How do I get CMD to open a .bat file or a folder on my desktop?

Question

Can you help me make a .cmd file that I can use which will open the 2015 folder on my Desktop so I can put it on my taskbar.

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 07 '15 at 19:38

If all you're using the batch file for is to open the folder, then this is a classic X-Y problem because no batch file is required for this simple task.

Right-click the folder and select Create shortcut
Right-click the shortcut, select Properties and in the Target field just add "explorer.exe " before the full path to the folder (note that there's a space after explorer.exe)
You can also modify the shortcut's name and icon as required (optional)
Right-click the shortcut and select Pin to Taskbar
Now the shortcut itself can be deleted since it's already been pinned

There you have it - a direct shortcut on your taskbar to the folder in question with no batch file required.

DavidPostill · Answer 2 · 2015-07-20T22:10:09.767

1

How can I open a folder on my desktop using explorer in a batch file?

The following batch file will open explorer with your deskop folder "2015"

@echo off
explorer %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\2015

I can't put batch files on my taskbar though

Yes, you can:

Create a shortcut to the batch file.
Right click on the short cut and choose Properties
Change target to cmd.exe /C "path to batchfile"
Drag the shortcut to the taskbar.

It should now be pinnable.

edited Jul 20 '15 at 22:10

answered Mar 24 '15 at 10:29

DavidPostill

156,873

I can't put batch files on my taskbar though... – Rydog Mar 24 '15 at 10:32
You asked "Can you help me make a cmd file". A cmd file is a batch file :/ – DavidPostill Mar 24 '15 at 10:53
@Rydog see updated answer. – DavidPostill Mar 24 '15 at 11:15
(1) %USERPROFILE%\Desktop should generally be equivalent to C:\Users\%username%\Desktop and may be more reliable. (2) This answer describes a slightly longer procedure for pinning .bat files directly to the taskbar. In short: rename foo.bat to foo.exe, pin it, and rename it back. – Scott - Слава Україні Mar 24 '15 at 12:05
@Scott Do you have evidence for the "more reliable"? – DavidPostill Mar 24 '15 at 12:14
Well, I said "*may* be" -- but, isn't it possible to put users' home directories in D:\Users? – Scott - Слава Україні Mar 24 '15 at 12:16
2

%userprofile% is more reliable, because in older versions of Windows (eg. XP), the user home directory is located in C:\Documents and Settings directory – Mar 24 '15 at 12:36
answer updated again :/ – DavidPostill Mar 24 '15 at 12:38
@David: At the risk of beating a dead horse, see this wacky outlier: Creating User Account Named 'Con'. – Scott - Слава Україні May 20 '15 at 08:16

How do I get CMD to open a .bat file or a folder on my desktop?

2 Answers2

How can I open a folder on my desktop using explorer in a batch file?

I can't put batch files on my taskbar though