How to Open Command Prompt in a Folder

How to Open CMD in a Folder

It's easy to start Command Prompt the normal way, but if you know which folder you want to run commands in, you'll save yourself a step or two if you open Command Prompt in the folder from the start. Below are two methods.

Change the Folder Path

Follow these steps for the fastest way to open Command Prompt in a folder. All you have to do is type cmd in the right place.

1. Open File Explorer to the folder you plan to work in. For example, if it's your Downloads folder, you'd navigate here:

    C:\Users\[your username]\Downloads
   

2. Erase the folder path at the top of the window. Pressing Alt+d is a quick way to highlight the whole path.

   

3. Replace the path with cmd.

   

4. Press Enter. This will open Command Prompt directly to that folder.

   

Use a Keyboard Shortcut

Here's how it works with a simple keyboard+mouse shortcut:

1. Go to the folder you want to access from Command Prompt.

2. While holding the Shift key, right-click once in an empty area of the folder (don't select any files or subfolders).

3. Select Open in Terminal if you're on Windows 11. Older versions of Windows have a similar option called Open PowerShell window here.

   

The Command for Changing Folders in Command Prompt

The steps listed above are simple ways to open CMD to a certain folder without dealing with commands. But, did you know there is a command meant for this very purpose?

It's called the change directory command and it's invoked by typing cd. It's how you open a different folder from inside Command Prompt, which is useful if you don't want to start a brand-new instance of Command Prompt just to change the folder you're in.