Command Prompt Not Opening In Windows 10? Here is How to Fix

Command Prompt Is Not Opening In Windows 10 – Big Deal! Why Should That Matter To Me?

Command Prompt reigned supreme in the early days of computing. Does that mean its empire has fallen? All that we can say is in this day and age of fascinating Graphical User Interface, its usage might have diminished, but the ones who use it are no less than power users. You can use scripts to automate tasks, perform several administrative functions, scan, and repair batch files, and see the list of all drivers in your computer and a lot of many things. If there are any DNS related issues and you know how to run the Command Prompt, you can solve things in a snap.

But, imagine, you’ve entered cmd in the Run search box, and then next, what you find is that Command Prompt is not opening in Windows 10. Here are five quick things you can do to get Command Prompt up and running.

A Word Of Advice – Backup All Your Data

Before you move ahead and use the following methods to resolve the issue, it is highly recommended that you take a backup of your Windows 10 data. We’ve already covered how you can backup Windows 10 PC and restore it, so make sure that you go and check the blog out.

Now, if you want a more effortless solution, you can even take the help of backup software that will help you take a backup of your Windows 10 data. One such software is Right Backup.

Right Backup is a cloud backup service where you can store all your files, videos, photos, and all your data all in one place. It also comes with a 12-hour scheduler that creates a backup of your files every 12 hours, and you can even prevent frequent backups if you want and create backup whenever you desire.

Ways To Resolve Command Prompt Not Working In Windows 10 Issues

1. Edit Path Environment Variables

Sometimes the “Command Prompt is not opening in Windows 10” error can be resolved by editing the Path environment variables

1. In the search box next to the Windows key type environ
2. Click on Edit the system environment variables
3. Under the Advanced tab click on Environment variables
4. Select the Path and click on Edit
5. Click on New and add C:\Windows\SysWow64\
6. Click on OK

After you have followed these steps, restart your PC to see the changes take effect.

2. Reboot Your PC

Sometimes, restarting the computer can solve many critical issues such as CMD not working on Windows 10. To restart the computer –

1.Press Windows key or start

2. Click on the power icon

3. Then click on restart

Once the computer is rebooted, press Windows key + R, which would open the Run command windows and type cmd in the search box. This way, you should be able to open the Command Prompt once again. If this method doesn’t work, you may try the other fixes.

3. Run SFC (System File Checker) Command In Windows PowerShell

It is quite possible that Command Prompt is not opening in Windows 10 because there are corrupt system files. For this, you can take the aid of Windows PowerShell and run the SFC command to fix and detect missing or corrupt system files.

1. Open the Windows PowerShell by pressing the Windows key + X button and click on Windows PowerShell (Admin)
2. After you have opened the Windows PowerShell (Admin) type SFC/scannow.

This will check Windows 10 for corrupted system files and even repair them. The process might take some time. If in case there are any errors, you will get a message like no integrity violations were found else in case of any errors found you will see corrupt files were repaired. You can see the details of the corrupt files in the CBS.log file.

3. Once the scan is finished, restart the computer and see if you can open the Command Prompt again.

4. Reboot In Safe Mode And Check If Recently Installed Apps Are Causing Conflict

If you have recently installed some apps, it could be a possibility that they are causing conflicts with the Command Prompt, which might be the reason why Command Prompt is not opening in Windows 10. The best bet to find out such apps to reboot Windows 10 in Safe Mode. Once, in Safe Mode, check if the Command Prompt is working fine. If it is, it means that one of the recently installed apps is the culprit. You may have to uninstall each app one by one and check the culprit app.

5. Disable Your Antivirus Software

And, worry not! Even if you have disabled your third party antivirus software, you still have Windows 10’s very own Windows defender at your rescue. Now, coming back to removing the antivirus, what happens is that sometimes an antivirus software may interfere with computer processes such as CMD not working in Windows 10.

To make Command Prompt usually run, you can try disabling or even removing your antivirus.

In The End

Next time when you try to open Command Prompt and Windows flips an error; you know how to answer it back. Do let us know if the above fixes have been of some help and if they have helped you, care to share it with someone who is in the same position. For more such Windows troubleshooting and fun-filled tech-related stuff, keep reading Systweak blogs. You can also find us on all social media platforms as well.