Adding an .exe to default path without adding the directoryHow use windows command-line to run tools like SVN...
Why was the Spitfire's elliptical wing almost uncopied by other aircraft of World War 2?
How would 10 generations of living underground change the human body?
Is the claim "Employers won't employ people with no 'social media presence'" realistic?
Why didn't the Space Shuttle bounce back into space as many times as possible so as to lose a lot of kinetic energy up there?
How to display Aura JS Errors Lightning Out
Like totally amazing interchangeable sister outfits II: The Revenge
How to prevent z-fighting in OpenSCAD?
Apply MapThread to all but one variable
a sore throat vs a strep throat vs strep throat
How do I reattach a shelf to the wall when it ripped out of the wall?
What is the philosophical significance of speech acts/implicature?
Overlay of two functions leaves gaps
Is there any official lore on the Far Realm?
What makes accurate emulation of old systems a difficult task?
Function pointer with named arguments?
Implications of cigar-shaped bodies having rings?
Minor Revision with suggestion of an alternative proof by reviewer
What does the integral of a function times a function of a random variable represent, conceptually?
How to fry ground beef so it is well-browned
Why do games have consumables?
Map of water taps to fill bottles
Can SQL Server create collisions in system generated constraint names?
Can I grease a crank spindle/bracket without disassembling the crank set?
On The Origin of Dissonant Chords
Adding an .exe to default path without adding the directory
How use windows command-line to run tools like SVN and MYSQL without going to theirs respective pathAbbreviate exe name in Windows PATHUbuntu: Reset $PATH to factory defaultWindows command prompt seemingly ignoring PATHStart bash shell (cygwin) with correct path without changing directoryModifying the Path environment variable is not workingAccess/modify the user Path variable, not system PathDoes the order of the directories listed in the Windows PATH variable affect system performance in any meaningful way?Can I use shortcuts from a directory in PATH?Running executables through Windows CMD without specifying entire pathAdd a new path to PATH but end up with editing the last existing path in PATHDoes the Windows Command Prompt search somewhere other than those locations specified by the PATH variable when launching application programs?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty{ height:90px;width:728px;box-sizing:border-box;
}
For example, I want to add notepad++ to my PATH, however the directory also contains uninstall.exe
and several other files/executables and I don't want them to "pollute" my path. Can I just add the one notepad++.exe
?
windows path environment-variables
add a comment |
For example, I want to add notepad++ to my PATH, however the directory also contains uninstall.exe
and several other files/executables and I don't want them to "pollute" my path. Can I just add the one notepad++.exe
?
windows path environment-variables
add a comment |
For example, I want to add notepad++ to my PATH, however the directory also contains uninstall.exe
and several other files/executables and I don't want them to "pollute" my path. Can I just add the one notepad++.exe
?
windows path environment-variables
For example, I want to add notepad++ to my PATH, however the directory also contains uninstall.exe
and several other files/executables and I don't want them to "pollute" my path. Can I just add the one notepad++.exe
?
windows path environment-variables
windows path environment-variables
edited Jan 4 '11 at 2:05
Louis Rhys
asked Jan 3 '11 at 14:53
Louis RhysLouis Rhys
72851426
72851426
add a comment |
add a comment |
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
You can add a batch script to a directory that is in your path, that looks something like this:
@echo off
:: Notepad++ execution
if [%1]==[-h] goto :HELP
if [%1]==[--help] goto :HELP
if [%1]==[/?] goto :HELP
goto :START
:START
start "" /i "%ProgramFiles(x86)%notepad++notepad++.exe" %*
goto :EOF
:HELP
echo -------------------------------
echo Notepad++ Command Argument Help
echo -------------------------------
echo Usage :
echo.
echo notepad++ [--help] [-multiInst] [-noPlugins] [-lLanguage] [-nLineNumber] [-cColumnNumber] [-xPos] [-yPos] [-nosession] [-notabbar] [-ro] [-systemtray] [-loadingTime] [fullFilePathName]
echo.
echo --help : This help message
echo -multiInst : Launch another Notepad++ instance
echo -noPlugins : Launch Notepad++ without loading any plugin
echo -l : Launch Notepad++ by applying indicated language to the file to open
echo -n : Launch Notepad++ by scrolling indicated line on the file to open
echo -c : Launch Notepad++ on scrolling indicated column on the file to open
echo -x : Launch Notepad++ by indicating its left side position on the screen
echo -y : Launch Notepad++ by indicating its top position on the screen
echo -nosession : Launch Notepad++ without any session
echo -notabbar : Launch Notepad++ without tabbar
echo -ro : Launch Notepad++ and make the file to open read only
echo -systemtray : Launch Notepad++ directly in system tray
echo -loadingTime : Display Notepad++ loading time
echo -alwaysOnTop : Make Notepad++ always on top
echo fullFilePathName : file name to open (absolute or relative path name)
echo.
goto :EOF
:EOF
You can name it notepad++.cmd
. The help section allows you to easily get information on the switches.
I put all such scripts and command line programs in a directory which is added to %PATH%
:
C:UsersPublicCommand
...and that directory is synced to all computers and virtual machines.
add a comment |
Create a batch file with contents like the following:
@"C:Program FilesGitbingit.exe" %*
This should be saved as a .bat
file, such as git.bat
in a directory that's in your PATH
.
@
suppresses echoing the command to the invoking shell. The quotations ""
prevent white space being interpreted as argument delimiters. %*
pastes any arguments to the batch file, to the quoted executable instead.
You can now invoke the executable using the part of the batch file name before .bat
. In my case, git
.
References:
- Adding Python to Windows path using a small batch file
- Adding Python to Windows path using a small batch file - forum thread
For many programs that will hang up CMD until you close it. You need to usestart
to avoid that, as shown in my answer.
– paradroid
Jul 3 '12 at 19:15
@paradroid: Thanks, but it's standard terminal behaviour to remain attached to the parent unless asked. The user should dostart git
rather than have it done for them. The batch script would act better if itexec
d into the requested process but this isn't possible on Windows: serverfault.com/questions/315077/…. I could prependcall
but it would be pedantic and mostly pointless.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 20:46
add a comment |
Drag a shortcut to notepad++.exe
to C:WindowsSystem32
.
Alternatively, as suggested by @Synetech inc., you could place your shortcuts in a separate directory (e.g. C:Shortcuts
), and then add that directory to %PATH%
:
setx PATH "%PATH%;C:Shortcuts"
As some of the comments indicate, this only works from the Run dialog. In order to get the shortcuts to launch from a command prompt, you need to add the shortcut extension (.LNK) to your PATHEXT environment variable.
setx PATHEXT %pathext%;.LNK
References:
How can I start applications easily with the Run dialog box?
1
This is the preferred solution (as opposed to a batch file); create a shortcut to it in a (different) directory in the path—don’t pollute Windows’ directories! I have a folder specifically for this purpose calledShortcuts
.
– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 1:46
1
That's the wrong syntax forsetx
. You do not use an equals sign, and IIRC, you need to enclose the whole path in quotes, if the current%PATH%
has spaces in it (which it will).
– paradroid
May 25 '11 at 2:51
And doesn’tSETX
use tildes for variables instead of percents to avoid expanding them? I know that some env-var setting tool does…
– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 3:01
2
This doesn't work. By default (I'm dragging git.exe), "git - Shortcut", renaming this to combinations of "git.exe", "git", "git.cmd" etc. has no effect. It won't acknowledge the shortcut.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 17:58
3
This only works when invoking from theRun As
dialog, it didn't work from the command prompt.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 18:41
|
show 4 more comments
Just create a symbolic link using mklink
in a folder in the Path.
e.g. (in Administrator command prompt)
mklink "C:UsersMeDocumentsPathsnp.exe" "C:Program Files (x86)Notepad++notepad++.exe"
add a comment |
The App Paths registry key does exactly this: set the path to notepad++.exe to "program files..." and you'll be able to launch it from Start-Run, cmd, ... just like any executable from a directory in %PATH%.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionApp Paths
Reference: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4822400/register-an-exe-so-you-can-run-it-from-any-command-line-in-windows
This will not make it executable from cmd - only from start-run, or in cmd you have to prefix it with "start" as in "start myapp.exe"
– Tahir Hassan
Jan 23 '15 at 11:09
The Command Prompt this, agreed, lacks the ability to recognize this variable. PowerShell does recognize it. This solution, more importantly, only applies to the directory, and hence, off topic.
– Todd Partridge
May 31 '17 at 20:04
add a comment |
I didn't like any of the solutions presented here, so I tried something else.
Install link shell extension (more info here)
Create a folder somewhere to store all your shortcuts like Marteen suggests and add it to your
%PATH%
. I createdC:Shortcuts
and used Rapid Environment Editor to add it to my PATH.Right-click the file you want to add to your path (in Explorer) and click "Pick Link Source"
Right-click in folder you just created and click
Drop As > Symbolink Link
.Rename the symbolink link if you want.
That's it. You should be able to access your program via the command-line now. If you just added the new folder to your PATH, you will have to restart cmd.exe or Cmder or ConEmu or whatever it is you use. After that, you can add new programs without restarting.
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "3"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: true,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: 10,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fsuperuser.com%2fquestions%2f228592%2fadding-an-exe-to-default-path-without-adding-the-directory%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
You can add a batch script to a directory that is in your path, that looks something like this:
@echo off
:: Notepad++ execution
if [%1]==[-h] goto :HELP
if [%1]==[--help] goto :HELP
if [%1]==[/?] goto :HELP
goto :START
:START
start "" /i "%ProgramFiles(x86)%notepad++notepad++.exe" %*
goto :EOF
:HELP
echo -------------------------------
echo Notepad++ Command Argument Help
echo -------------------------------
echo Usage :
echo.
echo notepad++ [--help] [-multiInst] [-noPlugins] [-lLanguage] [-nLineNumber] [-cColumnNumber] [-xPos] [-yPos] [-nosession] [-notabbar] [-ro] [-systemtray] [-loadingTime] [fullFilePathName]
echo.
echo --help : This help message
echo -multiInst : Launch another Notepad++ instance
echo -noPlugins : Launch Notepad++ without loading any plugin
echo -l : Launch Notepad++ by applying indicated language to the file to open
echo -n : Launch Notepad++ by scrolling indicated line on the file to open
echo -c : Launch Notepad++ on scrolling indicated column on the file to open
echo -x : Launch Notepad++ by indicating its left side position on the screen
echo -y : Launch Notepad++ by indicating its top position on the screen
echo -nosession : Launch Notepad++ without any session
echo -notabbar : Launch Notepad++ without tabbar
echo -ro : Launch Notepad++ and make the file to open read only
echo -systemtray : Launch Notepad++ directly in system tray
echo -loadingTime : Display Notepad++ loading time
echo -alwaysOnTop : Make Notepad++ always on top
echo fullFilePathName : file name to open (absolute or relative path name)
echo.
goto :EOF
:EOF
You can name it notepad++.cmd
. The help section allows you to easily get information on the switches.
I put all such scripts and command line programs in a directory which is added to %PATH%
:
C:UsersPublicCommand
...and that directory is synced to all computers and virtual machines.
add a comment |
You can add a batch script to a directory that is in your path, that looks something like this:
@echo off
:: Notepad++ execution
if [%1]==[-h] goto :HELP
if [%1]==[--help] goto :HELP
if [%1]==[/?] goto :HELP
goto :START
:START
start "" /i "%ProgramFiles(x86)%notepad++notepad++.exe" %*
goto :EOF
:HELP
echo -------------------------------
echo Notepad++ Command Argument Help
echo -------------------------------
echo Usage :
echo.
echo notepad++ [--help] [-multiInst] [-noPlugins] [-lLanguage] [-nLineNumber] [-cColumnNumber] [-xPos] [-yPos] [-nosession] [-notabbar] [-ro] [-systemtray] [-loadingTime] [fullFilePathName]
echo.
echo --help : This help message
echo -multiInst : Launch another Notepad++ instance
echo -noPlugins : Launch Notepad++ without loading any plugin
echo -l : Launch Notepad++ by applying indicated language to the file to open
echo -n : Launch Notepad++ by scrolling indicated line on the file to open
echo -c : Launch Notepad++ on scrolling indicated column on the file to open
echo -x : Launch Notepad++ by indicating its left side position on the screen
echo -y : Launch Notepad++ by indicating its top position on the screen
echo -nosession : Launch Notepad++ without any session
echo -notabbar : Launch Notepad++ without tabbar
echo -ro : Launch Notepad++ and make the file to open read only
echo -systemtray : Launch Notepad++ directly in system tray
echo -loadingTime : Display Notepad++ loading time
echo -alwaysOnTop : Make Notepad++ always on top
echo fullFilePathName : file name to open (absolute or relative path name)
echo.
goto :EOF
:EOF
You can name it notepad++.cmd
. The help section allows you to easily get information on the switches.
I put all such scripts and command line programs in a directory which is added to %PATH%
:
C:UsersPublicCommand
...and that directory is synced to all computers and virtual machines.
add a comment |
You can add a batch script to a directory that is in your path, that looks something like this:
@echo off
:: Notepad++ execution
if [%1]==[-h] goto :HELP
if [%1]==[--help] goto :HELP
if [%1]==[/?] goto :HELP
goto :START
:START
start "" /i "%ProgramFiles(x86)%notepad++notepad++.exe" %*
goto :EOF
:HELP
echo -------------------------------
echo Notepad++ Command Argument Help
echo -------------------------------
echo Usage :
echo.
echo notepad++ [--help] [-multiInst] [-noPlugins] [-lLanguage] [-nLineNumber] [-cColumnNumber] [-xPos] [-yPos] [-nosession] [-notabbar] [-ro] [-systemtray] [-loadingTime] [fullFilePathName]
echo.
echo --help : This help message
echo -multiInst : Launch another Notepad++ instance
echo -noPlugins : Launch Notepad++ without loading any plugin
echo -l : Launch Notepad++ by applying indicated language to the file to open
echo -n : Launch Notepad++ by scrolling indicated line on the file to open
echo -c : Launch Notepad++ on scrolling indicated column on the file to open
echo -x : Launch Notepad++ by indicating its left side position on the screen
echo -y : Launch Notepad++ by indicating its top position on the screen
echo -nosession : Launch Notepad++ without any session
echo -notabbar : Launch Notepad++ without tabbar
echo -ro : Launch Notepad++ and make the file to open read only
echo -systemtray : Launch Notepad++ directly in system tray
echo -loadingTime : Display Notepad++ loading time
echo -alwaysOnTop : Make Notepad++ always on top
echo fullFilePathName : file name to open (absolute or relative path name)
echo.
goto :EOF
:EOF
You can name it notepad++.cmd
. The help section allows you to easily get information on the switches.
I put all such scripts and command line programs in a directory which is added to %PATH%
:
C:UsersPublicCommand
...and that directory is synced to all computers and virtual machines.
You can add a batch script to a directory that is in your path, that looks something like this:
@echo off
:: Notepad++ execution
if [%1]==[-h] goto :HELP
if [%1]==[--help] goto :HELP
if [%1]==[/?] goto :HELP
goto :START
:START
start "" /i "%ProgramFiles(x86)%notepad++notepad++.exe" %*
goto :EOF
:HELP
echo -------------------------------
echo Notepad++ Command Argument Help
echo -------------------------------
echo Usage :
echo.
echo notepad++ [--help] [-multiInst] [-noPlugins] [-lLanguage] [-nLineNumber] [-cColumnNumber] [-xPos] [-yPos] [-nosession] [-notabbar] [-ro] [-systemtray] [-loadingTime] [fullFilePathName]
echo.
echo --help : This help message
echo -multiInst : Launch another Notepad++ instance
echo -noPlugins : Launch Notepad++ without loading any plugin
echo -l : Launch Notepad++ by applying indicated language to the file to open
echo -n : Launch Notepad++ by scrolling indicated line on the file to open
echo -c : Launch Notepad++ on scrolling indicated column on the file to open
echo -x : Launch Notepad++ by indicating its left side position on the screen
echo -y : Launch Notepad++ by indicating its top position on the screen
echo -nosession : Launch Notepad++ without any session
echo -notabbar : Launch Notepad++ without tabbar
echo -ro : Launch Notepad++ and make the file to open read only
echo -systemtray : Launch Notepad++ directly in system tray
echo -loadingTime : Display Notepad++ loading time
echo -alwaysOnTop : Make Notepad++ always on top
echo fullFilePathName : file name to open (absolute or relative path name)
echo.
goto :EOF
:EOF
You can name it notepad++.cmd
. The help section allows you to easily get information on the switches.
I put all such scripts and command line programs in a directory which is added to %PATH%
:
C:UsersPublicCommand
...and that directory is synced to all computers and virtual machines.
edited May 25 '11 at 2:48
answered Jan 3 '11 at 15:54
paradroidparadroid
19.4k958102
19.4k958102
add a comment |
add a comment |
Create a batch file with contents like the following:
@"C:Program FilesGitbingit.exe" %*
This should be saved as a .bat
file, such as git.bat
in a directory that's in your PATH
.
@
suppresses echoing the command to the invoking shell. The quotations ""
prevent white space being interpreted as argument delimiters. %*
pastes any arguments to the batch file, to the quoted executable instead.
You can now invoke the executable using the part of the batch file name before .bat
. In my case, git
.
References:
- Adding Python to Windows path using a small batch file
- Adding Python to Windows path using a small batch file - forum thread
For many programs that will hang up CMD until you close it. You need to usestart
to avoid that, as shown in my answer.
– paradroid
Jul 3 '12 at 19:15
@paradroid: Thanks, but it's standard terminal behaviour to remain attached to the parent unless asked. The user should dostart git
rather than have it done for them. The batch script would act better if itexec
d into the requested process but this isn't possible on Windows: serverfault.com/questions/315077/…. I could prependcall
but it would be pedantic and mostly pointless.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 20:46
add a comment |
Create a batch file with contents like the following:
@"C:Program FilesGitbingit.exe" %*
This should be saved as a .bat
file, such as git.bat
in a directory that's in your PATH
.
@
suppresses echoing the command to the invoking shell. The quotations ""
prevent white space being interpreted as argument delimiters. %*
pastes any arguments to the batch file, to the quoted executable instead.
You can now invoke the executable using the part of the batch file name before .bat
. In my case, git
.
References:
- Adding Python to Windows path using a small batch file
- Adding Python to Windows path using a small batch file - forum thread
For many programs that will hang up CMD until you close it. You need to usestart
to avoid that, as shown in my answer.
– paradroid
Jul 3 '12 at 19:15
@paradroid: Thanks, but it's standard terminal behaviour to remain attached to the parent unless asked. The user should dostart git
rather than have it done for them. The batch script would act better if itexec
d into the requested process but this isn't possible on Windows: serverfault.com/questions/315077/…. I could prependcall
but it would be pedantic and mostly pointless.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 20:46
add a comment |
Create a batch file with contents like the following:
@"C:Program FilesGitbingit.exe" %*
This should be saved as a .bat
file, such as git.bat
in a directory that's in your PATH
.
@
suppresses echoing the command to the invoking shell. The quotations ""
prevent white space being interpreted as argument delimiters. %*
pastes any arguments to the batch file, to the quoted executable instead.
You can now invoke the executable using the part of the batch file name before .bat
. In my case, git
.
References:
- Adding Python to Windows path using a small batch file
- Adding Python to Windows path using a small batch file - forum thread
Create a batch file with contents like the following:
@"C:Program FilesGitbingit.exe" %*
This should be saved as a .bat
file, such as git.bat
in a directory that's in your PATH
.
@
suppresses echoing the command to the invoking shell. The quotations ""
prevent white space being interpreted as argument delimiters. %*
pastes any arguments to the batch file, to the quoted executable instead.
You can now invoke the executable using the part of the batch file name before .bat
. In my case, git
.
References:
- Adding Python to Windows path using a small batch file
- Adding Python to Windows path using a small batch file - forum thread
answered Jul 3 '12 at 18:42
Matt JoinerMatt Joiner
5301725
5301725
For many programs that will hang up CMD until you close it. You need to usestart
to avoid that, as shown in my answer.
– paradroid
Jul 3 '12 at 19:15
@paradroid: Thanks, but it's standard terminal behaviour to remain attached to the parent unless asked. The user should dostart git
rather than have it done for them. The batch script would act better if itexec
d into the requested process but this isn't possible on Windows: serverfault.com/questions/315077/…. I could prependcall
but it would be pedantic and mostly pointless.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 20:46
add a comment |
For many programs that will hang up CMD until you close it. You need to usestart
to avoid that, as shown in my answer.
– paradroid
Jul 3 '12 at 19:15
@paradroid: Thanks, but it's standard terminal behaviour to remain attached to the parent unless asked. The user should dostart git
rather than have it done for them. The batch script would act better if itexec
d into the requested process but this isn't possible on Windows: serverfault.com/questions/315077/…. I could prependcall
but it would be pedantic and mostly pointless.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 20:46
For many programs that will hang up CMD until you close it. You need to use
start
to avoid that, as shown in my answer.– paradroid
Jul 3 '12 at 19:15
For many programs that will hang up CMD until you close it. You need to use
start
to avoid that, as shown in my answer.– paradroid
Jul 3 '12 at 19:15
@paradroid: Thanks, but it's standard terminal behaviour to remain attached to the parent unless asked. The user should do
start git
rather than have it done for them. The batch script would act better if it exec
d into the requested process but this isn't possible on Windows: serverfault.com/questions/315077/…. I could prepend call
but it would be pedantic and mostly pointless.– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 20:46
@paradroid: Thanks, but it's standard terminal behaviour to remain attached to the parent unless asked. The user should do
start git
rather than have it done for them. The batch script would act better if it exec
d into the requested process but this isn't possible on Windows: serverfault.com/questions/315077/…. I could prepend call
but it would be pedantic and mostly pointless.– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 20:46
add a comment |
Drag a shortcut to notepad++.exe
to C:WindowsSystem32
.
Alternatively, as suggested by @Synetech inc., you could place your shortcuts in a separate directory (e.g. C:Shortcuts
), and then add that directory to %PATH%
:
setx PATH "%PATH%;C:Shortcuts"
As some of the comments indicate, this only works from the Run dialog. In order to get the shortcuts to launch from a command prompt, you need to add the shortcut extension (.LNK) to your PATHEXT environment variable.
setx PATHEXT %pathext%;.LNK
References:
How can I start applications easily with the Run dialog box?
1
This is the preferred solution (as opposed to a batch file); create a shortcut to it in a (different) directory in the path—don’t pollute Windows’ directories! I have a folder specifically for this purpose calledShortcuts
.
– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 1:46
1
That's the wrong syntax forsetx
. You do not use an equals sign, and IIRC, you need to enclose the whole path in quotes, if the current%PATH%
has spaces in it (which it will).
– paradroid
May 25 '11 at 2:51
And doesn’tSETX
use tildes for variables instead of percents to avoid expanding them? I know that some env-var setting tool does…
– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 3:01
2
This doesn't work. By default (I'm dragging git.exe), "git - Shortcut", renaming this to combinations of "git.exe", "git", "git.cmd" etc. has no effect. It won't acknowledge the shortcut.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 17:58
3
This only works when invoking from theRun As
dialog, it didn't work from the command prompt.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 18:41
|
show 4 more comments
Drag a shortcut to notepad++.exe
to C:WindowsSystem32
.
Alternatively, as suggested by @Synetech inc., you could place your shortcuts in a separate directory (e.g. C:Shortcuts
), and then add that directory to %PATH%
:
setx PATH "%PATH%;C:Shortcuts"
As some of the comments indicate, this only works from the Run dialog. In order to get the shortcuts to launch from a command prompt, you need to add the shortcut extension (.LNK) to your PATHEXT environment variable.
setx PATHEXT %pathext%;.LNK
References:
How can I start applications easily with the Run dialog box?
1
This is the preferred solution (as opposed to a batch file); create a shortcut to it in a (different) directory in the path—don’t pollute Windows’ directories! I have a folder specifically for this purpose calledShortcuts
.
– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 1:46
1
That's the wrong syntax forsetx
. You do not use an equals sign, and IIRC, you need to enclose the whole path in quotes, if the current%PATH%
has spaces in it (which it will).
– paradroid
May 25 '11 at 2:51
And doesn’tSETX
use tildes for variables instead of percents to avoid expanding them? I know that some env-var setting tool does…
– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 3:01
2
This doesn't work. By default (I'm dragging git.exe), "git - Shortcut", renaming this to combinations of "git.exe", "git", "git.cmd" etc. has no effect. It won't acknowledge the shortcut.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 17:58
3
This only works when invoking from theRun As
dialog, it didn't work from the command prompt.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 18:41
|
show 4 more comments
Drag a shortcut to notepad++.exe
to C:WindowsSystem32
.
Alternatively, as suggested by @Synetech inc., you could place your shortcuts in a separate directory (e.g. C:Shortcuts
), and then add that directory to %PATH%
:
setx PATH "%PATH%;C:Shortcuts"
As some of the comments indicate, this only works from the Run dialog. In order to get the shortcuts to launch from a command prompt, you need to add the shortcut extension (.LNK) to your PATHEXT environment variable.
setx PATHEXT %pathext%;.LNK
References:
How can I start applications easily with the Run dialog box?
Drag a shortcut to notepad++.exe
to C:WindowsSystem32
.
Alternatively, as suggested by @Synetech inc., you could place your shortcuts in a separate directory (e.g. C:Shortcuts
), and then add that directory to %PATH%
:
setx PATH "%PATH%;C:Shortcuts"
As some of the comments indicate, this only works from the Run dialog. In order to get the shortcuts to launch from a command prompt, you need to add the shortcut extension (.LNK) to your PATHEXT environment variable.
setx PATHEXT %pathext%;.LNK
References:
How can I start applications easily with the Run dialog box?
edited yesterday
Jakob Pearson
32
32
answered May 25 '11 at 1:32
Mateen UlhaqMateen Ulhaq
2,46952951
2,46952951
1
This is the preferred solution (as opposed to a batch file); create a shortcut to it in a (different) directory in the path—don’t pollute Windows’ directories! I have a folder specifically for this purpose calledShortcuts
.
– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 1:46
1
That's the wrong syntax forsetx
. You do not use an equals sign, and IIRC, you need to enclose the whole path in quotes, if the current%PATH%
has spaces in it (which it will).
– paradroid
May 25 '11 at 2:51
And doesn’tSETX
use tildes for variables instead of percents to avoid expanding them? I know that some env-var setting tool does…
– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 3:01
2
This doesn't work. By default (I'm dragging git.exe), "git - Shortcut", renaming this to combinations of "git.exe", "git", "git.cmd" etc. has no effect. It won't acknowledge the shortcut.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 17:58
3
This only works when invoking from theRun As
dialog, it didn't work from the command prompt.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 18:41
|
show 4 more comments
1
This is the preferred solution (as opposed to a batch file); create a shortcut to it in a (different) directory in the path—don’t pollute Windows’ directories! I have a folder specifically for this purpose calledShortcuts
.
– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 1:46
1
That's the wrong syntax forsetx
. You do not use an equals sign, and IIRC, you need to enclose the whole path in quotes, if the current%PATH%
has spaces in it (which it will).
– paradroid
May 25 '11 at 2:51
And doesn’tSETX
use tildes for variables instead of percents to avoid expanding them? I know that some env-var setting tool does…
– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 3:01
2
This doesn't work. By default (I'm dragging git.exe), "git - Shortcut", renaming this to combinations of "git.exe", "git", "git.cmd" etc. has no effect. It won't acknowledge the shortcut.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 17:58
3
This only works when invoking from theRun As
dialog, it didn't work from the command prompt.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 18:41
1
1
This is the preferred solution (as opposed to a batch file); create a shortcut to it in a (different) directory in the path—don’t pollute Windows’ directories! I have a folder specifically for this purpose called
Shortcuts
.– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 1:46
This is the preferred solution (as opposed to a batch file); create a shortcut to it in a (different) directory in the path—don’t pollute Windows’ directories! I have a folder specifically for this purpose called
Shortcuts
.– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 1:46
1
1
That's the wrong syntax for
setx
. You do not use an equals sign, and IIRC, you need to enclose the whole path in quotes, if the current %PATH%
has spaces in it (which it will).– paradroid
May 25 '11 at 2:51
That's the wrong syntax for
setx
. You do not use an equals sign, and IIRC, you need to enclose the whole path in quotes, if the current %PATH%
has spaces in it (which it will).– paradroid
May 25 '11 at 2:51
And doesn’t
SETX
use tildes for variables instead of percents to avoid expanding them? I know that some env-var setting tool does…– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 3:01
And doesn’t
SETX
use tildes for variables instead of percents to avoid expanding them? I know that some env-var setting tool does…– Synetech
May 25 '11 at 3:01
2
2
This doesn't work. By default (I'm dragging git.exe), "git - Shortcut", renaming this to combinations of "git.exe", "git", "git.cmd" etc. has no effect. It won't acknowledge the shortcut.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 17:58
This doesn't work. By default (I'm dragging git.exe), "git - Shortcut", renaming this to combinations of "git.exe", "git", "git.cmd" etc. has no effect. It won't acknowledge the shortcut.
– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 17:58
3
3
This only works when invoking from the
Run As
dialog, it didn't work from the command prompt.– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 18:41
This only works when invoking from the
Run As
dialog, it didn't work from the command prompt.– Matt Joiner
Jul 3 '12 at 18:41
|
show 4 more comments
Just create a symbolic link using mklink
in a folder in the Path.
e.g. (in Administrator command prompt)
mklink "C:UsersMeDocumentsPathsnp.exe" "C:Program Files (x86)Notepad++notepad++.exe"
add a comment |
Just create a symbolic link using mklink
in a folder in the Path.
e.g. (in Administrator command prompt)
mklink "C:UsersMeDocumentsPathsnp.exe" "C:Program Files (x86)Notepad++notepad++.exe"
add a comment |
Just create a symbolic link using mklink
in a folder in the Path.
e.g. (in Administrator command prompt)
mklink "C:UsersMeDocumentsPathsnp.exe" "C:Program Files (x86)Notepad++notepad++.exe"
Just create a symbolic link using mklink
in a folder in the Path.
e.g. (in Administrator command prompt)
mklink "C:UsersMeDocumentsPathsnp.exe" "C:Program Files (x86)Notepad++notepad++.exe"
answered Aug 28 '15 at 16:26
Luigi PlingeLuigi Plinge
13418
13418
add a comment |
add a comment |
The App Paths registry key does exactly this: set the path to notepad++.exe to "program files..." and you'll be able to launch it from Start-Run, cmd, ... just like any executable from a directory in %PATH%.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionApp Paths
Reference: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4822400/register-an-exe-so-you-can-run-it-from-any-command-line-in-windows
This will not make it executable from cmd - only from start-run, or in cmd you have to prefix it with "start" as in "start myapp.exe"
– Tahir Hassan
Jan 23 '15 at 11:09
The Command Prompt this, agreed, lacks the ability to recognize this variable. PowerShell does recognize it. This solution, more importantly, only applies to the directory, and hence, off topic.
– Todd Partridge
May 31 '17 at 20:04
add a comment |
The App Paths registry key does exactly this: set the path to notepad++.exe to "program files..." and you'll be able to launch it from Start-Run, cmd, ... just like any executable from a directory in %PATH%.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionApp Paths
Reference: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4822400/register-an-exe-so-you-can-run-it-from-any-command-line-in-windows
This will not make it executable from cmd - only from start-run, or in cmd you have to prefix it with "start" as in "start myapp.exe"
– Tahir Hassan
Jan 23 '15 at 11:09
The Command Prompt this, agreed, lacks the ability to recognize this variable. PowerShell does recognize it. This solution, more importantly, only applies to the directory, and hence, off topic.
– Todd Partridge
May 31 '17 at 20:04
add a comment |
The App Paths registry key does exactly this: set the path to notepad++.exe to "program files..." and you'll be able to launch it from Start-Run, cmd, ... just like any executable from a directory in %PATH%.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionApp Paths
Reference: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4822400/register-an-exe-so-you-can-run-it-from-any-command-line-in-windows
The App Paths registry key does exactly this: set the path to notepad++.exe to "program files..." and you'll be able to launch it from Start-Run, cmd, ... just like any executable from a directory in %PATH%.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionApp Paths
Reference: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4822400/register-an-exe-so-you-can-run-it-from-any-command-line-in-windows
edited May 23 '17 at 12:41
Community♦
1
1
answered Feb 12 '13 at 18:45
patrauleapatraulea
4116
4116
This will not make it executable from cmd - only from start-run, or in cmd you have to prefix it with "start" as in "start myapp.exe"
– Tahir Hassan
Jan 23 '15 at 11:09
The Command Prompt this, agreed, lacks the ability to recognize this variable. PowerShell does recognize it. This solution, more importantly, only applies to the directory, and hence, off topic.
– Todd Partridge
May 31 '17 at 20:04
add a comment |
This will not make it executable from cmd - only from start-run, or in cmd you have to prefix it with "start" as in "start myapp.exe"
– Tahir Hassan
Jan 23 '15 at 11:09
The Command Prompt this, agreed, lacks the ability to recognize this variable. PowerShell does recognize it. This solution, more importantly, only applies to the directory, and hence, off topic.
– Todd Partridge
May 31 '17 at 20:04
This will not make it executable from cmd - only from start-run, or in cmd you have to prefix it with "start" as in "start myapp.exe"
– Tahir Hassan
Jan 23 '15 at 11:09
This will not make it executable from cmd - only from start-run, or in cmd you have to prefix it with "start" as in "start myapp.exe"
– Tahir Hassan
Jan 23 '15 at 11:09
The Command Prompt this, agreed, lacks the ability to recognize this variable. PowerShell does recognize it. This solution, more importantly, only applies to the directory, and hence, off topic.
– Todd Partridge
May 31 '17 at 20:04
The Command Prompt this, agreed, lacks the ability to recognize this variable. PowerShell does recognize it. This solution, more importantly, only applies to the directory, and hence, off topic.
– Todd Partridge
May 31 '17 at 20:04
add a comment |
I didn't like any of the solutions presented here, so I tried something else.
Install link shell extension (more info here)
Create a folder somewhere to store all your shortcuts like Marteen suggests and add it to your
%PATH%
. I createdC:Shortcuts
and used Rapid Environment Editor to add it to my PATH.Right-click the file you want to add to your path (in Explorer) and click "Pick Link Source"
Right-click in folder you just created and click
Drop As > Symbolink Link
.Rename the symbolink link if you want.
That's it. You should be able to access your program via the command-line now. If you just added the new folder to your PATH, you will have to restart cmd.exe or Cmder or ConEmu or whatever it is you use. After that, you can add new programs without restarting.
add a comment |
I didn't like any of the solutions presented here, so I tried something else.
Install link shell extension (more info here)
Create a folder somewhere to store all your shortcuts like Marteen suggests and add it to your
%PATH%
. I createdC:Shortcuts
and used Rapid Environment Editor to add it to my PATH.Right-click the file you want to add to your path (in Explorer) and click "Pick Link Source"
Right-click in folder you just created and click
Drop As > Symbolink Link
.Rename the symbolink link if you want.
That's it. You should be able to access your program via the command-line now. If you just added the new folder to your PATH, you will have to restart cmd.exe or Cmder or ConEmu or whatever it is you use. After that, you can add new programs without restarting.
add a comment |
I didn't like any of the solutions presented here, so I tried something else.
Install link shell extension (more info here)
Create a folder somewhere to store all your shortcuts like Marteen suggests and add it to your
%PATH%
. I createdC:Shortcuts
and used Rapid Environment Editor to add it to my PATH.Right-click the file you want to add to your path (in Explorer) and click "Pick Link Source"
Right-click in folder you just created and click
Drop As > Symbolink Link
.Rename the symbolink link if you want.
That's it. You should be able to access your program via the command-line now. If you just added the new folder to your PATH, you will have to restart cmd.exe or Cmder or ConEmu or whatever it is you use. After that, you can add new programs without restarting.
I didn't like any of the solutions presented here, so I tried something else.
Install link shell extension (more info here)
Create a folder somewhere to store all your shortcuts like Marteen suggests and add it to your
%PATH%
. I createdC:Shortcuts
and used Rapid Environment Editor to add it to my PATH.Right-click the file you want to add to your path (in Explorer) and click "Pick Link Source"
Right-click in folder you just created and click
Drop As > Symbolink Link
.Rename the symbolink link if you want.
That's it. You should be able to access your program via the command-line now. If you just added the new folder to your PATH, you will have to restart cmd.exe or Cmder or ConEmu or whatever it is you use. After that, you can add new programs without restarting.
edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:16
Community♦
1
1
answered Jul 29 '15 at 0:52
mpenmpen
4,324114063
4,324114063
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Super User!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fsuperuser.com%2fquestions%2f228592%2fadding-an-exe-to-default-path-without-adding-the-directory%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown