TAB key not working correctly in Command Prompt in Windows 10/11

The Tab key in Command Prompt is a very convenient option as you can easily go through a file, autocomplete a command. But, some times you may see that pressing the Tab key in CMD is not working or inserting a space instead of iterating through items. To fix the issue, follow these easy fixes on your computer.

Fix-1 Modify Registry Editor-

Modifying two values of the registry will solve the issue on your computer.

1. At first, press the Windows key. Next, you need to type “regedit“.

2. Then, click on “Registry Editor“.

 

Regedit



 

IMPORTANT

Create a backup of your registry. Simply, click on “File” followed by a click on the “Export” to create the backup.

In any case anything goes wrong you can retrieve your registry by simply importing the backup.

3. In Registry Editor window, on the left-hand side, navigate to this location-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor

 

4. Now, locate CompletionChar in the right side.

To edit it double click on the “CompletionChar“.

 

Completionchar

 

5. In Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value set the ‘Value data:‘ to “9“.

6. Now, click on “OK“.

 

Value Data 1

 

7. Similarly, on the right-hand side, double click on the “PathCompletionChar“.

 

Pathcompltion Dc

 

8. Just the same as before set the ‘Value data:‘ to “9“.

6. Now, click on “OK“.

 

Ok To Save Value Data

 

Close the Registry Editor window.

Restart your computer and after rebooting your device, open the Command Prompt window.

Check ‘Tab‘ key is working correctly or not.

 

Fix-2 Enable QuickEdit Mode-

Enabling QuickEdit should fix the Tab key in Command Prompt.

1. Type “cmd” in the Search box beside the Windows icon.

2. Right-click on the “Command Prompt“. Then, click on the “Run as administrator“.

 

Cmd Search New

 

3. When the Command Prompt window appears, right-click on the Command Prompt title bar.

4. Now, click on the “Properties“.



 

Props Cmd

 

5. In the ‘Edit Options‘ section, check the option “QuickEdit Mode“.

6. Click on “OK” to save these changes.

 

Quickedit Ok

 

Now, test if the ‘Tab‘ is working in the Command Prompt window.