List of Windows Command Line Utilities
From HowToGeek
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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. |
