However, Run won’t open all the third-party apps you’ve installed. Nor does that accessory include any built-in settings you can select for it to launch apps of choice. However, you can still configure Run to open your favorite software by editing the registry. Below we tell you how to configure Run to open third-party programs of choice.
How to Configure Run to Open Third-Party Apps by Editing the Registry
To open a third-party app of your choice with Run, you’ll need to add a registry key for it. That registry key will include a couple of strings for which you enter two-path values for the program. So, you’ll need to know the full path of the software (and its exact EXE filename) you want to open for this registry tweak to work. You can open the program’s folder in File Explorer to check its path.
For the sake of an example, we will configure Run to open the freeware Winaero Tweaker in the steps below. This program is a great customization app for Windows 11 you can download from the Winaero Tweaker webpage. If you install that app at its default C:\Program Files\Winaero Tweaker path, you can follow the steps below exactly as outlined.
First, press Win + S and type Registry Editor in the search box. Press Enter. Open this registry key: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths. Right-click App Paths and select the New > Key options. Enter the exact name of the program’s EXE file, along with its extension, for the registry key’s title. For our example, you will need to enter WinaeroTweaker. exe. Select the new program registry key (WinaeroTweaker. exe) you just added on the left side of the Registry Editor. Double-click the (Default) string for the registry key to open its Edit String window. Then enter the full path of the program, including its EXE file name, in the Value data box. For our Winaero example, input this path: C:\Program Files\Winaero Tweaker\WinaeroTweaker. exe. Click the OK button to close the Edit String window. Next, right-click the WinaeroTweaker. exe registry key, or whatever other you’ve added, and select New > String Value. Enter Path for new string value’s name. Double-click the new Path string. Input the folder path (excluding an EXE file) for the app in the Value data box, and click OK to save. If you installed Winaero Tweaker at its default path, you would need to enter C:\Program Files\Winaero Tweaker there. You’ve finished the required registry editing. Close the Registry Editor, and click Start, Power, and Restart.
Now it’s time to open the app you’ve just configured Run to launch. Bring up Run by pressing Win + R. Then enter the name of the program you entered for the registry key in Run’s Open box.
Read also: How to Open the Windows Run Command Dialog BoxIn the example above, the app’s registry key name was WinaeroTweaker.exe. If you followed that example, entering WinaeroTweaker.exe in Run’s open box and clicking OK will launch that app. Entering WineroTweaker will also work. However, entering Winaero Tweaker won’t open it. So, you’ve got to enter a program name in Run that matches the registry key you added (albeit without the extension).
Note that it’s essential to include the EXE extensions for all the program registry keys you add even when software names don’t have EXE in them. For instance, you won’t be able to open Winaero with Run if you only enter WinaeroTweaker for its registry key name. So, don’t forget to add the EXE extension to the end of the registry key names.
Now You can Open Your Favorite Software With Run
You can configure Run to launch all your favorite third-party software as outlined above. Run will certainly be all the more useful when you can open third-party programs with it. Furthermore, you won’t need to add so many shortcuts to your desktop or Start menu when you can launch more software with this feature.
