{ "id": "3c63ce78-cefc-44b5-99ea-3d20bf5edf45", "created_at": "2026-04-06T00:08:17.91543Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T13:12:21.593552Z", "deleted_at": null, "sha1_hash": "16d6cfb992221bad11cc20681baec79433a88d3f", "title": "Windows .msc files overview - gHacks Tech News", "llm_title": "", "authors": "", "file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_modification_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_size": 170411, "plain_text": "Windows .msc files overview - gHacks Tech News\r\nBy Martin Brinkmann\r\nPublished: 2017-06-10 ยท Archived: 2026-04-05 20:28:56 UTC\r\nMSC files are snap-in control files that are associated with the Microsoft Management Console on Windows\r\nmachines to run administrative tasks.\r\nYou may run some msc files like services.msc or gpedit.msc regularly, but there are plenty more that you can run\r\nor create on Windows client and server machines to speed up administrative processes.\r\nMicrosoft Windows ships with native .msc files integrated in the operating system, and support for the creation or\r\nimporting of custom snap-in control files.\r\nThe Microsoft Management Console (MMC) was released originally with the Windows 98 Resource Kit, but\r\nMicrosoft did integrate it in all versions of Windows released afterwards.\r\nMMC is a framework for administrative tools in which these tools operate. It comes with a graphical user\r\ninterface, and supports the creation, running, and saving of administrative jobs.\r\nThe framework hosts tools, and displays them in its interface by using so-called snap-ins and extension snap-ins.\r\nWhat makes the Microsoft Management Console that flexible is that administrators may create and assign tools to\r\nspecific user groups, computer systems, or users.\r\nhttps://www.ghacks.net/2017/06/10/windows-msc-files-overview/\r\nPage 1 of 6\n\nNote: This is a second part of our series about Windows administrative tools. We covered the Windows Control\r\nPanel, and the administrative files that you could run to launch various Control Panel applets directly in the first.\r\nList of Windows .msc files\r\nThe default location of .msc files is Windows\\System32. You can run any of the files with the shortcut Windows-R, typing the msc file name and extension, and hitting the Enter-key on the keyboard.\r\nMsc File Console Description\r\nazman.msc Authorization Manager Manage Authorization Stores\r\ncertlm.msc Certificates Local Computer\r\nLoads the list of certificates of the local\r\ncomputer.\r\ncertmgr.msc Certificates Loads the list of certificates of the user\r\nhttps://www.ghacks.net/2017/06/10/windows-msc-files-overview/\r\nPage 2 of 6\n\ncomexp.msc Component Services\r\nLoads Component Services, Event\r\nViewer, and Services.\r\ncompmgmt.msc Computer Management\r\nIncludes System Tools (Task\r\nScheduler, Event Viewer, Shared\r\nFolders, Local Users and Groups,\r\nPerformance and Device Manager),\r\nStorage (Disk Management), and\r\nServices and Applications (Services\r\nand WMI Control)\r\ndevmgmt.msc Device Manager\r\nOpens the Device Manager to manage\r\nhardware and devices.\r\ndevmoderunasuserconfig.msc\r\ndiskmgmt.msc Disk Management\r\nOpens Disk Management to\r\nadministrate connected storage devices.\r\neventvwr.msc Event Viewer\r\nOpens the Event Viewer which\r\ndisplays operating system, software,\r\nand hardware events.\r\nfsmgmt.msc Shared Folders\r\nLoads the list of shared folders,\r\nsessions, and open files\r\ngpedit.msc Group Policy Editor\r\nLoads the Group Policy Editor to\r\nmanage system policies\r\nlusrmgr.msc Local Users and Groups\r\nInterface to manage local users and\r\nuser groups.\r\nperfmon.msc Performance Monitor\r\nLoads the Windows Performance\r\nMonitor\r\nprintmanagement.msc Print Management Manage printers.\r\nrsop.msc Resultant Set of Policies\r\nList policies, full results only available\r\nthrough command line tool gpresult\r\nsecpol.msc Local Security Policy\r\nLoads policies such as account\r\npolicies, public key policies, or\r\nadvanced audit policy configuration\r\nservices.msc Services Manager\r\nLoads the list of installed services to\r\nmanage them.\r\nhttps://www.ghacks.net/2017/06/10/windows-msc-files-overview/\r\nPage 3 of 6\n\ntaskschd.msc Task Scheduler\r\nLoads the Task Scheduler to manage\r\ntasks\r\ntpm.msc\r\nTrusted Platform Module\r\nManagement\r\nManage the TPM on the local device.\r\nwf.msc Windows Firewall\r\nStarts Windows Firewall with\r\nAdvanced Security.\r\nwmimgmt.msc WMI Management\r\nConfigure and Control the Windows\r\nManagement Instrumentation Service.\r\nList of Windows Server MMC Files\r\nMsc File Console\r\nadfs.msc Active Directory Federation Services\r\nAdRmsAdmin.msc Active Directory Rights Management Services\r\nadsiedit.msc ADSI Edit\r\ncertim.msc Local Computer Certificates\r\ncertsrv.msc Certification Authority\r\ncerttmpl.msc Certification Templates\r\nciadv.msc Indexing Service\r\ncluadmin.msc Failover Cluster Manager\r\nda6to4.msc Network Interfaces Performance Monitor\r\ndaihttps.msc HTTPS Traffic Performance Monitor\r\ndaipsecdos.msc IPSec Performance Monitor\r\ndaisatapmsc ISATAP Performance Monitor\r\ndfsmgmt.msc DFS Management\r\ndhcpmgmt.msc DHCP Management\r\ndnsmgmt.msc DNS Manager\r\ndomain.msc Active Directory Domains and Trust\r\ndsa.msc Active Directory Users and Computers.\r\nhttps://www.ghacks.net/2017/06/10/windows-msc-files-overview/\r\nPage 4 of 6\n\ndssite.msc Active Directory Sites and Services\r\nfsrm.msc File Server Resource Manager\r\nfxsadmin.msc Microsoft Fax Service Manager\r\ngpmc.msc Group Policy Management\r\ngpme.msc Group Policy Mangement Editor\r\ngptedit.msc Group Policy Starter GPO Editor\r\nhcscfg.msc Health Registration Authority\r\nidmumgmt.msc Microsoft Identity Management for Unix\r\niis.msc Internet Information Services Manager\r\niis6.msc Internet Information Services Manager 6.0\r\nlsdiag.msc RD Licensing Diagnoser\r\nnapclcfg.msc NAP Client Configuration\r\nmfsmgmt.msc Services for Network File System\r\nnps.msc Network Policy Server\r\nocsp.msc Online Responder\r\npkiview.msc Enterprise PKI\r\nremoteprograms.msc RemoteApp Manager\r\nrrasmgmt.msc Routing and Remote Access\r\nsanmmc.msc Storage Manager for SANs\r\nsbmgr.msc Remote Desktop Connection Manager\r\nscanmanagement.msc Scan Management\r\nservermanager.msc Server Manager\r\nstoragemgmt.msc Share and Storage Management\r\nstorexpl.msc Storage Explorer\r\ntapimgmt.msc Telephony\r\ntsadmin.msc Remote Desktop Services Manager\r\ntsconfig.msc Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration\r\nhttps://www.ghacks.net/2017/06/10/windows-msc-files-overview/\r\nPage 5 of 6\n\ntsgateway.msc RD Gateway Manager\r\ntsmmc.msc Remote Desktops\r\nvirtmgmt.msc Hyper-V Manager\r\nwbadmin.msc Windows Server Backup\r\nWdsmgmt-msc Windows Deployment Services\r\nwinsmgmt.msc WINS\r\nwbiadmin.msc Windows Server Backup\r\nwsrm.msc Windows System Resource Manager\r\nwsus.msc Update Services\r\nResources\r\nMicrosoft Management Console -- Wikipedia\r\nMicrosoft Management Console Overview -- Microsoft MSDN\r\nStep-by-Step Guide to the Microsoft Management Console -- Microsoft MSDN\r\nSource: https://www.ghacks.net/2017/06/10/windows-msc-files-overview/\r\nhttps://www.ghacks.net/2017/06/10/windows-msc-files-overview/\r\nPage 6 of 6", "extraction_quality": 1, "language": "EN", "sources": [ "MITRE" ], "origins": [ "web" ], "references": [ "https://www.ghacks.net/2017/06/10/windows-msc-files-overview/" ], "report_names": [ "windows-msc-files-overview" ], "threat_actors": [], "ts_created_at": 1775434097, "ts_updated_at": 1775826741, "ts_creation_date": 0, "ts_modification_date": 0, "files": { "pdf": "https://archive.orkl.eu/16d6cfb992221bad11cc20681baec79433a88d3f.pdf", "text": "https://archive.orkl.eu/16d6cfb992221bad11cc20681baec79433a88d3f.txt", "img": "https://archive.orkl.eu/16d6cfb992221bad11cc20681baec79433a88d3f.jpg" } }