How to Enable Quick Edit Mode in the Command Prompt by Default

You can use the mouse to copy Command Prompt text to the clipboard by enabling the Quick Edit option in Command Prompt shortcut properties. What if you don’t use a desktop shortcut to open Command Prompt, and rather run cmd.exe directly? Here is a registry edit which enables Quick Edit option by default for Command Prompt. This works regardless of the methods you use to open the Command Prompt window.

This article was written for older Windows versions. Quick Edit is enabled by default in latest versions of Windows, such as Windows 10.

Enable Quick Edit by default in Command Prompt

1. Open a Command Prompt window (cmd.exe)
2. Bring up the menu by clicking the top left corner
3. Click Defaults
4. In the Options tab, place a checkmark near Quick Edit Mode
5. Click OK.

Using the Registry Editor

1. Launch regedit.exe and navigate to:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console

2. Double-click QuickEdit and set its data to 1
3. Exit the Registry Editor.

With Quick Edit enabled, you can copy the output from the Command Prompt window using the mouse. To do so, select the text area using the mouse pointer and click the right mouse button or press ENTER.