In today’s digital age, we often find ourselves relying on our computers to store and organize our files. Whether it’s for work or personal use, having quick and efficient ways to find and open files is essential. While most of us are familiar with the graphical user interface (GUI) of Windows, not many are aware of the power and convenience that the Command Prompt offers. In this article, I will guide you through the process of finding and opening files using the Command Prompt in Windows 10.
Find a File or Folder Using Command Prompt
Sometimes, locating a specific file or folder can be a daunting task, especially if you have a cluttered file system. This is where the Command Prompt comes in handy. To find a file or folder using the Command Prompt, follow these steps:
- Launch the Command Prompt by pressing the Windows key + R and typing “cmd” in the Run dialog box.
- Once the Command Prompt opens, navigate to the directory where you want to search for your file or folder. You can use the “cd” command to change directories. For example, if you want to search in the Documents folder, type “cd Documents” and press Enter.
- Once you are in the desired directory, type “dir” and press Enter. This command will display a list of all the files and folders in that directory.
- To narrow down your search, you can use the “dir” command with additional parameters. For example, if you are looking for a file with a specific extension, you can use the “*.extension” syntax. For instance, if you are searching for a Word document, you can type “dir *.docx” and press Enter.
- The Command Prompt will display a list of files that match your search criteria. You can scroll through the list to find the file or folder you are looking for.
Open Files in Command Prompt Via the Folder Route
Once you have located the file or folder you want to open, you can easily do so using the Command Prompt. Here’s how:
- In the Command Prompt window, navigate to the directory where the file or folder is located, following the steps mentioned in the previous section.
- Once you are in the correct directory, type the name of the file or folder you want to open and press Enter. If the file or folder name contains spaces, make sure to enclose it in double quotation marks. For example, if you want to open a file named “my resume.docx,” you would type “my resume.docx” and press Enter.
- The Command Prompt will execute the command and open the file or folder using the default application associated with it. For example, if you are opening a Word document, it will open in Microsoft Word.
Open Files in Command Prompt Directly
If you prefer to bypass the default application and open a file using a specific program directly from the Command Prompt, follow these steps:
- Launch the Command Prompt and navigate to the directory where the file is located.
- Once you are in the correct directory, type the name of the program you want to use to open the file, followed by the file name. For example, if you want to open a Word document named “my resume.docx” using Notepad, you would type “notepad my resume.docx” and press Enter.
- The Command Prompt will execute the command and open the file using the specified program. This is particularly useful if you want to open a file in a text editor or a specific application that is not set as the default for that file type.
Specify an App to Open a File Using Command Prompt
In some cases, you may want to open a file using a specific application that is not the default for that file type. To achieve this using the Command Prompt, follow these steps:
- Launch the Command Prompt and navigate to the directory where the file is located.
- Once you are in the correct directory, type the name of the program you want to use to open the file, followed by the file name and the full path to the program. For example, if you want to open a Word document named “my resume.docx” using LibreOffice, and the program is installed in the default location, you would type “C:\Program Files\LibreOffice\program\swriter.exe my resume.docx” and press Enter.
- The Command Prompt will execute the command and open the file using the specified program. This method allows you to override the default association for that file type and open it with the desired application.
