4 AddressIn plain words: A device’s street address on a network: four numbers separated by dots, like 192.168.1.37.Technical: A 32-bit number (IPv4), written as four octets. It combines which network the device is on and which device it is on that network.Click for the full glossary entry. That is your computer’s address on your home network, and it is the starting point for our subnetting and DHCP lessons. When you are finished, type exit and press Enter, or click the X to close the window.

Nothing you typed here can break the computer. Reading is safe. The commands that change things are the ones that ask for a password. — Nyx