How to start a program in dos

Without the quotes surrounding the file name with a space , you would get a Windows cannot find the file error. Open the Computer Hope web page in your default browser from the command line.

Availability Start syntax Start examples. Windows Vista and later syntax. Windows XP and earlier syntax. Related information See our start definition for further information and related links on this term.

Start an application without creating a new window. The new environment will be the original environment passed to the cmd. Specifies the processor affinity mask as a hexadecimal number.

The process is restricted to running on these processors. If you don't know the location of the program, many programs are often located in the "Program Files" folder on the hard drive, or you can search for it in the search bar at the top. Select the program's folder's path. Click the right side of the address bar that's at the top of the File Explorer window. You should see a blue box highlight the address bar's contents. Copy the path. Press Ctrl and C at the same time.

Click This PC. This folder is on the left side of the File Explorer window. Click This PC again. Doing so will de-select any folders in the This PC folder, which will allow you to open the This PC folder's properties.

Click Computer. It's a tab in the upper-left side of the page. A toolbar will appear. Click Properties. This icon resembles a white box with a red checkmark in it. Clicking it prompts a pop-up window to appear. Click Advanced system settings. It's a link in the upper-left side of the window. Doing so opens another pop-up window.

Click the Advanced tab. It's at the top of the window. Click Environment Variables…. This option is at the bottom of the window. Another window will appear. Click Path. It's in the "System variables" window near the bottom of the page. Click Edit…. This option is at the bottom of the page. Click New. It's in the top-right side of the Edit page.

Paste in your program's path. Press Ctrl and V at the same time to paste the path into the Path window. Click OK. This will save your path. Open Command Prompt. Open your path. Make sure you leave a space after start. Enter your program's name. The program will run. Alternatively, you can enclose the path in double quotes. Luigi Oppido. You might run specialty or legacy software on Command Prompt, or you may need to do some type of manipulation of files.

Not Helpful 4 Helpful 3. Type "Help" in the command prompt window to see a list of commands. Type "Help [command name]" to see a description and syntax usage of a specific command just remember to replace "[command name]" with the command you want to learn about.

For example, "Help xcopy" will display a description of the command along with the syntax and descriptions of each switch. Not Helpful 2 Helpful Right click. If 'paste' is highlighted, then you have something copied ready to paste. Best Wi-Fi Range Extenders. Best Oculus Quest 2 Accessories. Awesome PC Accessories. Best Linux Laptops. Best Wireless iPhone Earbuds. Best Bluetooth Trackers. Best eReaders. Best VPN. Browse All News Articles. Baby Shark YouTube. Venmo Gifts. Fortnite iPhone. Quest Headset SteamVR.

M1 Mac Dropbox. Windows 11 Uninstall Clock. Teams Walkie-Talkie. PCI Express 6. Use Your iPhone as a Webcam. Hide Private Photos on iPhone. All Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows.