List of Windows Command Line Utilities

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This page has a list of all command line utilities in Windows.

Overview

To run these commands, you'll need to open a command prompt (either type cmd into the start menu search or run box, or find the item listed in the accessories menu under the start menu)


Command
Description
attrib Allows setting of hidden, read only and system file attributes.
cacls Utility to change permissions of files. Windows Vista users should use icacls instead.
chkdsk Checks your hard drive for errors and optionally repairs them.
cls Clears the command prompt screen.
copy Copies files from one location to another.
del Deletes one or multiple files.
dir Shows a list of files and folders.
echo Display a message out to the command prompt display.
exit Close the command prompt or exit a script.
fc Compare two files and display the differences.
for Loop through a set and run a command for each item.
fsutil A powerful command that can be used to configure many file system properties.
ftype Display or change file associations from the command line.
getmac Display the MAC address for your network card.
goto Go to a specific line in a batch file. Also the bane of the programming world.
icacls Display or change the access control list (permissions) for files.
if Used as a conditional operator in a batch file.
ipconfig Display and change your TCP/IP configuration settings, or to flush DNS or renew DHCP leases.
mkdir Make a directory. Also can be used through the md command.
more Displays output of a command one screen at a time.
move Move a file or files from one place to another.
net A set of commands for interacting with Windows network functions.
netsh Powerful utility that can adjust many network and interface settings.
netstat Displays immediate networks stats, such as open ports and routing table information.
path Set the path used by Windows for finding files without having to type the full path of a file.
pathping Used for network troubleshooting.
pause Used in batch files to pause the display.
ping Used for simple network troubleshooting. Not very powerful.
popd Change the directory back to the directory stored by pushd.
pushd Change the directory and store the current directory.
reg Interact with the registry from the command prompt.
rmdir Delete a folder. Can also be used with the "rd" command.
ren Change the name of files or folders.
sc Useful for configuring services.
schtasks Schedule tasks.
set Display or change environment variables.
sfc System File Checker, used to check whether system files are valid or not.
shutdown Shutdown the computer, optionally restarting if specified.
start Start a new application separate from the current session.
subst Map a folder to a drive letter.
systeminfo Show detailed info about the computer.
taskkill Used to kill processes.
tasklist Display a list of processes with their IDs, useful in conjunction with taskkill.
tracert Used for troubleshooting network connections by tracing through the route to a server.
tree Display the directory structure in an ascii-style tree.
type Show the contents of a text file, similar to the cat command on Linux.
xcopy Copy command that also copies subdirectories and files.