Mac to PC: How to Use the 'open' Command in Windows

As a macOS user, one question that always bothers me is what is the Windows equivalent of the open command used in macOS.

When I’m using the macOS Terminal, I usually open a file using a default program by using the open command like this:

open filename.txt

How about on Windows?

The answer is: start

In Windows, you can use the start command to open a file or folder. For example:

• start https://www.example.com - opens a website in your default browser
• start C:\Path\To\Folder - opens a folder in File Explorer

Note that this is similar to how the open command works on macOS, where you can use it to open files or folders with their associated application.

References

• Windows equivalent command for “open” command on Mac? - Super User