

It indicates that the search will locate all file names that contain your search term. * is used by command-line apps as a wildcard./s tells dir to search all sub-directories.The backslash (\) tells dir to search from the root directory of the current drive.dir is a command used to show files in the current directory but can also locate data elsewhere in the system.What do all the terms mean in the command line search request? The correct file path can be easily identified by the size of the folder. Once you press Enter, it may look like nothing is happening for a second or two, but soon all the file paths mentioning the correct file or folder will be identified and named.I FINALLY can quickly open it up now as I've always wanted to.

The whole reason in the first place for me wanting to do this, was to be able to make a SHORTCUT of it so I could use my keyboard to open up my "My Documents" directory using a keyboard shortcut ("Ctrl-Alt-Shift-m"). Wish I had found your site long before I came upon it myself with what seems to be simply another way to open up the "My Documents" directory!Īnyway, I like your version of the trick too. I tried all sorts of things, Googling all sorts of various searches like "can't open My Documents folder from command line", etc.Īfter trying "start /?", and THAT not helping, and trying all sorts of commands, finally, I thought of trying "start explorer.exe \users\paul\My Documents" – AND THAT WORKED! All that would happen was that another command window would pop up. In a command prompt, I would get to the parent directory (c:\users\paul), and then type "start "My Documents".
CMD FIND FILE COMMAND HOW TO
I had been looking and looking for some time on how to open the "My Documents" directory specifically. Exit Registry Editor (the changes take place immediately)Įxcellent tip.Put an underscore ' _ ' at the beginning of the value’s existing name (this will make the value not register).

CMD FIND FILE COMMAND WINDOWS
NOTE: screenshot and Windows version used is Windows 10.
CMD FIND FILE COMMAND FULL
As a precaution make sure you have a valid full backup of your computer before changes are made.

Registry Editor is a powerful tool, and if misused can cause your computer to become unstable or inoperable. Warning: If you are not familiar with Registry Editor, consider learning about how to use the Registry Editor before you get started. If you are missing this option, you can add it to the context menu by following these steps: This trick is pretty cool and very useful for any command line geek.Īlso, at the beginning of this article, I mentioned the capability to open a folder location in a Command prompt, by Shift+right clicking on a folder and selecting " Command Prompt Here".ĭepending on how you upgraded or installed Windows, you may not see the option to select Command Prompt Here when right clicking on a folder. In the below screenshot, the root of C:\ is the parent folder of Windows. If you want Windows Explorer to open the parent folder of the current location, just type …and Windows Explorer will open to the folder location that you were in at the command prompt, and display it's contents. Note: above command is typed as start, followed by a space, followed by a period. In the below screen shot I have cd to the Windows folder. Navigate to the folder you want displayed in Windows Explorer by using the Change Directory command " cd" (with out the quotes). 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.
