This wikiHow teaches you how to use the command line in the Windows Command Prompt to start and run an executable (exe) file on your computer.
Step
Step 1. Open your computer's Start menu
Click the Start button in the lower left corner of your desktop to open the Start menu.
Step 2. Write it down and search for cmd in the Start menu
The Command Prompt should appear at the top of the search results.
Step 3. Click Command Prompt on the Start menu
This will open a new Command Prompt window.
Step 4. Write cd [filepath] in Command Prompt
This command will allow you to navigate to the folder containing the exe program you want to run.
Step 5. Locate the path of the file or folder that contains your exe program
Open the folder containing your program in a File Explorer window, and copy or note the file path from the address bar at the top of the window.
- For example, if you try to run Mozilla Firefox, the exe file you want to run may be located in a folder called Mozilla Firefox in Program Files on disk C.
- In this case, your file path is C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox.
Step 6. Replace [filepath] in the command with your program file path
Navigating to the file path allows you to run commands here and run exe programs in this folder.
For example, if you're trying to run Mozilla Firefox, your command here might look like cd C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox
Step 7. Press Enter or Return on your keyboard.
This will redirect you to the path of the selected file in Command Prompt.
Step 8. Type start [filename.exe] into the Command Prompt
This command will allow you to run the program from the selected file path.
Step 9. Replace [filename.exe] with the name of your program
It should be exactly the same as the name of your exe program file in the folder.
- For example, if you are running Mozilla Firefox, the program file should be named firefox.exe by default.
- In this case, your command should look like start firefox.exe.
Step 10. Press Enter or Return on your keyboard.
This will run the selected program on your computer.
