Use The Command Prompt To Open And Display Folder Contents In Windows Explorer

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winlogo.jpgOne great feature of Windows is the capability to open any folder location in a Command prompt, from Windows Explorer, by right clicking on a folder and selecting "Command Prompt Here".

cmdpmptopenfdr1_1.png

But if you use Windows command prompt often, there may be times when you want the reverse to happen…meaning you want to open a folder location from the command prompt, and have the folder and it's contents displayed in Windows Explorer.

To do this, open a command prompt from the keyboard by typing Win+R, or click on Start \ Run then type cmd in the run box and click OK.

Navigate to the folder you want displayed in Windows Explorer by using the Change Directory command "cd" (with out the quotes).

In the below screen shot I have cd to the Windows folder.

cmdpmptopenfdr3.png

Now type the following command…

start .

Note: above command is typed as start, followed by a space, followed by a period.

cmdpmptopenfdr4.png

…and Windows Explorer will open to the folder location that you were in at the command prompt, and display it's contents.

cmdpmptopenfdr5.png

If you want Windows Explorer to open the parent folder of the current location, just type

start ..

cmdpmptopenfdr6.png

In the below screenshot, the root of C:\ is the parent folder of Windows.

cmdpmptopenfdr7.png

This trick is pretty cool and very useful for any command line geek.

Also, at the beginning of this article, I mentioned the capability to open a folder location in a Command prompt, by right clicking on a folder and selecting "Command Prompt Here".

In Vista, it is included by default, but in XP it is not. If you are missing this option in XP, you can add it to the context menu by following these steps:

  • Click on Start \Run then type regedit and click OK
  • In the left menu tree, go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
  • Right click on shell and select New \ Key
  • Name the key Open Command Prompt Here
  • Right click on the newly created key (Open Command Prompt Here) and select New \ Key
  • Name the new key command
  • Select the newly created command key and double-click on default value
  • Enter cmd.exe /k cd %1 and click on Ok

That's all there is to it!

Comments on Use The Command Prompt To Open And Display Folder Contents In Windows Explorer Leave a Comment

May 22, 2008

me @ 5:12 pm #

above command is typed as cd, followed by a space, followed by a period.

should read

above command is typed as start, followed by a space, followed by a period.

October 5, 2009

command prompt geek @ 10:27 am #

Thank you for the help. I have XP and I really missed this feature. I think it was there before in the previous Windows versions.

November 2, 2009

Kalpana @ 6:25 am #

Windows directory is opened by using C:\Windows\Start.

How to close the opened window using command prompt.

November 24, 2009

gianluca @ 10:36 am #

thank you very much. I've looked a lot for this information. But nobody reported the command for Vista … really thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

January 3, 2010

Chris @ 4:20 pm #

Every time I try to open a folder via command prompt, I get a message that says it can not acces it. However, my computer is currently under a horrible virus that seems impossible to remove, but I feel that being able to open a folder somehow will help.

January 22, 2010

mule(i need how to open folder from any where from my comouter) @ 2:50 pm #

please again i need to open file or folder using command prompt from any where from my computer

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