A-Z Windows CMD Commands List

Do you know every command prompt in Windows? Find it here

Windows Command Prompt is an often ignored aspect of the modern Windows OSes. The command prompt, also known as cmd.exe or cmd is a command line interpreter available since the NT line of Windows OSes. While the majority reasons for which the command prompt was used for can now be done through a graphical interface, this application has remained with Windows and is still used by many. Although many of us might not have used them, the fact that they still exist in modern day Windows is reason enough for us to be familiar with it.

While the commands in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP are called CMD commands or Command Prompt commands, the commands in Windows 98/95 and MS-DOS are called DOS commands. In this article, we have listed the most commonly used commands in the Windows operating systems

But before we move further, we will see how to open Command Prompt program in Windows. This can be done in four ways:

Method 1: Open the program in Start Menu

Click the lower-left Start button to open the Start Menu, type cmd in the empty box and tap Command Prompt in the results.

Method 2: Turn on Command Prompt by search.

Tap the Search button on the taskbar, type cmd in the search box and choose Command Prompt on the top.

Method 3: Open Command Prompt from Quick Access Menu.

Press Windows+X, or right-click the bottom-left corner to open the menu, and then select Command Prompt on it.

Method 4: Open the app through Run.

Open the Run dialog using Windows+R hotkeys, enter cmd and tap OK.

Since now we know how to open the Command prompt screen, let’s have a look at the commands along with their description:

Command	Description
append	Allows programs to open data files in specified directories as if they were located in the current directory.
assoc	Displays or changes the file type associated with a particular file extension.
at	Schedules commands and other programs to run at a specific date and time.
atmadm	Displays connection information of the ATM adapter.
attrib	Changes the attributes of a single file or a directory.
Auditpol	Displays information about or performs functions to manipulate audit policies.
bcdboot	Configures the boot files on a PC or device to run the Windows operating system and to create a new system BCD store.
bcdedit	Used to view or make changes to Boot Configuration Data.
bdehdcfg	Used to prepare a hard drive for BitLocker Drive Encryption.
bitsadmin	Used to create, download or upload jobs and monitor their progress.
bootcfg	Used to build, modify, or view the contents of the boot.ini file.
bootsect	Updates the master boot code for hard disk partitions to switch between BOOTMGR and NTLDR.
break	Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking on DOS systems.
cacls	Displays or changes access of the security descriptors on folders and files.
call	Used to run a script or batch program from within another script or batch program.
cd	Also known as chdir, is used to change the current working drive and/or directory in operating systems.
certreq	Used to perform various certification authority (CA) certificate requests, such as submit a request, retrieve a response, create a new request, accept, sign, policy, sign and enrol.
certutil	Used to dump and display certification authority (CA) configuration information,  configure Certificate Services, backup and restore CA components, and verify certificates, key pairs, and certificate chains.
change	Changes various terminal server settings like install modes, COM port mappings, and logons.
chcp	Displays or configures the active code page number.
chdir	Used to display the drive letter and folder that you are currently in.
checknetisolation	Used to test apps that require network capabilities.
chglogon	Enables or disables logons from client sessions on an RD Session Host (Remote Desktop Session Host) server, or displays current logon status.
chgport	Can be used to display or change COM port mappings to be compatible with MS-DOS applications.
chgusr	Used to change the install mode for the RD Session Host server.
chkdsk	Verifies the file system integrity of a volume and fixes logical file system errors.
chkntfs	Used to display or modify the checking of the disk drive using NTFS at boot time.
choice	Allows batch files to prompt the user to select one item from a set of single-character choices and return the value of that choice to the program.
cipher	Used to encrypt or decrypt files and folders on NTFS drives.
clip	Copies the result of any command (stdin) to the clipboard in Windows.
cls	Used to clear the screen or console window of all previously entered commands and any output generated by them.
cmd	Starts a new instance of the cmd.exe command interpreter.
cmdkey	Used to create, list and delete stored user names or credentials.
cmstp	Used to install or uninstall a Connection Manager service profile.
color	Changes the colors of the text and background within the Command Prompt window.
command	Starts a new instance of the command.com command interpreter.
comp	Performs a binary comparison of two set of files or multiple files and shows the differences between them.
compact	Displays and changes the compression state of files or directories on NTFS partitions.
convert	Used to convert volumes using the FAT or FAT32 formatted file systems to NTFS.
copy	Copies one or more files from one directory to another.
cscript	Provides command-line options for setting and executing script properties via Microsoft Script Host.
ctty	Used to change the default input and output devices for the system.
date	Used to show or change the current date.
driveSpace	Initially known as DoubleSpace can be used to create or configure DoubleSpace compressed drives.
debug	Starts Debug, a command line application used to test and edit programs.
defrag	Used to defragment a drive you specify.
del	Used to delete one or more files.
deltree	Used to delete a directory and all the files and subdirectories within it.
dir	Displays a list of files and folders contained inside the folder that you are currently working in.
diskcomp	Used to compare contents of two floppy disks.
diskcopy	Copies the entire contents of one floppy disk to another.
diskpart	Prevents creating multi-partition layout for removable media such as flash drives and also used for partitioning internal hard drives..
diskperf	Used to remotely enable or disable physical or logical disk performance counters on computers running Windows 2000.
diskraid	Starts the DiskRAID command-line tool that allows to configure and manage redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) disks (RAID) storage subsystems.
dism	Starts the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool.
dispdiag	Used to output a log of information about the display system.
djoin	Used to create a new computer account in a domain.
doskey	Used to edit command lines, create macros, and recall previously entered commands.
dosshell	Starts DOS Shell, a graphical file management tool for MS-DOS.
dosx	Used to start  DOS Protected Mode Interface (DPMI), a special mode designed to give MS-DOS applications access to more than the normally allowed 640 KB.
driverquery	Displays a list of all installed device drivers and their properties.
drvspace	Used to create or configure DriveSpace compressed drives.
echo	Used in shell scripts and batch files to output status text to the screen or a file and also to turn the echoing feature on or off.
edit	Starts the MS-DOS Editor tool that is used to create and modify text files.
edlin	Starts the Edlin tool that is used to create and modify text files from the command line.
emm386	Used to give MS-DOS access to more than 640 KB of memory.
endlocal	Ends localization of environment changes inside a batch or script file, restoring environment variables to their values before the matching setlocal command.
erase	Used to delete one or more files.
esentutl	Provides database utilities for the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) for Windows Vista.
eventcreate	Creates a custom event in an event log.
eventtriggers	Displays and configures event triggers on local or remote machines.
exe2bin	Converts a file of the EXE file type (executable file) to a binary file.
exit	Used to end the cmd.exe (Windows) or command.com (MS-DOS) session that you’re currently working in.
expand	Used to extract the files and folders contained in Microsoft Cabinet (CAB) files.
extrac32	This command is actually a CAB extraction program for use by Internet Explorer but can be used to extract any Microsoft Cabinet file.
extract	Used to extract the files and folders contained in Microsoft Cabinet (CAB) files.
fasthelp	This command provides more detailed information on any of the other MS-DOS commands.
fastopen	Used to add a program’s hard drive location to a special list stored in memory.
fc	Used to compare two individual or sets of files and then show the differences between them.
fdisk	Used to create, manage, and delete hard drive partitions.
find	Used to search for a specified text string in one or more files.
findstr	Used to find specific text string patterns in one or more files.
finger	Used to find information about computer users.
fltmc	Used to load, unload, list, and otherwise manage Filter drivers.
fondue	The fondue (Features on Demand User Experience) tool is used to install any of the several optional Windows features from the command line.
for	Used to run a specified command for each file in a set of files.
forcedos	Used to start the specified program in the MS-DOS subsystem.
forfiles	Selects one or more files and runs a command on them.
format	Used to format a drive in the file system that you specify.
fsutil	Performs tasks that are related to file allocation table (FAT) and NTFS file system, such as managing reparse points and sparse files, dismounting a volume, and extending a volume.
ftp	Transfers files to and from another computer.
ftype	Defines a default program to open a specified file type.
getmac	Used to display the Media Access Control (MAC) address of all the network adapters in the computer.
goto	Used in a batch or script file to direct the command process to a labelled line in the script.
gpresult	Used to display group policy settings and resultant set of policy for a user.
gpupdate	Refreshes local and Active Directory-based Group Policy settings, including security settings.
graftabl	Used to enable the ability of Windows to display an extended character set in graphics mode.
graphics	Used to load a program that can print graphics.
help	Provides help information for Windows commands.
hostname	Displays the host name portion of the full computer name of the computer.
hwrcomp	Used to compile custom dictionaries for handwriting recognition.
hwrreg	Used to install a previously compiled custom dictionary for handwriting recognition.
icacls	Display, modify, backup, or restore ACLs for files and directories.
if	Performs conditional functions in batch programs.
interlnk	Connects two computers via a serial or parallel connection to share files and printers.
intersvr	Starts interlnk server and to copy interlnk files from one computer to another.
ipconfig	Displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values and can modify Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) settings.
ipxroute	Used to display and change information about IPX routing tables.
irftp	Used to transmit files over an infrared link.
iscsicli	Starts the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator, used to manage iSCSI.
kb16	Used to support MS-DOS files that need to configure a keyboard for a specific language.
keyb	Used to configure a keyboard for a specific language.
klist	Used to list service tickets of Kerberos.
ksetup	Used to configure connections to a Kerberos server.
ktmutil	Starts the Kernel Transaction Manager utility.
label	Used to manage the volume label of a disk.
lh	Shorthand version of the loadhigh command.
licensingdiag	Used to generate a text-based log and other data files that contain product activation and other Windows licensing information.
loadfix	Used to load the specified program in the first 64K of memory and then runs the program.
loadhigh	Used to load a program into high memory and is usually used from within the autoexec.bat file.
lock	Used to lock a drive, enabling direct disk access for a program.
lodctr	This is used to update registry values related to performance counters.
logman	Used to create and manage Event Trace Session and Performance logs.
logoff	Used to terminate a session.
lpq	Displays the status of a print queue on a computer running Line Printer Daemon (LPD).
lpr	Used to send a file to a computer running Line Printer Daemon (LPD).
makecab	Used to create .cab files.
Manage-bde	Used to configure BitLocker Drive Encryption from the command line.
Md	Shorthand version of the mkdir command.
Mem	Shows information about used and free memory areas and programs that are currently loaded into memory in the MS-DOS subsystem.
Memmaker	Used to start MemMaker, a memory optimization tool.
Mkdir	Used to create a new folder.
Mklink	Creates a symbolic link.
Mode	Used to configure system devices, most often COM and LPT ports.
Mofcomp	This command properly displays the data within a Managed Object Format (MOF) file.
More	Used to display the information contained in a text file.
Mount	Used to mount Network File System (NFS) network shares.
Mountvol	Used to display, create, or remove  volume mount points.
Move	Used to move one or files from one folder to another.
Mrinfo	Used to provide information about a router’s interfaces and neighbors.
Msav	This command starts Microsoft Antivirus.
Msbackup	This command starts Microsoft Backup, a tool used to back up and restore one or more files.
Mscdex	Used to provide CD-ROM access to MS-DOS.
Msd	Starts Microsoft Diagnostics.
Msg	Used to send a message to a user.
Msiexec	Used to start Windows Installer, a tool used to install and configure software.
Muiunattend	This command starts the Multilanguage User Interface unattended setup process.
Nbtstat	This command is used to show TCP/IP information and other statistical information about a remote computer.
Net	Used to display, configure, and correct a wide variety of network settings.
Net1	Used to display, configure, and correct a wide variety of network settings.
Netcfg	Used to install the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE),
Netsh	Used to start Network Shell, a command-line utility used to manage the network configuration of the local, or a remote, computer.
Netstat	This command is most commonly used to display all open network connections and listening ports.
Nfsadmin	This command is used to manage Server for NFS or Client for NFS from the command line.
Nlsfunc	Used to load information specific to a particular country or region.
Nltest	Used to test secure channels between Windows computers in a domain and between domain controllers that are trusting other domains.
Nslookup	The command is most commonly used to display the hostname of an entered IP address.
Ntbackup	Used to perform various backup functions from the Command.
Ntsd	Used to perform certain command line debugging tasks.
Ocsetup	This command starts the Windows Optional Component Setup tool, used to install additional Windows features.
Openfiles	Used to display and disconnect open files and folders on a system.
Path	Used to display or set a specific path available to executable files.
Pathping	Functions much like the tracert command, will also report information about network latency and loss at each hop.
Pause	Used within a batch or script file to pause the processing of the file.
Pentnt	Used to detect floating point division errors in the Intel Pentium chip.
Ping	The command sends an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request message to a specified remote computer to verify IP-level connectivity.
Pkgmgr	Used to start the Windows Package Manager from the Command Prompt.
Pnpunattend	Used to automate the installation of hardware device drivers.
Pnputil	Used to start the Microsoft PnP Utility, a tool used to install a Plug and Play device from the command line.
Popd	This command is used to change the current directory to the one most recently stored by the pushd command.
Power	Used to reduce the power consumed by a computer by monitoring software and hardware devices.
Powercfg	Used to manage the Windows power management settings from the command line.
Print	Used to print a specified text file to a specified printing device.
Prompt	Used to customize the appearance of the prompt text in Command Prompt or MS-DOS.
Pushd	Used to store a directory for use, most commonly from within a batch or script program.
Pwlauncher	Used to enable, disable, or show the status of your Windows To Go start-up options.
Qappsrv	Used to display all Remote Desktop Session Host servers available on the network.
Qbasic	This command starts QBasic, the MS-DOS based programming environment for the BASIC programming language.
Qprocess	Used to display information about running processes.
Query	Used to display the status of a specified service.
Quser	Used to display information about users currently logged on to the system.
Qwinsta	Used to display information about open Remote Desktop Sessions.
Rasautou	Used to manage Remote Access Dialer AutoDial addresses.
Rasdial	Used to start or end a network connection for a Microsoft client.
Rcp	Used to copy files between a Windows computer and a system running the rshd daemon.
Rd	Shorthand version of the rmdir command.
Rdpsign	Used to sign a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) file.
Reagentc	Used to configure the Windows Recovery Environment (RE).
Recimg	Used to create a custom refresh image.
Recover	Used to recover readable data from a bad or defective disk.
Reg	Used to manage the Windows Registryfrom the command line.
Regini	Used to set or change registry permissions and registry values from the command line.
Register-cimprovider	Used to register a Common Information Model (CIM) Provider in Windows.
Regsvr32	Used to register a DLL file as a command component in the Windows Registry.
Relog	Used to create new performance logs from data in existing performance logs.
Rem	Used to record comments or remarks in a batch or script file.
Ren	The shorthand version of the rename command.
Rename	Used to change the name of the individual file that you specify.
Repair-bde	Used to repair or decrypt a damaged drive that’s been encrypted using BitLocker.
Replace	Used to replace one or more files with one or more other files.
Reset	This command, executed as reset session, is used to reset the session subsystem software and hardware to known initial values.
Restore	Used to restore files that were backed up using the backup command.
Rexec	Used to run commands on remote computers running the rexec daemon.
Rmdir	Used to delete an existing or completely empty folder.
Robocopy	Used to copy files and directories from one location to another.
Route	Used to manipulate network routing tables.
Rpcinfo	This command makes a remote procedure call (RPC) to an RPC server and reports what it finds.
Rpcping	Used to ping a server using RPC.
Rsh	Used to run commands on remote computers running the rsh daemon.
Rsm	Used to manage media resources using Removable Storage.
Runas	Used to execute a program using another user’s credentials.
Rwinsta	Shorthand version of the reset session command.
Sc	Used to configure information about services.
Scandisk	Used to start Microsoft ScanDisk, a disk repair program.
Scanreg	This command starts Windows Registry Checker, a basic registry repair program and backup utility.
Schtasks	Used to schedule specified programs or commands to run a certain times.
Sdbinst	Used to deploy customized SDB database files.
Secedit	Used to configure and analyze system security by comparing the current security configuration to a template.
Set	Used to display, enable, or disable environment variables in MS-DOS or from the Command Prompt.
Setlocal	Used to start the localization of environment changes inside a batch or script file.
Setspn	Used to manage the Service Principal Names (SPN) for an Active Directory (AD) service account.
Setver	Used to set the MS-DOS version number that MS-DOS reports to a program.
Setx	Used to create or change environment variables in the user environment or the system environment.
Sfc	Used to verify and replace important Windows system files.
Shadow	Used to monitor another Remote Desktop Services session.
Share	Used to install file locking and file sharing functions in MS-DOS.
Shift	Used to change the position of replaceable parameters in a batch or script file.
Showmount	Used to display information about NFS mounted file systems.
Shutdown	Used to shut down, restart, or log off the current system or a remote computer.
Smartdrv	This command installs and configures SMARTDrive, a disk caching utility for MS-DOS.
Sort	Used to read data from a specified input, sort that data, and return the results of that sort to the Command Prompt screen, a file, or another output device.
Start	Used to open a new command line window to run a specified program or command.
Subst	Used to associate a local path with a drive letter.
Sxstrace	Used to start the WinSxs Tracing Utility, a  programming diagnostic tool.
Sys	Used to copy the MS-DOS system files and command interpreter to a disk.
Systeminfo	Used to display basic Windows configuration information for the local or a remote computer.
Takeown	Used to regain access to a file that that an administrator was denied access to when reassigning ownership of the file.
Taskkill	Used to terminate a running task.
Tasklist	Displays a list of applications, services, and the Process ID (PID) currently running on either a local or a remote computer.
Tcmsetup	Used to setup or disable the Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) client.
Telnet	Used to communicate with remote computers that use the Telnet protocol.
Tftp	Used to transfer files to and from a remote computer that’s running the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) service or daemon.
Time	Used to show or change the current time.
Timeout	Used in a batch or script file to provide a specified timeout value during a procedure.
Title	Used to set the Command Prompt window title.
Tlntadmn	Used to administer a local or remote computer running Telnet Server.
Tpmvscmgr	Used to create and destroy TPM virtual smart cards.
Tracerpt	Used to process event trace logs or real-time data from instrumented event trace providers.
Tracert	This command sends Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request messages to a specified remote computer with increasing Time to Live (TTL) field values and displays the IP address and hostname, of the router interfaces between the source and destination.
Tree	Used to graphically display the folder structure of a specified drive or path.
Tscon	Used to attach a user session to a Remote Desktop session.
Tsdiscon	Used to disconnect a Remote Desktop session.
Tskill	Used to end the specified process.
Tsshutdn	Used to remotely shut down or restart a terminal server.
Type	Used to display the information contained in a text file.
Typeperf	This command displays performance data in the Command Prompt window or writes the data to specified log file.
Tzutil	Used to display or configure the current system’s time zone.
Umount	Used to remove Network File System (NFS) mounted network shares.
Undelete	Used to undo a deletion performed with the MS-DOS delete command.
Unformat	Used to undo the formatting on a drive performed by the MS-DOS format command.
Unlock	Used to unlock a drive, disabling direct disk access for a program.
Unlodctr	Removes Explain text and Performance counter names for a service or device driver from the Windows Registry.
Vaultcmd	Used to create, remove, and show stored credentials.
Ver	Used to display the current Windows or MS-DOS version number.
Verify	Used to enable or disable the ability of Command Prompt, or MS-DOS, to verify that files are written correctly to a disk.
Vol	Shows the volume label and serial number of a specified disk, assuming this information exists.
Vsafe	Used to start VSafe, a basic virus protection system for MS-DOS.
Vssadmin	This command starts the Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command line tool which displays current volume shadow copy backups and all installed shadow copy writers and providers.
W32tm	Used to diagnose issues with Windows Time.
Waitfor	Used to send or wait for a signal on a system.
Wbadmin	Used start and stop backup jobs, display details about a previous backup, list the items within a backup, and report on the status of a currently running backup.
Wecutil	Used to manage subscriptions to events that are forwarded from WS-Management supported computers.
Wevtutil	This command starts the Windows Events Command Line Utility which is used to manage event logs and publishers.
Where	Used to search for files that match a specified pattern.
Whoami	Used to retrieve user name and group information on a network.
Winmgmt	Starts the command line version of WMI, a scripting tool in Windows.
Winrm	Used to start the command line version of Windows Remote Management, used to manage secure communications with local and remote computers using web services.
Winrs	Used to open a secure command window with a remote host.
Winsat	Starts the Windows System Assessment Tool, a program that assesses various features, attributes, and capabilities of a computer running Windows.
Wmic	Starts the Windows Management Instrumentation Command line (WMIC), a scripting interface that simplifies the use of Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and systems managed via WMI.
Wsmanhttpconfig	Used to manage aspects of the Windows Remote Management (WinRM) service.
Xcopy	Used to copy one or more files or directory trees from one location to another. The xcopy command is generally considered a more “powerful” version of the copy command though the robocopy command trumps even xcopy.
Xwizard	This command, short for Extensible Wizard, is used to register data in Windows, often from a preconfigured XML file.

 

 

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