How to master the Windows Command Prompt — The ultimate command line cheat sheet
How to master the Windows Command Prompt — The ultimate command line cheat sheet
The Windows command prompt is a powerful tool you can leverage with these helpful prompts.
Windows
Command Line Tools
1 at a time
No layers or multiple software at the same time, so only one task at a time
Typing
We need to type all the commands to whatever tasks an user intends to perform
Cloud service
Cloud apps give this feature to run commands over the cloud, which runs blazingly fast
Overview
Windows Command Prompt or Terminal
The terminal is a bit of a hurdle when you're getting started with Linux, but it's a very powerful tool that's faster than the GUI (graphical user interface) in some cases. Windows has its own terminal — the Command Prompt. While PowerShell is the more advanced and sophisticated version of Command Prompt, the latter is still great if you want to learn the ins and outs of using the terminal.
The question is, why should one bother using a terminal in the first place? Well, the GUI might be more accessible, but for a lot of tasks, the terminal is faster. Mastering the terminal can turn you into a power user, and it's worth learning even on the best laptops. In this guide, we'll take a deep look at all the important commands, what they do, and how you can use them to their full potential.
How to open "Command Prompt" box in Windows
Before we get into the commands themselves, you need to know how to launch Command Prompt in the first place. Here's how you can do so:
- From the Windows Start menu, search for Command Prompt and click the first result that pops up.
- Some commands will require administrator access. To open Command Prompt with elevated privileges, select the Run as administrator option from the menu on the right.
Now that you've launched the terminal, you'll be greeted by a mostly blank screen with some text at the top. The first line will show your Windows version, and the third line will tell you what directory or folder you're currently working in. You can change directories relatively quickly, and we'll look at this in the next section.
Basic Commands to get started with Command Prompt
It's tempting to jump directly into specific tasks you want to complete with the Command Prompt, but it's always helpful to be familiar with a list of the most common commands. The table below covers some of the most basic commands that every ambitious power user should know. It's more of a general list, and we'll get into specific sections later.
Command Name | Command Purpose |
|---|---|
ver | Display the Windows version |
help | Provide a list of available commands and their uses |
cls | Clear the screen |
dir | List files and directories in the current directory. |
cd | Change the current directory. |
mkdir | Create a new directory. |
rmdir | Remove a directory |
copy | Copy one or more files to another location. |
move | Move or rename files and directories. |
del | Delete one or more files. |
ren | Rename a file or directory. |
type | Display the contents of a text file. |
echo | Display a message or turn command echoing on or off. |
exit | Close the Command Prompt window. |
ping | Test network connectivity to a specified host. |
ipconfig | Display network configuration information. |
netstat | Display network statistics and connections. |
tasklist | List currently running processes. |
taskkill | Terminate a running process. |
shutdown | Shut down or restart the computer. |
systeminfo | Display detailed system information. |
sfc /scannow | Run System File Checker to scan and repair system files. |
chkdsk | Check a disk and display a status report. |
diskpart | Open the disk partitioning tool. |
sc | Communicate with the Service Control Manager. |
Some of these commands, such as the DISM and SFC commands, will require administrator access. As for the rest, most of them won't be useful on their own, as they require proper syntax. For example, the copy command on its own doesn't do much. But if you use the proper syntax, it can copy a file from the current directory to the directory of your choice.
Here's what a complete copy command would like:
copy hello.txt D:\Backup
This command will copy the hello.txt file to the Backup folder in drive D.
Commands for navigating the directory
Now, let's get into the specifics. Directory navigation is one of the simplest things you can do in the terminal. This section will cover most of the commands that relate to moving through and managing directories, folders, and files. We'll even include a few example commands to show you how they work.
Command Name | Command Purpose | Example Command |
|---|---|---|
cd | Change the current directory. | cd C:\Users\YourName\Documents |
cd .. | Move up one directory level. | cd .. |
cd \ | Move to the root directory of the current drive. | cd \ |
dir | List files and directories in the current directory. | dir |
dir /p | List directory contents one page at a time. | dir /p |
dir /s | List directory contents including all subdirectories. | dir /s |
dir C:\ | List files and directories in the specified directory. | dir C:\Windows |
mkdir | Create a new directory. | mkdir NewFolder |
md | Create a new directory (same as mkdir). | md NewFolder |
rmdir | Remove an empty directory. | rmdir OldFolder |
rmdir /s | Remove a directory and all its contents. | rmdir /s OldFolder |
attrib | Display or change file attributes. | attrib +r C:\Users\YourName\file.txt |
tree | Display directory structure in a tree format. | tree |
tree C:\Program Files | Display tree structure for a specific directory. | tree C:\Program Files |
pushd | Save and change the current directory. | pushd D:\Projects |
popd | Restore the previous directory saved by the pushd command. | popd |
chdir | Change the current directory (same as cd). | C:\Users\YourName |
chdir /d | Change the drive and the directory. | chdir /d D:\Games |
path | Display or set a search path for executable files. | path |
path C:\Program Files | Set the search path for executable files. | path C:\Program Files |
subst | Map a path to a drive letter. | subst X: C:\Users\YourName\Downloads |
vol | Display the volume label and serial number of a drive. | vol C: |
diskpart | Open the disk partitioning tool. | diskpart |
mountvol | Create, delete, or list a volume mount point. | mountvol X: /d |
fsutil | Perform tasks related to file systems or disk volumes. | fsutil fsinfo drives |
sort | Takes input from a file or directory and sources its content alphabetically. | sort file.txt |
move | Move or rename files and directories. | move C:\temp\file.txt D:\Documents |
copy | Copy one or more files to another location. | copy file.txt D:\Backup |
All the commands above will help you to effortlessly navigate and manage directories within the terminal. By mastering these, you can move through the Windows file system with ease and perform a ton of tasks related to managing files or folders.
Disk Management commands
The command prompt also allows you to check disk status, encrypt files, delete volumes, and more. Here's a look at all the important disk management commands.
Command Name | Command Purpose | Example Command |
chkdsk | Check a local disk and repair problems | chkdsk C: |
chkdsk /f | Check and fix errors on the disk. | chkdsk /f C: |
cipher | Encrypt or decrypt files and directories. | cipher /e C:\SensitiveData |
cipher /w | Permanently overwrite deleted data on a volume. | cipher /w:C: |
defrag | Defragment and optimize a specified drive. | defrag C: |
defrag /C | Defragment all local volumes. | defrag /C |
chkntfs | Display or modify the checking of disk drives at startup. | chkntfs C: |
chkntfs /d | Restore the default behavior of checking drives at startup. | chkntfs /d |
diskpart | Open the disk partitioning tool. | diskpart |
format | Format a disk for use with Windows. | format D: |
label | Create, change, or delete the volume label of a disk. | label C: MyVolume |
mountvol | Create, delete, or list a volume mount point. | mountvol X: /d |
diskpart | Run the disk partitioning tool for advanced disk management. | diskpart |
sfc | Scan and repair system files. | sfc /scannow |
fsutil | Perform tasks related to file systems or disk volumes. | fsutil fsinfo drives |
wmic | Retrieve detailed information about disks and partitions. | wmic diskdrive list brief |
cleanmgr | Open the Disk Cleanup utility. | cleanmgr |
compact | Display or alter the compression of files on NTFS partitions. | compact /c /s:C:\MyFolder |
diskmgmt.msc | Open the Disk Management GUI tool. | diskmgmt.msc |
convert | Convert a volume from FAT32 to NTFS. | convert C: /FS:NTFS |
mount | Mount a file system. | mountvol |
robocopy | Robust file copy for mirroring directories. | robocopy C:\Source D:\Destination /MIR |
xcopy | Copy files and directories, including subdirectories. | xcopy C:\Source D:\Destination /E |
Network Commands
There are a lot of commands you can use within the Command Prompt for configuring, troubleshooting, and managing your network.
Command Name | Command Purpose | Example Command |
arp | Displays and modifies the ARP cache. | arp -a |
assoc | Displays or modifies file extension associations. | assoc .txt=txtfile |
ftp | Transfers files to and from a remote network location. | ftp example.com |
getmac | Displays the MAC address of network adapters. | getmac |
hostname | Displays the name of the current host. | hostname |
ipconfig | Displays IP configuration information. | ipconfig /all |
netsh | Configures network settings and displays statistics. | netsh interface show interface |
netstat | Displays active network connections and statistics. | netstat -an |
nslookup | Queries the DNS to obtain domain name or IP address mapping. | nslookup example.com |
ping | Tests connectivity between the local machine and a remote network host. | ping google.com |
route | Displays and modifies the IP routing table. | route print |
tracert | Traces the path from the local computer to a remote network host. | tracert google.com |
telnet | Communicates with a remote device using the Telnet protocol. | telnet example.com 23 |
tftp | Transfers files to and from a remote TFTP server. | tftp -i 192.168.1.1 put file.txt |
net | A collection of commands for network operations. | net view \\server |
netsh wlan | Manages wireless network settings. | netsh wlan show profiles |
pathping | Combines ping and tracert functions to identify network latency issues. | pathping google.com |
nbtstat | Displays NetBIOS over TCP/IP statistics. | nbtstat -a <device name> |
net user | Manages user accounts on the network. | net user username /add |
net localgroup | Manages local user groups on the network. | net localgroup administrators |
net use | Connects, disconnects, and displays network drives. | net use Z: \\server\share |
net session | Lists or disconnects sessions with the local computer. | net session |
net share | Creates, deletes, or displays shared resources. | net share sharename=c:\path |
net start | Stops a network service. | net start service |
net stop | Stops a network service. | net stop service |
net statistics | Displays statistics about the workstation or server. | net statistics workstation |
net time | Displays or synchronizes the local machine's time with another server. | net time \\server |
net print | Displays print queue status and controls print jobs. | net print \\server\printer |
Miscellaneous Commands
Finally, here's a long list of miscellaneous commands that don't exactly fit into any of the categories above. Some of them are related to networking, some handle process management, and others might open certain apps. However, I'm putting them in this table as a lot of them can be used in different ways.
Command Name | Command Purpose | Example Command |
auditpol | Displays or sets audit policies. | auditpol /get /category:* |
bcdboot | Creates or repairs system partition boot files. | bcdboot C:\Windows /s C: |
bcedit | Manages Boot Configuration Data (BCD). | bcedit /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures |
bdehdcfg | Manages BitLocker encrypted drives. | bdehdcfg -driveinfo |
bitsadmin | Manages Background Intelligent Transfer Service jobs. | bitsadmin /list /allusers |
bootcfg | Configures, queries, or changes Boot.ini file settings. | bootcfg /query |
bootsect | Updates the master boot code for hard disk partitions. | bootsect /nt60 C: |
certreq | Performs certification authority (CA) certificate requests. | certreq -new request.inf request.cer |
certutil | Manages Certification Authority (CA) files and services. | certutil -backupDB "C:\Backup" |
chglogon | Enables, disables, or queries logons at the terminal server. | chglogon /enable |
chgport | Lists or changes COM port mappings for DOS compatibility. | chgport COM1=COM2 |
chgusr | Changes .ini file mapping for the current user. | chgusr /execute |
clip | Redirects output to the Windows clipboard. | clip < readme.txt |
cmdkey | Creates, lists, and deletes stored user names and passwords. | cmdkey /list |
doskey | Edits command lines, recalls Windows commands, and creates macros. | doskey /history |
driverquery | Lists installed device drivers and their properties. | driverquery /v |
date | Displays or sets the date for the system | date 05-18-2024 |
diskraid | Manages software RAID configurations. | diskraid /status |
dispdiag | Generates a diagnostic log of the display adapter. | dispdiag |
djoin | Provisions a computer account in the domain. | djoin /provision /domain domain.com /machine machine1 |
logman | Manages and schedules performance counter and event trace log collections. | logman query |
mode | Configures system devices. | mode con cols=80 lines=50 |
nbstat | Displays NetBIOS over TCP/IP statistics. | nbtstat -a <device name> |
openfiles | Displays files opened by remote users. | openfiles /query |
powercfg | Configures power settings and displays power configurations. | powercfg /hibernate on |
reg | Manages the Windows registry. | reg query HKLM\Software\Microsoft |
sc | Communicates with the Service Controller and installed services. | sc query |
schtasks | Schedules commands and programs to run at a specific time. | schtasks /create /tn "My Task" /tr "C:\task.bat" /sc daily /st 09:00 |
setx | Sets environment variables permanently. | setx PATH "%PATH%;C:\NewPath" |
timeout | Delays execution for a specified time. | timeout /t 10 |
title | Sets the Command Prompt window title. | title New Title |
tzutil | Displays the timezone of your system | tzutil /g |
Making good use of the Windows terminal
Just like Linux, there's lot of stuff to play around with in the Windows terminal. If you ever plan on going the IT or sysadmin career route, knowing the terminal's ins and outs is absolutely crucial. Even if you're just a regular user, a lot of commands here can make your life easier.