Open windows executable, file, or folder from cygwin terminal

explorer $( cygpath "/path/to/file_or_exe" -w )
This executes faster than cygstart.exe I put this in a script and added it to my path: cat `which explore.sh` #!/bin/bash if [ $# -eq 0 ]; then explorer.exe $( cygpath `pwd` -w ) & else explorer.exe $( cygpath $1 -w ) & fi; Using the script you just type explore.sh file_or_executable Note: you can do this for any file that has an associated executable in the windows registry. This is quite handy if you want to open pictures or movies from xterm.
Sample Output 
$ explorer $( cygpath "/path/to/executable" -w ) # Run the windows executable
$ explorer $( cygpath "movie file.avi" -w ) # Plays movie file with default player
$ explorer $( cygpath "/path/to/a folder" -w ) # Opens a folder in windows explorer

0
By: Highwayman
2009-07-22 17:00:21
cygstart explorer.exe cygpath open
8
Submit An Alternative

What Others Think

explorer.exe often chooses the wrong app when opening files, whereas cygstart is usually more accurate. I also have never noticed cygstart to be especially slow. Since I'm used to working on a Mac, I use a function to map open to cygstart: open () { echo 'Using Windoze cygstart.exe instead.'; cygstart "$*" ; }
Ben · 855 weeks and 1 day ago
If it opens the wrong app, then it is because you have the wrong app in your windows registry. You should update your registry with the correct app. You can quickly update it using the "Open with..." option from windows explorer. I can safely confirm that cygstart is slow on Windows Vista. It takes much longer than using explorer.exe! Its the same speed as double clicking a file from windows explorer.
Highwayman · 855 weeks ago
Cygstart uses the same mechanism as Explorer... and shouldn't be any slower.
romulusnr · 844 weeks ago
arno försöker smyga in en länk. very good post
evighetsrosor · 241 weeks ago
john2020 · 237 weeks and 3 days ago
I really thank you for the valuable info on this great subject and look forward to more great posts. Thanks a lot for enjoying this beauty article with me. I am appreciating it very much! Looking forward to another great article. Good luck to the author! All the best! I really loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and easy to understand. Unlike other blogs I have read which are really not that good.Thanks alot!
xoheko1229 · 229 weeks and 5 days ago
nice job, would love to implement some of your trick in $ man 1s tejados las rozas
Rozas · 223 weeks and 4 days ago
man ls
victorestero · 223 weeks ago

What do you think?

Any thoughts on this command? Does it work on your machine? Can you do the same thing with only 14 characters?

You must be signed in to comment.

What's this?

commandlinefu.com is the place to record those command-line gems that you return to again and again. That way others can gain from your CLI wisdom and you from theirs too. All commands can be commented on, discussed and voted up or down.

Share Your Commands

Similar Commands

Returns the Windows file details for any file using Cygwin bash (actual r-click-properties-info) to the term

Open a list of files in VIM using separate terminal windows

MEMORY DUMP ACROSS NETWORK 4 CYGWIN

recursively add all sub folders with executable file of current folder to PATH environment variable

Stay in the loop…

Follow the Tweets.

Every new command is wrapped in a tweet and posted to Twitter. Following the stream is a great way of staying abreast of the latest commands. For the more discerning, there are Twitter accounts for commands that get a minimum of 3 and 10 votes - that way only the great commands get tweeted.

» http://twitter.com/commandlinefu
» http://twitter.com/commandlinefu3
» http://twitter.com/commandlinefu10

Subscribe to the feeds.

Use your favourite RSS aggregator to stay in touch with the latest commands. There are feeds mirroring the 3 Twitter streams as well as for virtually every other subset (users, tags, functions,…):

Subscribe to the feed for: