Windows Command Prompt (CMD) Commands Guide

Introduction

Welcome! This guide collects commonly used (and some advanced) native Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe) commands to help with file management, networking, diagnostics, automation, and system administration.

Focus: Classic CMD commands (not full PowerShell coverage). Where a command is deprecated or superseded, a note is included. Many commands require an elevated (Administrator) prompt.

How to Read & Use This Guide

Tips:

• Use command /? for built‑in help (often includes switches not listed here).
• Prefix with runas /user:Administrator or open an elevated terminal when access is denied.
• Combine commands with && (only run next if success) or || (run next if failure).
• Use quotes around paths containing spaces: "C:\Program Files\App".

Legend:

• (Admin) means the command typically needs elevation.
• (Deprecated) indicates the command is legacy; prefer the noted alternative.

Table of Contents

1. File & Directory Management
2. Text, Search & Comparison
3. Permissions, Security & Ownership
4. Disk, Volume & Filesystem Tools
5. Networking & Connectivity
6. System Information & Diagnostics
7. Services, Processes & Scheduling
8. Boot, Recovery & Integrity
9. User & Account Management
10. Environment & Session Utilities
11. Scripting & Flow Control (Batch)
12. Miscellaneous & Console UX
13. Quick Task Examples

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1. File & Directory Management

• dir – List directory contents (switches: /a, /s, /b, /o)
• cd / chdir – Change or show current directory
• md / mkdir – Create directory(ies)
• rd / rmdir – Remove directory (use /s /q for recursive quiet)
• copy – Copy files (simple)
• xcopy – Extended copy (legacy; prefer robocopy for reliability)
• robocopy – Robust Copy (retry logic, mirroring, multithread via /MT)
• move – Move/rename file(s)
• ren / rename – Rename file or directory
• del / erase – Delete file(s) (/f /s /q options)
• forfiles – Select files by date/age/mask for actions
• type – Display file contents
• more – Paginate output (command | more)
• cls – Clear screen
• tree – Visual directory tree
• fsutil (Admin) – Low‑level filesystem info (use cautiously)
• subst – Map a path to a virtual drive letter
• pushd / popd – Temporarily switch (and restore) directories
• attrib – View/change file attributes (+R +H +S +A)
• where – Locate executable(s) in PATH
• comp – Byte compare (basic)
• fc – File compare (text/binary diff)
• copy con file.txt – Quick inline file creation (Ctrl+Z to end)

2. Text, Search & Comparison

• find – Search for a string in a file (basic)
• findstr – Advanced text search with regex-like syntax
• sort – Sort input or a file
• more – Paginate output (listed above)
• fc – Compare files (relisted for context)
• type – Output file content (relisted)

3. Permissions, Security & Ownership

• icacls – View/modify NTFS ACLs (replaces legacy cacls / xcacls)
• takeown (Admin) – Take ownership of files/folders
• cipher – Encrypt/Decrypt (EFS) + wipe free space (/w)
• whoami /groups – Show group memberships
• runas – Run a program as another user
• openfiles /query (Admin) – List open network files

4. Disk, Volume & Filesystem Tools

• chkdsk (Admin) – Check disk for errors
• diskpart (Admin) – Disk partition manager (dangerous if misused)
• format (Admin) – Format volumes
• label – Change volume label
• mountvol – Manage volume mount points
• vol – Display volume label & serial
• defrag – Defragment drives
• fsutil (Admin) – (Also in section 1) advanced operations
• cleanmgr – Disk Cleanup utility launcher
• compact – Compress/uncompress NTFS files
• sfc /scannow (Admin) – System File Checker
• dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth (Admin) – Repair component store

5. Networking & Connectivity

• ipconfig – Adapter configuration (/all, /release, /renew, /flushdns)
• ping – Echo test
• tracert – Route path to destination
• pathping – Trace + packet loss statistics
• arp -a – ARP cache
• nbtstat – NetBIOS over TCP/IP diagnostics
• netstat – Active connections (-a -n -o common flags)
• nslookup – DNS queries (interactive mode available)
• route print – Routing table
• route add|delete – Edit routes
• getmac – Display MAC addresses
• hostname – Show machine name
• telnet – (Optional feature) legacy remote console (Deprecated)
• ftp – (Deprecated for secure use; prefer SFTP) basic file transfer
• net – Umbrella command: net use, net share, net view, etc.
• net use – Map/unmap network drives
• net view – List network devices/shares
• net share – Manage shared folders
• net session – List or close sessions
• net time – Query time server (legacy)
• netsh – Network shell (interface, wlan, firewall, advfirewall)
• netsh wlan show profiles – Saved Wi‑Fi profiles
• netdom (Domain) – Domain trust & join operations
• certutil -urlcache * delete – Clear URL cache (diagnostics/security)

6. System Information & Diagnostics

• systeminfo – OS + hardware summary
• ver – Windows version
• set – Show environment variables
• driverquery – Installed drivers list
• msinfo32 – System Information GUI
• wmic (Deprecated) – WMI queries (use PowerShell CIM/WMI cmdlets)
• dxdiag – DirectX diagnostics
• tasklist – Running processes
• tasklist /svc – Map services to processes
• eventvwr – Event Viewer (GUI)
• wevtutil (Admin) – Query/clear event logs
• perfmon – Performance Monitor GUI
• powercfg /energy (Admin) – Power diagnostics report
• gpresult /r – Group Policy resultant set
• echo %ERRORLEVEL% – Last command exit code

7. Services, Processes & Scheduling

• taskkill /PID <id> /F – Force terminate process
• sc query – Service status
• sc start|stop|config – Control services
• services.msc – Services GUI
• schtasks /create – Schedule tasks
• schtasks /query /fo LIST /v – View tasks verbose
• timeout /t <seconds> – Delay execution
• start – Launch a program/window (start "Title" command)

8. Boot, Recovery & Integrity

• bcdedit (Admin) – Boot configuration
• bootrec (Recovery Env) – Repair boot records
• reagentc /info – Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) status
• sfc /scannow (Admin) – System file scan (listed earlier)
• dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth – Component store repair (listed earlier)

9. User & Account Management

• net user – List/create/modify local users
• net localgroup – Local group membership
• net group (Domain) – Domain group management
• whoami – Current user & SID info
• whoami /priv – Privileges list
• runas /user:<User> – Execute under another account
• control userpasswords2 – Advanced user GUI
• lusrmgr.msc – Local Users & Groups (not in Home editions)

10. Environment & Session Utilities

• set – Display/set session environment variables
• setx – Persist environment variables (new sessions only)
• path – View/edit PATH (session)
• title – Set console window title
• color – Set console colors
• mode con – Console dimensions and buffer
• echo – Output text / toggle command echoing
• pause – Wait for user keystroke
• call – Invoke another batch file and return
• exit – Exit CMD / set errorlevel: exit /b 1

11. Scripting & Flow Control (Batch)

• for – Iterate (files, strings, numbers); for /? for forms
• if – Conditional execution (string, errorlevel, exist)
• goto – Jump to label
• choice – Prompt for user selection, sets %ERRORLEVEL%
• shift – Shift batch parameters %1..%9
• set /a – Arithmetic operations
• rem or :: – Comments
• >, >> – Redirect (overwrite / append)
• 2>&1 – Merge stderr into stdout
• | – Pipe output to another command

12. Miscellaneous & Console UX

• help – Built-in help index
• assoc – File extension associations
• ftype – File type command mapping
• time – Show/set system time
• date – Show/set system date
• shutdown /s /t 0 – Immediate shutdown
• shutdown /r /t 0 – Immediate restart
• shutdown /h – Hibernate
• shutdown /l – Log off
• shutdown /a – Abort pending shutdown
• msconfig – System Configuration GUI
• mmc – Microsoft Management Console
• taskmgr – Task Manager
• clip – Redirect output to clipboard (e.g., ipconfig | clip)

13. Quick Task Examples

Create a directory tree and move files:

md logs\archived && move *.log logs\

Find lines containing ERROR (case-insensitive) in all .txt files:

findstr /i /n /s /c:"ERROR" *.txt

Mirror a directory to backup (with logging):

robocopy C:\Source D:\Backup /MIR /R:2 /W:2 /LOG:backup.log

Kill a hung process by name:

taskkill /IM notepad.exe /F

List top TCP listeners:

netstat -ano | findstr LISTENING

Set a persistent environment variable (new sessions only):

setx APP_ENV production

Generate a power efficiency report (HTML):

powercfg /energy /output energy-report.html

Flush DNS cache:

ipconfig /flushdns

Deprecated / Legacy Notes

• wmic – Deprecated; prefer PowerShell CIM cmdlets.
• telnet, ftp – Insecure; use SSH/SFTP alternatives.
• xcopy – Superseded for most tasks by robocopy.
• deltree – Removed after Windows 9x era (use rd /s).
• xcacls / cacls – Deprecated; use icacls.

Safety Disclaimer

Commands like diskpart, format, bcdedit, bootrec, dism, and sfc can cause system instability or data loss if misused. Always verify targets and consider backing up important data.

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