Run command

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title: "Run command" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["windows-components"] description: "Command used to begin execution of a program" topic_path: "technology/operating-systems" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run_command" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Command used to begin execution of a program ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Run_command.png" caption="The ''Run...'' dialog box in [[GNOME]]."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Run_Windows.png" caption="''Run'' dialog box in [[Windows 11"] ::

The Run command on an operating system such as Microsoft Windows and Unix-like systems is used to directly open an application or document whose path is known.

Overview

The command functions more or less like a single-line command-line interface. In the GNOME (a UNIX-like derivative) interface, the Run command is used to run applications via terminal commands. It can be accessed by pressing . KDE (a UNIX-like derivative) has similar functionality called KRunner. It is accessible via the same key binds.

The Multics shell includes a run command to run a command in an isolated environment. The DEC TOPS-10 and TOPS-20{{cite web |url=http://www.textfiles.com/bitsavers/pdf/dec/pdp10/TOPS20/V6.1/AA-FP65A-TM_tops20CmdsRef.pdf |title=TOPS-20 Command manual |access-date=2019-02-03 |archive-date=2020-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809103116/http://www.textfiles.com/bitsavers/pdf/dec/pdp10/TOPS20/V6.1/AA-FP65A-TM_tops20CmdsRef.pdf |url-status=dead

In the BASIC programming language, RUN is used to start program execution from direct mode, or to start an overlay program from a loader program.

Accessing the Run command

Starting with Windows 95, the Run command is accessible through the Start menu and also through the shortcut key . Although the Run command is still present in Windows Vista and later, it no longer appears directly on the Start menu by default, in favor of the new search box and a shortcut to the Run command in the Windows System sub-menu.

The Run command is launched in GNOME and KDE desktop environment by holding .

Uses

Uses include bringing up webpages; for example, if a user were to bring up the Run command and type in http://www.example.com/, the user's default Web Browser would open that page. This allows user to not only launch http protocol, but also all registered URI schemes in OS and applications associated with them, like mailto and [file](file-uri-scheme).

In GNOME and KDE, the Run command acts as a location where applications and commands can be executed.

References

References

1. [https://www.multicians.org/multics-commands.html Multics Commands]
2. (August 1980). "TOPS-10 Operating System Commands Manual". Digital Equipment Corporation.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::