How to Add a Command Line

Some computer programs such as games are able to make use of command line parameters--short text strings entered when the program is launched, which can only be entered from the command prompt. For example, the computer game "Halo" accepts the command line string "-nosound," which forces the game to run in without sound, improving speed on some computers. Add command line parameters to Windows shortcuts to have those parameters used automatically when a shortcut is double-clicked.

Instructions

1. Locate the shortcut icon for the program that you would like to modify. The shortcut can be on your desktop, on the Start menu, or anywhere else on your hard drive.

2. Right click on the shortcut, and click "Properties."

3. Click inside the box labeled "Target," and use the keyboard arrow keys to arrow to the end of the line, after the final quotation mark. Hit the space bar once, and enter the command line parameter. For example, a command line parameter for Internet Explorer might look like "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -nohome. This parameter would cause Internet Explorer to open without displaying a homepage.

4. Click "OK" to save your changes, then double click on the shortcut to launch it with the command line parameters that you added.

References

• How to Use Command Line Shortcuts
• Target Line Parameters for Halo and Halo 2

Resources

• Collection of Command Line Switches