Windows 10/11 - How to Run & Launch UWP Apps from CMD or Powershell
Well, here's the general template:
explorer shell:appsFolder\[PackageFamilyName]![APP_ID]
You can use this command in either Command Prompt (CMD), Powershell (pwsh), Windows Terminal or Win+R (Run).
How to find PackageFamilyName!APP_ID
Open Powershell and paste the following code:
###CODE BEGINS HERE###
# Define the registry path
$regPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\StateRepository\Cache\ApplicationUser\Data"
# Check if the registry path exists
if (Test-Path -Path $regPath) {
# Get the keys under the registry path
$keys = ls -Path $regPath
$counter = 0
$valuesList = @()
# Output the reg values and count them
foreach ($key in $keys) {
$value = Get-ItemProperty -Path "$regPath\$($key.PSChildName)" -Name "ApplicationUserModelId" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($value) {
$valuesList += $value.ApplicationUserModelId
$counter++
}
}
# Sort the values
$sortedValuesList = $valuesList | sort
# Output the sorted values
foreach ($value in $sortedValuesList) {
write $value
}
write "Total values: $counter"
} else {
write "The registry path $regPath does not exist."
}
###CODE ENDS HERE###
This will give you a list of all UWP apps. Note that some UWP apps may have more than one APP_ID.
Examples:
Windows Explorer (UWP version): explorer shell:appsFolder\c5e2524a-ea46-4f67-841f-6a9465d9d515_cw5n1h2txyewy!App
MS Store: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
* NOTE: The MS Store app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer ms-windows-store:updates
MS Groove Music: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.ZuneMusic_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.ZuneMusic
* NOTE: The Groove Music app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer mswindowsmusic:
MS Movies & TV: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.ZuneVideo_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.ZuneVideo
* NOTE: The Movies & TV app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer mswindowsvideo:
MS Camera: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsCamera_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
* NOTE: The MS Camera app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer microsoft.windows.camera:
MS Calendar: explorer shell:appsFolder\microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps_8wekyb3d8bbwe!microsoft.windowslive.calendar
* NOTE: The MS Calendar app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer outlookcal:
MS Mail: explorer shell:appsFolder\microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps_8wekyb3d8bbwe!microsoft.windowslive.mail
* NOTE: The MS Mail app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer outlookmail: or explorer mailto:
* NOTE: You can add a specific email to directly open a new mail message: explorer mailto:someone@home.com
MS Outlook Mail (new 2024): explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.OutlookForWindows_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.OutlookforWindows
* NOTE: The MS Outlook app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer ms-outlook:
MS Maps: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsMaps_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
* NOTE: The MS Maps app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer bingmaps:
MS Photos: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
* NOTE: The MS Photos app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer ms-photos:
MS Clock: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsAlarms_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
* NOTE: The MS Clock app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer ms-clock:
MS Windows 365 Cloud: explorer shell:appsFolder\MicrosoftCorporationII.Windows365_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Windows365
* NOTE: The Windows 365 Cloud app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap3:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer ms-cp:
or explorer ms-cloudpc: or explorer ms-remotedesktop: or explorer ms-remotedesktop-launch:
MS Phone Link: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.YourPhone_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
* NOTE: The MS Phone Link app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer ms-phone:
Kali Linux: explorer shell:appsFolder\KaliLinux.54290C8133FEE_ey8k8hqnwqnmg!kali
MS Pay: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.Wallet_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
MS People: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.People_8wekyb3d8bbwe!x4c7a3b7dy2188y46d4ya362y19ac5a5805e5x
* NOTE: The MS People app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer ms-people:
MS 3D Viewer: explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.Microsoft3DViewer_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.Microsoft3DViewer
* NOTE: The 3D Viewer app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer com.microsoft.3dviewer:
MS PowerPoint (Win10 Team edition ONLY): explorer shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.Office.PowerPoint_8wekyb3d8bbwe!microsoft.pptim
* NOTE: The PowerPoint app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer ms-powerpoint:
Whatsapp: explorer shell:appsFolder\5319275A.WhatsAppDesktop_cv1g1gvanyjgm!App
* NOTE: Whatsapp can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer whatsapp:
Telegram: explorer shell:appsFolder\TelegramMessengerLLP.TelegramDesktop_t4vj0pshhgkwm!Telegram.TelegramDesktop.Store
* NOTE: The Telegram app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer tg:
Apple iTunes: explorer shell:AppsFolder\AppleInc.iTunes_nzyj5cx40ttqa!iTunes
* NOTE: The iTunes app can also be launched with a shorter command (uap3:Protocol) defined in its AppxManifest.xml file: explorer itunes: or explorer itpc: or explorer itms:
Windows Update: explorer ms-settings:windowsupdate
--------------
NOTE: You can use the command "start" instead of "explorer" .
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By the way, there's an entire list of shell commands that can be used in Windows 10/11.
All shell commands are listed under this key in the registry:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions
In each subfolder/key, there's a value named "Name" and its data is the shell command.
To get a list of all the these shell commands, we can use Powershell again.
Paste this code in a Powershell console window (you do not have to be admin to run it):
### ↓ CODE BEGINS HERE ↓ ###
$path = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions'
$count = 0
if (Test-Path $path) {
ls -Path $path -Recurse | ForEach-Object {
$properties = Get-ItemProperty -Path $_.PSPath
if ($properties.Name) {
Write-Output "$($_.PSChildName): $($properties.Name)"
$count++
}
}
Write-Output "`nTotal rows: $count"
} else {
Write-Output "The registry path $path does not exist."
}
### ↑ CODE ENDS HERE ↑ ###