Commands in MS-DOS

How to use the Window command line (DOS)

Issue

How to use the Windows command line (DOS).

Solution

This document covers the basic in navigating and using the Microsoft Windows command line. On this page, you'll learn how to move around in the command line, find files, manipulate files, and other important commands. Keep in mind that there are well over 100 different commands that have been used in MS-DOS and the Windows command line. If you're interested in learning every command, see our Microsoft DOS and command prompt help page, which gives a description and example about each of these commands.

Get into the Windows command line

Open a Windows command line window by following the below steps. If you need additional information or alternative methods for all versions of Windows, see our how to get into DOS and Windows command line page.

1. Click Start
2. In the Search or Run line type cmd and press enter.

Understanding the prompt

After following the above steps, the below black box will open, this is the Windows command line. By default Windows will take you to your users directory. In the below example, the user is Mrhope, so we're in the C:\Users\Mrhope directory and our prompt is C:\Users\Windows>. From this prompt information we know we're in the C: drive (the default drive letter of the hard drive) and currently in the Mrhope directory, which is a subdirectory of the Users directory.

Key tips

• MS-DOS and the Windows command line are not case sensitive.
• The files and directories shown in Windows are also found in the command line.
• When working with a file or directory with a space, surround it in quotes. For example, My Documents would be "My Documents".
• Filenames can have a long file name of 255 characters and a 3 character file extension.
• When a file or directory is deleted in the command line, it is not moved into the Recycle bin.
• If you need help with any of command type /? after the command. For example, dir /? would give the options available for the dir command.

Listing the files

Lets learn your first command. Type dir at the prompt to list files in the current directory. You should get an output similar to the below image example. By default, without using any dir options this is how dir output will appear. As can be seen, you're given a lot of useful information, the modification or creation date and time, an indication if the listed item is a directory (<DIR>), and the actual name of the directory or file. In the below example, there are 0 files listed and 14 directories as indicated by the status at the bottom of the output.

 

Every command in the command line has options, which are additional switches and commands that can be added after the command. For example, with the dir command you can type dir /p to list the files and directories in the current directory one page at a time. This switch is useful to see all the files and directories in a directory that has dozens or hundreds of files. Each of the options and switches for each command is listed on our DOS command page. For example, if you want to see all the options for dir see our dir command page for a full listing.

In addition to switches, the dir command can also be used to search for specific files and directories by using wildcards. For example, if you only wanted to list files or directories that begin with the letter A you could type dir a* to list only the AppData directory, in this above example. See the wildcard definition for several other examples and help with using wildcards.

Moving into a directory

Now that we've seen a list of directories (shown above) available in the current directory lets move into one of those directories. To move into a directory, we use the cd command, so to move into the Desktop type cd desktop and press enter. Once you've moved into a new directory the prompt should change, so in our example, the prompt is now C:\Users\Mrhope\Desktop>. Now in this directory lets see what files are found in this directory by typing the dir command again.

Understand the files

Now in the Desktop directory in this example (as shown above), we now have 23 files and 7 directories. As can be seen in the above example, there are several different file types. In Windows, you're familiar with files having icons that help represent the type of files. In the command line, the same thing is accomplished by the file extensions. For example, "forum posts.txt" is a text file because it has a .txt file extension, Time.mp3 is a MP3 music file, and minecraft.exe is an executable file.

• Listing of file extensions and additional help with file extensions.

For most users, you'll only be concerned with executable files, which as mentioned above is a file that ends with .exe and are also files that end with .com and .bat. When the name of these files is typed the program will run. This would be the same thing as double-clicking a file in Windows to open the program. For example, if we wanted to run minecraft.exe typing minecraft at the prompt will run that program. Keep in mind though that if the executable file you're trying to run is not in the current directory you'll get an error.

If you wish to view the contents of a file, most versions of the command line use the edit command. For example, if we wanted to look at the log file hijackthis.log we would type edit hijackthis.log at the prompt. For 64-bit versions of Windows that do not support this command you can use the start command, for example, type start notepad hijackthis.log to open the file in Notepad.

Moving back a directory

You learned earlier the cd command can move into a directory. This command also allows you to go back a directory by typing cd.. at the prompt. When this command is typed you'll be moved out of the Desktop directory and back into the user directory. If you wanted to move back to the root directory typing cd\ takes you to the C:\> prompt. If you know the name of the directory you wish to move into, you can also type cd\ and the directory name. For example, to move into C:\Windows> you would type cd\windows at the prompt.

Creating a directory

Now with your basic understanding of navigating the command line lets start creating. To create a directory in the current directory use the mkdir command. For example, lets create a directory called test by typing mkdir test at the prompt. If created successfully you should be returned to the prompt with no error message. After the directory has been created, move into that directory with the cd command.

Creating a new batch file

Now in the newly created test directory lets create your fist file. In most situations, you will never need to create any file at the command line, however, it's still good to understand how files are created. In this example, we will be creating a batch file. A batch file is a file that ends with .bat and is a file that can help automate frequently used commands in the command line. We will be calling this batch file example, so type edit example.bat at the prompt. As mentioned earlier if the edit command doesn't work use the start command to open the batch file in notepad, so you type start notepad example.bat at the prompt.

Either of these commands will open a new blank window for the example.bat file. In the blank file, type the below three lines, which will clear the screen with the cls command and then run the dir command.

@echo off
cls
dir

After these three lines have been typed into the file save and exit the file. If you're in the edit command Click File (or press Alt+F) and then Save. After the file has been saved and you're back into the command prompt, typing dir should display the example.bat in the test directory.

Now run the batch file to get a better understanding of what a batch file does. To run the batch file type example at the prompt. This will execute the batch file causing it to clear the screen and then do the dir command and display the directory listing of the test directory.

• Full information and additional examples on batch files.

Moving and copying a file

Now that we've created a file lets move it into an alternate directory. To help make things easier lets create another directory to move the file into. So, type mkdir dir2 to create a new directory in the test directory called dir2. After the new directory has been created, use the move command to move the example.bat file into that directory type move example.bat dir2 which should return a message indicating that one file was moved. You could also substitute the move command for the copy command to copy the file instead of moving it.

Rename a file

After the file has been moved into the dir2 directory lets move into that directory with the cd command so we can rename the file. In the dir2 directory lets use the rename command to rename the example file into an alternate name. Type rename example.bat first.bat at the prompt to rename the file to first.bat. Now when using the dir command you should see the first.bat as the only file.

When renaming any file make sure the file has the same file extension. If you were to rename a .bat file to a .txt file, it is no longer an executable file only a text file. Also, keep in mind that renaming the file to a different file extension does not convert the file. For example, if you were to name the file to a .MP3 file it may look like a MP3 audio file in Windows, but it is not going to play music.

Deleting a file

Now that we've had our fun with our new file lets delete the file with the del command. Type del first.bat to delete the first.bat file. If successful, you will be returned to the prompt with no errors and the dir command will show no files in the current directory.

When deleting files you can also use wildcards to delete multiple files at once. For example, if the directory contained several .GIF image files you could type del *.gif to delete all files ending with the .gif file extension.

Renaming a directory

Lets go back one directory to get back into the test directory by using the cd.. command mentioned earlier. Lets now rename our del2 directory to something else using the same rename command we used earlier. At the prompt, type rename dir2 hope to rename the directory to hope. After this command has been completed, type dir and you should now see one directory called hope.

Removing a directory

Still in the test directory lets now remove the hope directory by using the rmdir command. At the prompt, type rmdir hope to remove the hope directory.

If the directory you're trying to remove contains any files or directories, you'll receive an error. To prevent this error use the /s option. For example, if the hope directory still had the first.bat file you would need to type rmdir /s hope at the prompt.

In conclusion

Following all of the above sections you should now have a good understanding on how to navigate in the command line, create directories and files, rename files and directories, and delete files and directories. As mentioned earlier, there are hundreds of other commands that can be used at the command line. If you want to expand your knowledge even more, we highly recommend looking at the options available for each of the above commands and go through our commands overview.

MS-DOS and command line overview

Below is a listing of each of the MS-DOS commands currently listed on Computer Hope and a brief explanation of what each of the commands do. The below commands are all MS-DOS commands, which means not all the below commands will work in your version of MS-DOS or Windows command line. Clicking on the command will open the help page for that command with full details about it.

Command	Description	Type
ansi.sys	Defines functions that change display graphics, control cursor movement, and reassign keys.	File
append	Causes MS-DOS to look in other directories when editing a file or running a command.	External
arp	Displays, adds, and removes arp information from network devices.	External
assign	Assign a drive letter to an alternate letter.	External
assoc	View the file associations.	Internal
at	Schedule a time to execute commands or programs.	External
atmadm	Lists connections and addresses seen by Windows ATM call manager.	Internal
attrib	Display and change file attributes.	External
batch	Recovery console command that executes a series of commands in a file.	Recovery
bootcfg	Recovery console command that allows a user to view, modify, and rebuild the boot.ini	Recovery
break	Enable / disable CTRL + C feature.	Internal
cacls	View and modify file ACL's.	External
call	Calls a batch file from another batch file.	Internal
cd	Changes directories.	Internal
chcp	Supplement the International keyboard and character set information.	External
chdir	Changes directories.	Internal
chdsk	Check the hard disk drive running FAT for errors.	External
chkntfs	Check the hard disk drive running NTFS for errors.	External
choice	Specify a listing of multiple options within a batch file.	External
cls	Clears the screen.	Internal
cmd	Opens the command interpreter.
color	Easily change the foreground and background color of the MS-DOS window.	Internal
command	Opens the command interpreter.
comp	Compares files.	External
compact	Compresses and uncompress files.	External
control	Open Control Panel icons from the MS-DOS prompt.	External
convert	Convert FAT to NTFS.	External
copy	Copy one or more files to an alternate location.	Internal
ctty	Change the computers input/output devices.	Internal
date	View or change the systems date.	Internal
debug	Debug utility to create assembly programs to modify hardware settings.	External
defrag	Re-arrange the hard disk drive to help with loading programs.	External
del	Deletes one or more files.	Internal
delete	Recovery console command that deletes a file.	Internal
deltree	Deletes one or more files or directories.	External
dir	List the contents of one or more directory.	Internal
disable	Recovery console command that disables Windows system services or drivers.	Recovery
diskcomp	Compare a disk with another disk.	External
diskcopy	Copy the contents of one disk and place them on another disk.	External
doskey	Command to view and execute commands that have been run in the past.	External
dosshell	A GUI to help with early MS-DOS users.	External
drivparm	Enables overwrite of original device drivers.	Internal
echo	Displays messages and enables and disables echo.	Internal
edit	View and edit files.	External
edlin	View and edit files.	External
emm386	Load extended Memory Manager.	External
ename	Recovery console command to enable a disable service or driver.	Recovery
endlocal	Stops the localization of the environment changes enabled by the setlocal command.	Internal
erase	Erase files from computer.	Internal
exit	Exit from the command interpreter.	Internal
expand	Expand a Microsoft Windows file back to it's original format.	External
extract	Extract files from the Microsoft Windows cabinets.	External
fasthelp	Displays a listing of MS-DOS commands and information about them.	External
fc	Compare files.	External
fdisk	Utility used to create partitions on the hard disk drive.	External
find	Search for text within a file.	External
findstr	Searches for a string of text within a file.	External
fixboot	Writes a new boot sector.	Recovery
fixmbr	Writes a new boot record to a disk drive.	Recovery
for	Boolean used in batch files.	Internal
format	Command to erase and prepare a disk drive.	External
ftp	Command to connect and operate on a FTP server.	External
ftype	Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations.	Recovery
goto	Moves a batch file to a specific label or location.	Internal
graftabl	Show extended characters in graphics mode.	External
help	Display a listing of commands and brief explanation.	External
if	Allows for batch files to perform conditional processing.	Internal
ifshlp.sys	32-bit file manager.	External
ipconfig	Network command to view network adapter settings and assigned values.	External
keyb	Change layout of keyboard.	External
label	Change the label of a disk drive.	External
lh	Load a device driver in to high memory.	Internal
listsvc	Recovery console command that displays the services and drivers.	Recovery
loadfix	Load a program above the first 64k.	External
loadhigh	Load a device driver in to high memory.	Internal
lock	Lock the hard disk drive.	Internal
logoff	Logoff the currently profile using the computer.	External
logon	Recovery console command to list installations and enable administrator login.	Recovery
map	Displays the device name of a drive.	Recovery
md	Command to create a new directory.	Internal
mem	Display memory on system.	External
mkdir	Command to create a new directory.	Internal
mode	Modify the port or display settings.	External
more	Display one page at a time.	External
move	Move one or more files from one directory to another directory.	Internal
msav	Early Microsoft Virus scanner.	External
msd	Diagnostics utility.	External
msdex	Utility used to load and provide access to the CD-ROM.	External
nbtstat	Displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT	External
net	Update, fix, or view the network or network settings	External
netsh	Configure dynamic and static network information from MS-DOS.	External
netstat	Display the TCP/IP network protocol statistics and information.	External
nlsfunc	Load country specific information.	External
nslookup	Look up an IP address of a domain or host on a network.	External
path	View and modify the computers path location.	Internal
pathping	View and locate locations of network latency.	External
pause	Command used in batch files to stop the processing of a command.	Internal
ping	Test / send information to another network computer or network device.	External
popd	Changes to the directory or network path stored by the pushd command.	Internal
power	Conserve power with computer portables.	External
print	Prints data to a printer port.	External
prompt	View and change the MS-DOS prompt.	Internal
pushd	Stores a directory or network path in memory so it can be returned to at any time.	Internal
qbasic	Open the QBasic.	External
rd	Removes an empty directory.	Internal
ren	Renames a file or directory.	Internal
rename	Renames a file or directory.	Internal
rmdir	Removes an empty directory.	Internal
robocopy	A robust file copy command for the Windows command line.
route	View and configure windows network route tables.	External
runas	Enables a user to run a program as a different user.	External
scandisk	Run the scandisk utility.	External
scanreg	Scan registry and recover registry from errors.	External
set	Change one variable or string to another.	Internal
setlocal	Enables local environments to be changed without affecting anything else.	Internal
setver	Change MS-DOS version to trick older MS-DOS programs.	External
share	Installs support for file sharing and locking capabilities.	External
shift	Changes the position of replaceable parameters in a batch program.	Internal
shutdown	Shutdown the computer from the MS-DOS prompt.	External
smartdrv	Create a disk cache in conventional memory or extended memory.	External
sort	Sorts the input and displays the output to the screen.	External
start	Start a separate window in Windows from the MS-DOS prompt.	Internal
subst	Substitute a folder on your computer for another drive letter.	External
switches	Remove add functions from MS-DOS.	Internal
sys	Transfer system files to disk drive.	External
telnet	Telnet to another computer / device from the prompt.	External
time	View or modify the system time.	Internal
title	Change the title of their MS-DOS window.	Internal
tracert	Visually view a network packets route across a network.	External
tree	View a visual tree of the hard disk drive.	External
type	Display the contents of a file.	Internal
undelete	Undelete a file that has been deleted.	External
unformat	Unformat a hard disk drive.	External
unlock	Unlock a disk drive.	Internal
ver	Display the version information.	Internal
verify	Enables or disables the feature to determine if files have been written properly.	Internal
vol	Displays the volume information about the designated drive.	Internal
xcopy	Copy multiple files, directories, or drives from one location to another.	External