How in the Tech

Return the “run” command to Windows 7 Start Menu

By Adam Myers ⋅ March 11, 2010 ⋅ Tags: Vista, Windows 7

The notion of Start->Run has been ingrained in most enthusiasts minds as the premise existed since the days of Windows 95. The method was an efficient way to launch commands without the need of traversing the Start Menu – assuming you knew what you were looking for. For reasons unknown, Microsoft chose to remove the Run command from Vista and Windows 7′s Start Menu – replacing it with the Start->Search command instead. Generally, Start->Search expands upon the Run command of old as it can pull from an indexed database, meaning you don’t need to know, or path explicitly to what you are launching.

For the most part, the functionality works fantastically but there are circumstances where the process bogs down, especially when the command in question isn’t part of the indexed database – like a remote network path you are trying to access. It’s times like these that one may miss the Run command. Keyboard junkies may already be thinking to themselves, what about WinKey+R? This is an effective alternative as the Run command dialog still exists in 7 but more and more computer users are shying away from memorization of obscure shortcuts. For those users, they should know it’s quite simple to return the Run command back to it’s rightful spot in the Start Menu.

1. Right-click on the Taskbar and choose Properties.



2. Click the Start Menu tab and choose Customize.



3. In the Customize Start Menu dialog scroll through the list and look for the check-box next to Run command. Check it!



4. OK out of the two dialog windows, returning yourself to your desktop view.
5. Click on the Start Orb and notice that the Run command has returned.