How can I start a file with an associated non-default command (shell verb) like "edit", "print", ... from command-line or from a .bat script by using standard Windows means . (Those extra actions which you get offered on top upon right-click on a file in the Windows Explorer.) Thus getting the effect of python -c "import os;os.startfile('somepic.png', 'edit')" (ShellExecuteEx), but without using extra tools like python, powershell, or so. The START command does not seem to offer that. As learned from the comments and after further searching: there seems to be no direct command for that task in