How do you open the command prompt in Windows 7 with a shortcut key?

Question

Is it possible to open the command prompt with Windows 7 with a shortcut key, and if it is, how do you do it?

I know that I can assign a shortcut key to it, but does Windows come with a shortcut key already?

I know in that in Ubuntu, with the Unity desktop environment at least, you can press Ctrl + Alt + T.

Sopalajo de Arrierez · Accepted Answer · 2016-05-09T15:42:40.690

For normal prompt, follow these steps:

WinKey+R
Input "cmd".
Enter

.
For elevated (administrator) prompt, follow these steps:

WinKey (Start Menu opens on the left-bottom corner)
Input "cmd".
Ctrl+Shift+Enter
.

You can, of course, create a special shorcut for your computer, but memorizing the above keys should be useful because they work on every vanilla (untouched) Windows version (NT, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1... even Win98 or 95, if you still use them), and, as far as I know, flavour (Home, Pro, Server, Premium, Ultimate... etc).

EDIT May 2016: Checked working on Windows 10.

score 31 · Answer 2 · edited Mar 14 '14 at 03:24

Easy as. You just need to create a shortcut to the command prompt somewhere to allow you to apply the hotkey combination to it. Here's one way to do it.

Hit the Windows button
In Search programs and files, type cmd
When cmd.exe is found, right-click on it and go Pin to start menu
Close and reopen the start menu (or just press Esc)
Right click on your new pinned shortcut and choose Properties
On the shortcut tab, you will find a field called Shortcut key
Select that field and set the key combination you want to use
Press OK

Job done!

score 25 · Answer 3 · edited Mar 14 '14 at 03:35

25

Click Start, and type cmd. Right click the icon, and click Pin to Taskbar. Then, depending on its position, you can press Win + 1-9, depending on its position from the Start orb.

edited Mar 14 '14 at 03:35

Danny Beckett

1,419

answered Mar 14 '14 at 02:25

Canadian Luke

24,640

stderr · Answer 4 · 2014-03-14T00:46:09.650

13

Use AutoHotKey for this.

Example(CTRL + Alt + T):

^!t::
Run %comspec% /k
return

Note: comspec is a built-in variable that resolves to C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe on a typical system.

edited Mar 14 '14 at 00:46

answered Mar 14 '14 at 00:36

stderr

10,569
2
36
50

score 11 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 14 '14 at 13:38

In Windows 7 there's also a convenient way to create a command line window pointing to a folder that is currently open in explorer: Shift + Right-click in that folder and select "Open command window here":

See this sevenforums post for more examples of Shift changing default behavior.

score 10 · Answer 6 · edited Jun 12 '20 at 13:48

The best way !(no typing and no clicking just shortcut key)

Make a shortcut of this cmd.exe file at desktop
Go to the shortcut's properties and there will be a space for shortcut-key ... input any key of your choice (lets say c) then the shortcut key turns to ctrl + alt + c.
Now test it out anywhere!

Another way out (this has 2 key combo)

drag cmd.exe to just beside the windows orb at bottom-left corner of your screen (by default the orb is there)
press winkey + 1(yeah! the key with windows logo and the number 1)

UPDATE (15-apr-2020 on up to date windows 10): it still works

P.S : and the best part of this is that you can have programs which can open with shortcut keys of your choice!

score 6 · Answer 7 · answered Jun 12 '17 at 18:28

6

Win8+ method:

Win+X, C: CMD

Win+X, A: CMD as admin

FYI: I am aware the question requested a solution on Win7, but I thought this solution was too good NOT to share! :)

answered Jun 12 '17 at 18:28

gregg

6,307

score 2 · Answer 8 · edited May 09 '16 at 00:18

2

In Windows, any link (.lnk) can have a hotkey assigned. Create a link to cmd.exe, go to its properties and set the hotkey.

Or you can pin any program to a task panel and start it with Win+(digit) combination. Win+1 will start the first icon on the task panel, Win+2 - the second one and so on.

edited May 09 '16 at 00:18

techraf

4,952

answered Mar 15 '14 at 11:06

Kirill Gamazkov

121

score 1 · Answer 9 · edited Mar 23 '14 at 15:37

1

You can use AutoHotkey to make a keyboard shortcut for the command prompt and set it to any key combination you want. It's easy to set up and use.

edited Mar 23 '14 at 15:37

Peter Mortensen

12,326

answered Mar 14 '14 at 00:36

Keltari

75,447

score 0 · Answer 10 · answered Oct 04 '20 at 13:30

As an alternative to typing "cmd" in an explorer window: If you always want to open a command prompt in a specific folder, then you can use a simple .bat file on your desktop: "@echo off echo Any text F: CMD /K CD F:" The "F:" is required if the disc is not "C:"

score 0 · Answer 11 · edited Mar 14 '14 at 03:20

0

Windows does not come with a shortcut key to the command prompt. The closest thing would be the extended context menu (Shift + Right-click) on the Desktop or perhaps just Win + R and then running cmd.

edited Mar 14 '14 at 03:20

Danny Beckett

1,419

answered Mar 14 '14 at 00:31

Matt

245

eckes · Answer 12 · 2014-03-14T07:08:09.570

0

If you are a keyboard guy, you will like Launchy.

Launchy indexes the entries in the start menu (configurable, other places are possible too). Now, you hit Alt+SPACE and the Launchy window opens.

Type cmd and the console opens.

IMO a much more natural way to start applications (by their name) than Autohotkey.

edited Mar 14 '14 at 07:08

answered Mar 14 '14 at 05:25

eckes

538

score 0 · Answer 13 · answered Mar 16 '14 at 15:20

Not quite a shortcut key, but still only a mouse-click and 4 keystrokes away: Since Vista, in File Explorer editing the "breadcrumbs" address and overwriting it with cmd and pressing Enter will start cmd.exe and a bonus: it starts it in the folder you're currently displaying.

score 0 · Answer 14 · answered Aug 21 '15 at 17:33

0

Simply type cmd into the address bar of an explorer window. It will open a command window in the current location.

answered Aug 21 '15 at 17:33

felwithe

933

score -1 · Answer 15 · answered Aug 21 '15 at 18:35

I have a collection of productivity tools. You can find how do I open cmd window at Open Command Window:

If Win+c is pressed in windows explorer, the opened command line window will use the same path in the windows explorer as the current directory

If you don't want to get the whole rwin package. The closest is to put the cursor in windows explorer and type in "cmd" to get the command window in the current directory.

score -2 · Answer 16 · edited May 13 '17 at 00:28

-2

Depending on what you are looking for, the simplest method is hit Ctrl-M with the explorer window open. A power shell command prompt opens on the directory where you are working at.

edited May 13 '17 at 00:28

Stephen Rauch

3,296

answered May 12 '17 at 23:00

Angus Tin

1

score -2 · Answer 17 · edited Mar 23 '14 at 15:39

-2

It is better to:

Create a custom shortcut of CMD.EXE on the desktop
Go to properties of shortcut you have created
Assign a custom key to whatever you want in the shortcut key textbox
Press the shortcut key on the keyboard, and it starts opening

edited Mar 23 '14 at 15:39

Peter Mortensen

12,326

answered Mar 16 '14 at 16:27

Vikash

1

How do you open the command prompt in Windows 7 with a shortcut key?

17 Answers17

The best way !(no typing and no clicking just shortcut key)

Another way out (this has 2 key combo)

Linked