Guide: Fix ‘Can’t Type in CMD’ Issue

I recently encountered a double-whammy of issues on my Windows 10 PC: 100% disk usage and an inability to type in CMD. After a series of troubleshooting steps, I was able to resolve both problems.

Many Windows users have encountered the same issue: they can’t type or see what they’re typing in CMD. To help others, this article provides solutions to fix the problem.

1. Reboot and restart

Restarting your computer and CMD can often solve problems - a simple trick that may surprise you. If it doesn’t work, there are other solutions to explore.

2. Start as an administrator

Knowledge of Windows’ guest accounts is essential for users who want to access advanced features. To use CMD, for example, an account with administrator rights is required - not a guest account. Therefore, it’s important to ensure you are not using a guest account when attempting to access such features.

For an extra layer of security, right-click on the Command Prompt when using your primary account and select ‘Run as administrator’ to ensure CMD has the authority to accept commands.

To make Command Prompt a permanent fixture on your Windows computer, search for it in Windows Search, right-click it and select Open File Location.

Right-click the CMD.exe file to launch the program, then select Properties.

The Shortcut tab offers an Advanced option that can be clicked.

To ensure administrator privileges, users can select the “Run as administrator” option when opening the command prompt. This will enable the command prompt to always run with these privileges, even if not specifically chosen.

3. Use Legacy Console

Microsoft has released an updated version of the command prompt for Windows 10, featuring new features such as window resizing and CTRL + V shortcut pasting. However, users can still access the legacy console if they encounter any issues. Reports suggest that switching back to the old console may help resolve these problems.

Launch Command Prompt and select Properties from the top left icon.

Enable Legacy Console by navigating to the Options tab and selecting the option at the bottom, then clicking OK.

Restarting the command prompt is necessary for changes to take effect, and doing so disables CTRL shortcuts such as cut, copy, and paste in the legacy console.

4. CMD.EXE or CMD.COM

You may be unknowingly using COMMAND.COM instead of CMD.exe, which could be causing an error. To launch Command Prompt, press Windows + R to open RUN and type cmd.exe before hitting enter.

The presence of malware on your computer can be detected by typing “cmd” into the search bar. PathExt searches for the executable file in a specific order, allowing you to identify any malicious software.

The Windows operating system recognizes a variety of file extensions, including .COM, .EXE, .BAT, .CMD, .VBS, .VBE, .JS, .JSE, .WSF and.WSH.

Malwarebytes should be downloaded to scan your computer for potential issues caused by COM taking precedence over EXE. Additionally, HijackThis should be run to check for any infections.

5. Safe mode

Restarting your computer in safe mode can help identify and remove viruses or malware that have gone undetected by previous scans, even if the issue isn’t caused by malicious software.

To restart a computer in safe mode, users can press the Windows + I keys to open Settings and then select Updates and security.

To restart your device, select the “Restart now” option under the “Advanced startup” section of the “Recovery” menu.

A blue screen titled “Choose an Option” should appear; click “Troubleshoot” to proceed.

Users can access additional features by clicking on the Advanced options button.

After rebooting your system, press F4 or 4 on your keyboard to enter Safe Mode. You will then be presented with more options; select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt by pressing F6 or 6. Once Windows loads, check if the command prompt is working correctly - this could indicate that malware or certain software has caused an issue.

Hold down the SHIFT key and click Restart from the power menu to boot into Safe Mode. From there, select Troubleshoot and click Restart on the next screen.

Your wish is my command

Typing “CMD” into the RUN dialog prompt should open the command prompt, but sometimes it doesn’t work. We’ve outlined several solutions, but if you have another that worked for you, please share it with us.

Alternative command-line tools are emerging as viable alternatives to the traditional Command Prompt. These new tools offer more features and capabilities than the original, making them a better choice for users looking to get the most out of their command-line experience.

Fix ‘Can’t Type in CMD’ Issue: benefits

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Final note

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