How to Run Your Program in Terminal: A Comprehensive Guide

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on how to run programs in the terminal or command prompt, making your computer usage more efficient and organized. Whether you are a tech enthusiast, a developer, or just anyone looking to streamline your work, this guide will provide you with the necessary steps and knowledge to achieve your goals. Let's dive right into it!

Method 1: Opening Basic Programs in Command Prompt

The first method involves using Command Prompt to open basic programs. Follow the steps below to get started.

Open Start: Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Alternatively, if you are using Windows 8, place your cursor in the top-right side of the screen and click the magnifying glass icon in the pop-out window.

Search for Command Prompt: Type command prompt into the search bar that opens.

Open Command Prompt: Click on Command Prompt; it appears as a black box in the Start menu.

Run a Basic Program: After Command Prompt opens, type start program_name. For example, if you want to open Notepad, type start notepad. Ensure there is a space after the word start.

Method 2: Opening Specific Programs

For more advanced users, if you need to open specific programs, you can use the following steps.

Open Start: Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Open File Explorer: Click the folder-shaped icon in the lower-left side of the Start menu.

Locate Your Program: Navigate to the folder containing the program you want to open. When the program icon is visible in the middle of the File Explorer window, you have found the right folder.

Copy the Path: Select the program’s folder path by clicking the right side of the address bar. Paste the path by pressing Control C.

Access System Properties: Double-click This PC in the File Explorer. Double-click This PC again to open the Properties window. Click Computer or I Computer in the upper left corner to view the advanced system settings.

Modify the Path Variable: Click on the Advanced system settings link in the upper left corner. Select the Advanced tab and then click on Environment Variables.... Go to the System Variables section and select the Path variable, then click Edit.... Add a new path to the Variable Value field by clicking the New button. Paste in the URL of your program by pressing Control V. Click OK to save the changes.

Open Command Prompt: Enter Command Prompt in the Start menu.

Navigate to the Program Directory: Enter cd path, replacing "path" with the directory path you copied in step 4 (e.g., cd C:Program Files otepad). Paste in the program path by pressing Control V. Press Enter to go to the program directory.

Run the Program: Type start program_name to run the program. For programs with a space in their names, use start "program_name" (e.g., start "Notepad").

Conclusion

Now that you know how to run your programs in the terminal or command prompt, you can enhance your productivity and efficiency. These methods apply not only to Windows but can be adapted for other operating systems as well. Whether you are opening simple programs like Notepad or more complicated ones, these steps will ensure you can locate and run them with ease.

Additional Tips for Expert Users

For even more advanced users, consider using scripts to automate this process or making references to programs from multiple directories. This can be particularly useful if you often use programs from different locations or if you want to create shortcuts for easy access.