<p><a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/command-prompt-2625840" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="1">Command Prompt</a> is one of the <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-command-line-interpreter-2625827" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="2">command-line interface</a> programs used to execute <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-command-2625828" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="3">commands</a> in Windows <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/operating-systems-2625912" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="4">operating systems</a>.</p><p>Some popular Command Prompt commands you might have heard of include <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/ping-command-2618099" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="5">ping</a>, <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/netstat-command-2618098" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="6">netstat</a>, <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/tracert-command-2618101" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="7">tracert</a>, <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/shutdown-command-2618100" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="8">shutdown</a>, and <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/attrib-command-2625802" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="9">attrib</a>, but there are <em>many</em> more. We have a complete list <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/list-of-command-prompt-commands-4092302" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="10">here</a>.</p><p>While Command Prompt probably isn&#39;t a tool most of you will use on a regular basis, it can really come in handy now and then, maybe to troubleshoot a specific Windows problem or to automate some kind of task.</p><p><strong>Note:</strong> How you open Command Prompt differs between Windows versions so you&#39;ll find steps below for <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/windows-10-2626217" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="11">Windows 10</a>, <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/windows-8-2626235" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="12">Windows 8</a> or <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/windows-8-1-2626251" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="13">Windows 8.1</a>, and <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/windows-7-2626265" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="14">Windows 7</a>, <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/windows-vista-2626311" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="15">Windows Vista</a>, or <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/windows-xp-2626354" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="16">Windows XP</a>. See <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/what-version-of-windows-do-i-have-2624927" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="17">What Version of Windows Do I Have?</a> if you&#39;re not sure.</p><p><strong>Time Required:</strong> Opening Command Prompt will probably only take you several seconds, no matter what version of Windows you&#39;re using, and much less once you learn how to do it.</p><h3>Open Command Prompt in Windows 10</h3><ol><li>Tap or click the <strong>Start button</strong>, followed by <strong>All apps</strong>.<br/><br/>If you&#39;re not using the Desktop in Windows 10, tap the <strong>All apps</strong> button on the bottom-left of your screen instead. It&#39;s the icon that looks like the small list of items.<br/><br/><strong>Tip:</strong> The <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-the-power-user-menu-2625968" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="18">Power User Menu</a> is a much faster way to get to Command Prompt in Windows 10 but only if you&#39;re using a <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-keyboard-2618153" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="19">keyboard</a> or <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-mouse-2618156" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="20">mouse</a>. Just choose <strong>Command Prompt</strong> from the menu that appears after pressing <strong>WIN</strong><strong>&#43;X</strong> or right-clicking on the <strong>Start button</strong>.</li><li>Find the <strong>Windows System</strong> folder from the list of apps and tap or click it.</li><li>Under the <em>Windows System</em> folder, click or tap <strong>Command Prompt</strong>.<br/><br/>Command Prompt should open immediately.</li><li>You can now execute whatever commands in Windows 10 you&#39;d like to run.</li></ol><h3>Open Command Prompt in Windows 8 or 8.1</h3><ol><li>Swipe up to show the <strong>Apps</strong> screen. You can accomplish the same thing with a mouse by clicking on the down arrow icon at the bottom of the screen.<br/><br/><strong>Note:</strong> Prior to <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-update-to-windows-8-1-2626252" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="21">the Windows 8.1 update</a>, the <em>Apps</em> screen can be accessed from the <em>Start</em> screen by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, or right-clicking anywhere, and then choosing <strong>All apps</strong>.<br/><br/><strong>Tip:</strong> If you&#39;re using a keyboard or mouse, a really quick way to open a Command Prompt window in Windows 8 is via the <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-the-power-user-menu-2625968" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="22">Power User Menu</a> - just hold the <strong>WIN</strong> and <strong>X</strong> keys down together, or right-click on the <strong>Start button</strong>, and choose <strong>Command Prompt</strong>.</li><li>Now that you&#39;re on the Apps screen, swipe or scroll to the right and locate the <em>Windows System</em> section heading.</li><li>Under <em>Windows System</em>, tap or click on <strong>Command Prompt</strong>.<br/><br/>A new Command Prompt window will open on the Desktop.</li><li>You can now execute whatever command you needed to run.<br/><br/>See my <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/windows-8-command-prompt-commands-2618115" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="23">List of Windows 8 Command Prompt Commands</a> for a complete list of the commands available via Command Prompt in Windows 8, including short descriptions and links to more in-depth information if I have it.</li></ol><h3>Open Command Prompt in Windows 7, Vista, or XP</h3><ol><li>Click on <strong>Start</strong> (Windows XP) or the <strong>Start button</strong> (Windows 7 or Vista).<br/><br/><strong>Tip:</strong> In Windows 7 and Windows Vista, it&#39;s a bit faster to enter <strong>command</strong> in the search box at the bottom of the <em>Start Menu</em> and then click <strong>Command Prompt</strong> when it appears in the results.</li><li>Click <strong>All Programs</strong>, followed by <strong>Accessories</strong>.</li><li>Choose <strong>Command Prompt</strong> from the list of programs.<br/><br/>Command Prompt should open right away.</li><li>You can use Command Prompt to execute commands.<br/><br/>Here&#39;s my <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/list-of-windows-7-command-prompt-commands-4107370" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="24">List of Windows 7 Commands</a>, <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/windows-vista-command-prompt-commands-2618116" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="25">List of Windows Vista Commands</a>, and <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/windows-xp-command-prompt-commands-2618119" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="26">List of Windows XP Commands</a> if you need a command reference for any of those versions of Windows.</li></ol><h3>The CMD Command, Elevated Command Prompts, &amp; Windows 98 &amp; 95</h3><p>In any version of Windows, Command Prompt can also be opened by executing the <strong>cmd</strong> run command, which you can do from any <em>Search</em> or <em>Cortana</em> field in Windows, or via the <em>Run</em> dialog box.</p><p>In versions of Windows released before Windows XP, like Windows 98 and Windows 95, Command Prompt does not exist. However, the older and very similar MS-DOS Prompt does. This program is located in the Start Menu, and can be opened with the <strong>command</strong> run command.</p><p>Some commands, like the <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/sfc-command-system-file-checker-2626020" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="27">sfc command</a> that&#39;s used to repair Windows files, require that Command Prompt be opened <em>as an administrator</em> before they can be executed. You&#39;ll know if this is the case if you get a <em>&#34;check that you have administrative rights&#34;</em> or <em>&#34;... command can only be executed from an elevated command prompt&#34;</em> message after trying to execute the command.</p><p>See <a data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-open-an-elevated-command-prompt-2618088" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-ordinal="28">How to Open an Elevated Command Prompt</a> for help starting Command Prompt as an administrator, a process that&#39;s a bit more complicated than what&#39;s outlined above.</p>