What is the shortest route to Device Manager?

9 Answers

Click on the Start menu and type (or type the same in a command-line window, CMD.EXE):

devmgmt.msc

Or you can just type Device Manager and it should come up.

6

My typical route to get to the Device Manager window is Windows Key + Pause/Break. This will get you to the System Properties window. Device Manager is just two clicks away:

1

1. Create a new shortcut.

2. Enter devmgmt.msc as the target.

3. Give the shortcut a name. For example: Device Manager.

4. Optionally, pin the resulting shortcut to your taskbar for even faster access.

Simple. In Windows 10, do Win + X and press M.

3

Use Win + R hdwwiz.cpl

Or Win + R devmgmt.msc

Both files open the Device Manager window and are located in %windir%\system32\.

Though .cpl is opened by control.exe, and .msc by mmc.exe executables which are also located in the same path.

PS:

Personally I think hdwwiz.cpl is better to memorize as it can be associated with the appwiz.cpl counterpart for software, that is the Programs and Features window, but despite being a .cpl file it opens in microsoft management console, meaning it's not a control panel app and therefore should be associated with mmc.exe.

0

The search function in the Vista/7 Start Menu is pretty awesome. Just type 'Device Manager'. This works for pretty much any system config applet as long as you have the slightest idea what it's called. (Try 'hard drive' sometime.)

The old-fashioned way I used in XP, and this still works, is to right-click My Computer in the Start Menu and select 'Manage', which brings up the Computer Management console which has Device Manager, Disk Manager, Event Viewer, etc, readily accessible.

2

You can start the device manager through:

1. The management console snap-in

   devmgmt.msc

2. The control panel pane

   hdwwiz.cpl

   or

   rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hdwwiz.cpl

3. The device manager dll:

   rundll32.exe devmgr.dll DeviceManager_Execute

These all work on Windows 7 through Windows 10.

Under Windows 10 (and 8 it seems) you can press WIN + X to open a menu that contains an entry for device manager.

Win+Break to open System from Control Panel quickly.

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