Opening files in Windows can be accomplished through various methods, including using the graphical user interface (GUI), Command Prompt (CMD), and PowerShell. This article will guide you through these methods, focusing on how to open files using CMD and PowerShell, which are powerful tools for automation and scripting in the Windows environment.

Examples:

1. Opening Files via Windows Explorer (GUI):

   • Navigate to the file location using File Explorer.
   • Double-click the file to open it with the default application.

2. Opening Files Using Command Prompt (CMD):

   • Open Command Prompt by typing cmd in the Windows search bar and pressing Enter.
   • Navigate to the directory containing the file using the cd command. For example:

     cd C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents

   • Open the file using the start command followed by the file name. For example:

     start example.txt

     This command will open the file example.txt with the default text editor.

3. Opening Files Using PowerShell:

   • Open PowerShell by typing powershell in the Windows search bar and pressing Enter.
   • Navigate to the directory containing the file using the Set-Location cmdlet. For example:

     Set-Location -Path C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents

   • Open the file using the Invoke-Item cmdlet. For example:

     Invoke-Item -Path example.txt

     This command will open example.txt with the default application associated with .txt files.

4. Opening Files with Specific Applications:

   • You can specify an application to open a file using CMD or PowerShell. For example, to open a text file with Notepad using CMD:

     start notepad example.txt

   • Similarly, in PowerShell, you can use:

     Start-Process notepad -ArgumentList example.txt