TechnoHolics

I think that it’s cool and ‘geeky’ to be able to launch your favorite and frequently used application just the way you launch regedit, cmd or services.msc from the Run dialog box or even from the Command Prompt. In this post, I am going to tell you 3 methods to do this. The first two methods can be used only to launch executable files where as third method can be used to launch any file or directory.

1. Using Add2Run utility
Let’s start with the most simple way to launch applications from Run. Add2Run developed by Jitendra Bangani is a tiny standalone portable utility designed just to do this.

1. Download Add2Run (250 KB) and run the application.
2. Select the target application or program that you want to launch.
3. Select an alias name. You can launch the selected application from Run by typing this name. For example, in the following screenshot, whenever I type hex in Run and hit Enter, a Hex Editor application launches.


Add2Run

2. Creating an alias in Registry
This method involves creating a new alias by creating a new key in Windows Registry. This is the usual or the ‘official’ way.
1. Start the registry editor (regedit.exe)
2. Move to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\App Paths
3. From the Edit menu select New – Key
4. Enter the name of the alias, e.g. hex.exe (.exe part is necessary)
5. Move to the new key and double click on the (Default) value (it is blank by default)
6. Set its value as the full file path of the program you want to launch, e.g. E:\PF\Hex Editor\XVI32.exe (path). Click OK
7. Close the registry editor

Note : To launch a programs from Command Prompt, just use the following syntax :
start aliasname
For example, start hex

3. Using Environment Variables
This method involves creating an environment variable. You can use this method to launch any file or directory. But, unlike the above two methods, from run, you need to enclose the alias name between % symbols. For example %AppData% is an environment variable used to access Application Data directory of the current user profile.

1. Right click on My Computer >> Properties
   ( or use the shortcut [Windows button] + [Pause/Break] ) to open System Properties.
   
2. Under the Advanced tab, click on Environment Variables.
3. Now you will see a list of variables that are already assigned. Click on New.
   
4. Type in an alias name in the Variable name field.
5. Type the full path of the file/directory you want to launch Variable value field.
   
6. Click OK.

For example, if you type hex as Variable name, then you can launch the target application by typing %hex% in the Run dialog box.