Quick tip: Launch programs faster

I debated posting this - it seemed too short for mention. But yet it's very handy for Windows users and many don't use it often, if at all. 

If you're reaching out to the start menu to find the program you need, there's a faster way to access it - the run command. Here's how easy it is to use. I used here Windows 7 (for Office, Ms. Office 2007).

First off, how do I open run in the first place?

• Press the   windows   key then type in 'run'.
• If that was too long (it is!), just key in the shortcut   windows    +    r  

A window similar to that below is what you should see.

run command window

Think of run, or the run command, as a channel to quicker app launches. Also possibly folders and websites too.

Right, why did I do that?

Because its faster to access stuff.

Ok, fair enough. Now what?

Here's a bunch of commonly used program names, just type the needed name to the run window and then press   Enter   to open the program. It's that easy! 

Ms. Office Word	winword
Ms. Office Excel	excel
Ms. Office Powerpoint	powerpnt
Itunes	itunes
Calculator*	calc
Paint	paint

And the list goes on.

*fun fact: there's more to your desktop calculator than the standard view, press  Alt  and a number (from 1-4) to explore other views (as seen below). Also if you're using Chrome, basic math operations can be easily done without leaving a tab, right from the address bar! If not using Chrome, you can still google the equation to compute the result.

calculator view options

Right, how do I find the name to type in run for any other programs?

First off, that name is essentially the executable file's name. As in the '.exe' name of the program. 

To find the .exe file's name, right click on the program, head to Properties and check the name after the last backslash '\' in the Target field (in the Shortcut tab) - that's what you're looking for to type to run (minus the '.exe' extension).

A picture is a far easier way to depict this.

finding the .exe file name, calc, for Calculator from its properties

Easy as pie. Try it out now!

Sometimes however - as with Ms. Office programs - the Target doesn't show the .exe file name, in that case  all you have to do is find the directory (folder) where you installed the software (by default it's usually in the C drive, in one of the folders starting with Program Files), and find the .exe file. Easiest way to do it is to search in the search bar (top right) for '.exe' and you'll find the result(s) usually with the icon of the software you're looking for. So to recap, head to the drive partition you've installed the software in, head to the folder where it's installed, then search for the .exe. Remember it's name (there may be more than one so try all) and that's the name you type in to run. 

Still easy as pie!

Hope this was helpful. 

If there's anything you didn't quite grasp in this post or you'd like to add, please feel free to comment your thoughts below.

Till next time; 

Noha Kareem