If you want to execute a task from the command line in Windows, you first have to open Command Prompt. Here are 11 ways to do that.

In past versions of the Windows, the Command Prompt would typically not allow you to run any of your Windows programs that require a graphical user interface.

The command prompt is simply a window that by default displays the current directory, or in windows term a folder, that you are in and has a blinking cursor ready for you to type your commands.

On Windows 10, a batch file typically has a ".bat" extension, and it is a special text file that contains one or multiple commands that run in sequence to perform various actions with Command Prompt.

The Windows 11 Command Prompt app will then launch and run as administrator. At this point, you can start entering DOS commands to manually use and manage system data.

You can be more efficient while in Command Prompt using the command history feature, and in this guide, we'll show you how to use it.