What is MMC (Microsoft Management Console) and what are MMC snapin files

Windows Client and Server Operating Systems are included with an app called Microsoft Management Console (MMC). Microsoft Management Console (MMC) app is used mainly to perform administrative tasks in Windows Operating Systems. Tasks related with managing and maintaining the hardware and software of a Windows based Server can be performed using Microsoft Management Console (MMC). Custom tools to manage and maintain your Operating Systems can be created by using MMC.

What are MMC snap–in files

There are many files called snap–ins included with Windows Server 2025. These snap–in files can be opened using MMC. Each snap–in has different functionality for performing different tasks ralated with the management and maintenance of your Server Operating System.

Most of the in–built snap–in files in Windows Server 2025 are located inside %systemroot%/System32 folder. Please note that the %systemroot% system variable contains the path to your Windows Server installation folder, for example C:\Windows. If you want to know your Windows installation folder, type echo "%systemroot%" inside your Command Prompt terminal and press "Enter" key.

Please refer below command to find your Windows installation folder. In this example, it is C:\WINDOWS folder.


C:\jajish>echo %systemroot%
C:\WINDOWS

If you want to open your %systemroot%/System32 folder, type %systemroot%/System32 in your Windows Run box, and then click "OK" button. If you are not sure how to open Windows Run dialog box, press Windows and R keys together.

Warning

Most of the files stored in Windows installation folder are Windows Operating System related system files. Do not try to delete or modify any file in your Windows installation folder. You can completely damage your Windows Server Operating System by deleting or modifying a file in your Windows installation folder.

Some important MMC snap–in files

An MMC snap–in file has .msc file extension. Following are some important MMC snap–in files stored in %systemroot%/System32 folder.

MMC snap–in File name	Name of the snap–in	Short description
azman.msc	Authorization Manager	Authorization Manager MMC snap–in is used to configure Role–based permissions for applications.
certlm.msc	Certificate Manager for local computer	Certificate Manager (certlm.msc) MMC snap–in is used to manage the digital certificates stored in your local Windows Server.
certmgr.msc	Certificate Manager for current user	Certificate Manager (certmgr.msc) MMC snap–in is used to manage the digital certificates for the current user.
comexp.msc	Component Services Administration	Component Services MMC snap–in is used to manage Component Object Model (COM) and COM+ components. COM and COM+ allows software components to work together without knowing how those components work inside or in which language those components are written. COM+ is an enhanced version of COM.
compmgmt.msc	Local Computer Management	Computer Management MMC snap–in contains the System tools to manage the Local computer like Task Scheduler, Event Viewer, Shared Folders, Local Users and Groups, Computer Performance and Device manager. Computer Management MMC snap–in also has the tools to manage Local storage and Services.
devmgmt.msc	Device Manager	Device Manager MMC snap–in is used to manage the devices in your computer. Example – Uninstall Driver software, Update Driver software, Disable device etc.
diskmgmt.msc	Disk Management	Disk Management MMC snap–in is used to manage the local storage disks in your computer.
eventvwr.msc	Event Viewer	Event Viewer MMC snap–in is used to manage the Windows logs. Example – Application Events, Security Events, Setup Events and Forwarded Events.
fsmgmt.msc	Local Shared Folders	Local Shared Folders MMC snap–in displays shared folders, current open sessions, and current open files.
gpedit.msc	Local Computer Policy	Local Computer Policy MMC snap–in is used to edit and manage the local Group Policy Objects stored on a computer. Group Policy allows to manage configurations for computers and users through Group Policy settings. Example – Enforce password length and complexity requirements to maintain user account security.
lusrmgr.msc	Local Users and Groups	Local Users and Groups MMC snap–in is used to manages Local Users and Groups. Example – create a local user, delete a local user, add a local user to a local group etc.
perfmon.msc	Performance Monitor	Performance Monitor system monitoring MMC snap–in is used to monitor the whole system performance. Example – Processor performance, FileSystem Disk Activity, Server Work Queues, ReFS (Resilient File System), SMB Client Shares, SMB Server etc.
secpol.msc	Security Settings	Security Settings MMC snap–in is used to define security policies.
services.msc	Local Services	Local Services MMC snap–in is used to start, stop, and configure Windows Services. Windows Services are background processes running silently in the Operating System (usually without a user interface), similar to Daemons in Unix/Linux.
taskschd.msc	Task Scheduler	Task Scheduler MMC snap–in is used to schedule tasks to run automatically.
wbadmin.msc	Windows Server Backup	Windows Server Backup MMC snap–in is used to backup data to a local or remote location.
WF.msc	Windows Defender Firewall with advanced security	Windows Defender Firewall MMC snap–in is used to configure Windows Defender Firewall.
wlbadmin.msc	Local Backup	Local Backup MMC snap–in is used for local data backup or recovery.
WmiMgmt.msc	WMI Control	WMI Control MMC snap–in is used to configure and control Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service. WMI provides management data to operating system and other apps. We can also automate administrative tasks using WMI scripts.

Please visit the following link to learn how to add a snap-in file to MMC.

Different ways to open MMC

1 – Open MMC using PowerShell or Command Prompt

To open MMC (Microsoft Management Console), type "mmc.exe" from your Command Prompt or PowerShell terminal and press "Enter" button. Please refer below command.


PS C:\jajish>mmc.exe
PS C:\jajish>

Following image shows the screenshot of a blank MMC Console, with no snap–in added.

2 – Open MMC using Windows Run dialog box

You can also open MMC (Microsoft Management Console), by typing mmc.exe in your Windows Run box, and then clicking "OK" button. Press Windows and R keys together to open the Windows Run box. Please refer below image.