How to update system PATH variable permanently from cmd?

Question

We can use setx as discussed here.

setx PATH \"%PATH%;C:\\Something\\bin\"

But this command can just make changed to user PATH

Answer 1

Type setx /? to get basic command help. You'll easily discover:

/M                     Specifies that the variable should be set in
                       the system wide (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE)
                       environment. The default is to set the
                       variable under the HKEY_CURRENT_USER
                       environment.

You need to run this from an elevated command prompt. Right-click the cmd shortcut and select Run as Administrator.

E.g.

setx /M PATH "%PATH%;C:\Something\bin"

Caution:

We may destroy the current system's PATH variable. Make sure you backup its value before you modify it.

Answer 2

From powershell

setx /M PATH "$($env:path);c:\program files\mynewprogram"

Answer 3

One problem with %PATH%, is it includes the user's path. If you don't mind Powershell, you can run the following

$p = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::Machine);
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", $p + ";C:\MyPath", [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::Machine);