Windows 7/8 Command Prompt Common Commands
Dnscmd
A command-line interface for managing DNS servers. This utility is useful in scripting batch files to help automate routine DNS management tasks, or to perform simple unattended setup and configuration of new DNS servers on your network.
PowerShell
A task-based command-line shell and scripting language designed especially for system administration.
DiskPart
A text-mode command interpreter that enables you to manage objects (disks, partitions, volumes, or virtual hard disks) by using scripts or direct input from a command prompt.
Subst
Associates a path with a drive letter.
Prompt
Changes the Cmd.exe command prompt.
Color
Changes the foreground and background colors in the Command Prompt window for the current session. If used without parameters, restores the default Command Prompt window foreground and background colors.
Chkdsk
Checks the file system and file system metadata of a volume for logical and physical errors.
Cls
Clears the Command Prompt window.
Telnet
Communicates with a computer running the Telnet Server service.
Comp
Compares the contents of two files or sets of files byte-by-byte.
Fc
Compares two files or sets of files and displays the differences between them.
Powercfg
Control power settings and configure computers to default to Hibernate or Standby modes.
Convert
Converts file allocation table (FAT) and FAT32 volumes to the NTFS file system, leaving existing files and directories intact. Volumes converted to the NTFS file system cannot be converted back to FAT or FAT32.
Robocopy
Copies file data.
Xcopy
Copies files and directories, including subdirectories
Copy
Copies one or more files from one location to another.
Md
Creates a directory or subdirectory.
Mkdir
Creates a directory or subdirectory.
Title
Creates a title for the Command Prompt window.
Label
Creates, changes, or deletes the volume label (that is, the name) of a disk.
Rmdir
Deletes a directory.
Del
Deletes one or more files.
Erase
Deletes one or more files.
Tracert
Determines the path taken to a destination by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request or ICMPv6 messages to the destination with incrementally increasing Time to Live (TTL) field values. The path displayed is the list of near/side router interfaces of the routers in the path between a source host and a destination.
Wmic
Displays WMI information inside an interactive command shell.
Dir
Displays a list of a directory's files and subdirectories. If used without parameters, displays the disk's volume label and serial number, followed by a list of directories and files on the disk (including their names and the date and time each was last modified). For files, displays the name extension and the size in bytes. Also displays the total number of files and directories listed, their cumulative size, and the free space (in bytes) remaining on the disk.
Tasklist
Displays a list of currently running processes on the local computer or on a remote computer.
Ipconfig
Displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values and refreshes Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) settings.
Systeminfo
Displays detailed configuration information about a computer and its operating system, including operating system configuration, security information, product ID, and hardware properties (such as RAM, disk space, and network cards).
Nslookup
Displays information that you can use to diagnose Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure.
Echo
Displays messages
More
Displays one screen of output at a time.
Date
Displays or sets the system date. If used without parameters, displays the current system date setting and prompts you to enter a new date.
Time
Displays or sets the system time.
Type
Displays the contents of a text file.
Tree
Displays the directory structure of a path or of the disk in a drive graphically.
Vol
Displays the disk volume label and serial number, if they exist.
Where
Displays the location of files that match the given search pattern.
Cd
Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
Ver
Displays the operating system version number.
Whoami
Displays user, group and privileges information for the user who is currently logged on to the local system.
Set
Displays, sets, or removes CMD.EXE environment variables.
Attrib
Displays, sets, or removes attributes assigned to files or directories. If used without parameters, displays attributes of all files in the current directory.
Driverquery
Enables an administrator to display a list of installed device drivers and their properties.
Wbadmin
Enables you to back up and restore your operating system, volumes, files, folders, and applications from a command prompt.
Shutdown
Enables you to shut down or restart local or remote computers one at a time.
Taskkill
Ends one or more tasks or processes. Processes can be ended by process ID or image name.
Exit
Exits the Cmd.exe program (the command interpreter) or the current batch script.
Expand
Expands one or more compressed files. You can use this command to retrieve compressed files from distribution disks.
Extract
Extracts file(s) from a cabinet on the distribution disks.
Format
Formats a disk to accept Windows files.
Defrag
Locates and consolidates fragmented files on local volumes to improve system performance. Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to run this command.
Move
Moves one or more files from one directory to another directory.
Msinfo32
Opens the System Information tool to display a comprehensive view of the hardware, system components, and software environment on the local computer.
Fsutil
Performs tasks that are related to file allocation table (FAT) and NTFS file systems, such as managing reparse points, managing sparse files, or dismounting a volume.
Help
Provides online information about system commands
Sort
Reads input, sorts data, and writes the results to the screen, to a file, or to another device.
Regsvr32
Registers .dll files as command components in the registry.
Ren
Renames files or directories.
Rename
Renames files or directories.
Replace
Replaces files.
Getmac
Returns the media access control (MAC) address and list of network protocols associated with each address for all network cards in each computer, either locally or across a network.
Sfc
Scans and verifies the integrity of all protected system files and replaces incorrect versions with correct versions.
Find
Searches for a string of text in a file or files, and displays lines of text that contain the specified string.
Sends a text file to a printer.
Path
Sets the command path in the PATH environment variable (the set of directories used to search for executable files).
Perfmon
Start Windows Reliability and Performance Monitor in a specific standalone mode.
Edit
Starts MS-DOS Editor, which creates and changes ASCII text files.
Cmd
Starts a new instance of the command interpreter. If used without parameters, displays the version and copyright information of the operating system.
Start
Starts a separate Command Prompt window to run a specified program or command.
Ftp
Transfers files to and from a computer running a File Transfer Protocol server service.
Tftp
Transfers files to and from a remote computer, typically a computer running UNIX, that is running the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) service or daemon.
Mount
Use to mount Network File System (NFS) network shares.
Ping
Verifies IP-level connectivity to another TCP/IP computer by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request messages.