REPLACE THE RUN COMMAND TOOL
The Run command tool, which you access by pressing Windows key+r or right-clicking the Start button, has been around since Windows 95 and hasn’t changed significantly since then. It lets you open programs, system tools, websites, files and folders, but it’s very basic and slow, and there’s a sense that Microsoft only keeps the tool in Windows for old time’s sake.
In fact, the company now has a far superior version of Run, aimed at ‘power users’, which offers a lot more features and is much faster. It’s called Powertoys Run and is available for Windows 10 and 11 through the fantastic free system-tool suite Powertoys.
To use this, download the latest version of Powertoys from www.snipca.com/40152 (choose the ‘.exe’ file under the Assets heading), then open the program, click Powertoys Run and ensure that Enable Powertoys Run is switched on (see screenshot). Press Alt+space to open the search box, which scours your computer and displays instant results for any search term you enter, as you type it.
Following a recent update, it now recognises plain English - for example, you can start typing System Configuration, rather than needing to know the ‘msconfig’ command (though that also works), as you do in the standard Run tool. Powertoys Run also offers the handy option to run programs as an administrator – simply click the first icon next to the search result.
Extra features can be unlocked by enabling specific plug-ins in Powertoys. These include Calculator – type = followed by a sum into the search box for an instant answer; and Unit Converter - type && then a query such as ‘80kg in stone’. You can also type commands to shutdown, restart, lock and sign out of your PC, and even empty recycle bin (see screenshot).
Powertoys Run’s settings let you specify the maximum number of search results displayed and activate its dark mode. If you want it to fully replace the Windows Run tool, click the pencil icon next to ‘Activation shortcut’, press Windows key+r then click Save. Find out more about this superb free tool at www.snipca.com/40153.