How to Open WordPad in Windows 10

Accessing through "All Apps" List in the Start Menu

The Start menu contains a list of all software installed on your PC. WordPad is hidden under the "Windows Accessories" folder of the list.

1. 
   Click on the Start

   

   button.
2. Open the All apps list from the left of the Start menu. You can also scroll if you've configured it to show on the tiles page.
3. Click the "Windows Accessories" folder.
4. Choose "WordPad".

Running through the Dialog Window

1. Press the ⊞ Win+R keyboard keys at the same time.
2. 
   Type write, wordpad, or %SystemDrive%/Program Files/Windows NT/Accessories/WordPad.exe.
3. Hit the ↵ Enter key or click OK.

Searching with File Explorer

This is the built-in file management app that also stores system files, including WordPad.

1. Open File Explorer. You can do this quickly by clicking the taskbar icon

   

   or pressing ⊞ Win+E.
2. 
   Type %SystemDrive%/Program Files/Windows NT/Accessories. Hit ↵ Enter or click the right arrow →.

   • You can also manually navigate to the folder, replacing "%SystemDrive%" with your drive letter (usually C:).
3. Open the "wordpad" executable file. It might have ".exe" at the end of the name depending on your file viewing settings.

Using the Command Prompt

1. Open the Command Prompt. One way is to right-click the Start

   

   button and click Command Prompt.^[3]
2. 
   Type write or wordpad.exe.
3. Hit ↵ Enter.

Opening with Windows PowerShell

WordPad can be opened through PowerShell, which is an alternative to Command Prompt.^[4]

1. 
   Run Powershell. Type powershell into the taskbar search bar (or launch the Start

   

   menu and type if the bar is missing).
2. Select "Windows PowerShell". Ignore any advanced results that may appear (such as "PowerShell ISE" and "PowerShell (x86)").^[5]
3. Wait until you see the Microsoft copyright info at the top. Depending on your computer, there might be a delay of up to 5 seconds until this appears.
4. Type write.exe.
5. Hit ↵ Enter.