Manage your Windows computer with the Microsoft Management Console

Have you ever had a problem finding some of Windows built-in administrative tools? Don’t you wish you could have them in one, easy to find location? You can do just that and more with the Microsoft Management Console.

The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) is a program that is used to create, save, and open collections of administrative tools, called Consoles. Consoles contain items such as snap-ins, extension snap-ins, monitor controls, tasks, wizards, and documentation required to manage many of the hardware, software, and networking components of your Windows system.

The Microsoft Management Console inside of Windows 10

Here is a list of some of the more useful MMC Snapins:

• Computer Management
• Device Manager
• Disk Management
• Event Viewer
• Link to Web Address
• Performance Diagnostics
• Print Management
• Services
• Shared Folders
• Task Scheduler
• Windows Firewall

Using the Run dialog box to start the Microsoft Management Console

All versions of Windows:
On the keyboard, press the Windows Logo key  + R

Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10:
Right-click on the Windows logo  on the Start Menu or press the Windows Logo key  + X and then select Run

In the Run dialog box that appears, type mmc and select OK. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. When the Microsoft Management Console appears, it is time to add some content.

How to add / remove Microsoft Management Console snap-ins

1. Left-click on the File pull-down menu and select Add/Remove Snap-in
2. In the list of snap-ins that appears, left-click the snap-in you want to add to your console and then left-click on the Add button
3. If prompted, select either Local computer or Another computer. If you select Another computer, you will have to browse your network for that computer. Be sure to select the check box for Allow the select computer to be changed when launching from the command line.
4. Then left-click on Finish. This will bring you back to the Add/Remove Snapin screen. When you are done adding snapins, just left-click on the OK button in the lower right-hand corner of that screen.

How to add / edit / remove a Microsoft Management Console Taskpad View

1. Right-click on the name of the console and left-click either New Taskpad View, Edit Taskpad View or Delete Taskpad View from the dialog menu that appears. If you do not have any Taskpad Views already inside of the console, the only option that will appear is New Taskpad View.
2. If you are creating a new Taskpad View, the New Taskpad View Wizard will appear. Just follow the prompts and choose the Taskpad default settings. If you don’t like the way it appears, you can always go back and edit the layout later. If you are editing a Taskpad View, the general settings and tasks associated with it will appear.
3. When you finish creating a new Taskpad View, you have the option of creating a new task to go inside of it. If you are editing an existing Taskpad View, you can go the Tasks tab and edit the existing Tasks.
4. When adding new tasks, the New Task Wizard will appear. Just follow the prompts and select the command type you want to use. You can run a command from a menu, run a script or program, open up a web page or open a tree item from your MMC favorite list.

When you are finished setting up your console, don’t forget to save it some place where you an access it easily, like your Desktop.