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:

• Open a website in your default browser

start https://www.example.com

• Opens a folder in File Explorer

start C:\Path\To\Folder

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