Essential Windows CMD Commands: Over 100 Most Useful Commands Organized by Function

Overview

The article presents a curated list of over 100 essential Windows CMD commands, focusing on commands that are still stable and useful in modern Windows 10/11 environments. Commands that are deprecated or rarely used have been removed.

1️⃣ File and Directory Management

dir

– Displays files and folders in the current directory.

dir C:\Windows

cd

– Changes the current directory path.

cd ..

md

/ mkdir – Creates a new folder.

md NewFolder

rd

/ rmdir – Removes an empty directory.

rd OldFolder

tree

– Shows the directory hierarchy as a tree.

tree D:\

copy

– Copies a file to a specified location.

copy a.txt D:\Backup\

xcopy

– Copies files and directory trees.

xcopy /E Source Destination

robocopy

– Advanced copy tool with mirroring and resume support.

robocopy C:\Source D:\Target /MIR

move

– Moves or renames a file or directory.

move a.txt ..\Other\

del

/ erase – Deletes files (supports wildcards).

del *.tmp

ren

/ rename – Renames a file or folder.

ren old.txt new.txt

2️⃣ System Information and Management

systeminfo

– Shows OS version, hardware configuration, and other overview data.

systeminfo

winver

– Pops up a window with the Windows version number.

winver

ver

– Displays the OS version in the console.

ver

hostname

– Shows the computer’s network name.

hostname

whoami

– Displays the currently logged‑in user name.

whoami

driverquery

– Lists installed drivers (use /V for verbose).

driverquery /V

msinfo32

– Opens the graphical System Information panel.

msinfo32

set

– Shows or sets environment variables.

set PATH

date

– Displays or sets the system date.

date

time

– Displays or sets the system time.

time

shutdown

– Shuts down, restarts, or schedules a power operation.

shutdown /s /t 3600

3️⃣ Disk Management and Maintenance

diskpart

– Enters the disk partitioning tool.

diskpart → list disk

chkdsk

– Checks and attempts to fix disk errors.

chkdsk C: /F

format

– Formats a disk partition.

format D: /FS:NTFS

vol

– Shows volume label and serial number.

vol D:

label

– Creates or changes a volume label.

label D: DataDisk

defrag

– Defragments a disk.

defrag C: /O

convert

– Converts a FAT volume to NTFS without data loss.

convert D: /FS:NTFS

fsutil

– Advanced file‑system management utility.

fsutil fsinfo drives

wmic

– Queries disk model, size, etc., via WMI.

wmic diskdrive get model,size

4️⃣ Network Diagnosis and Configuration

ipconfig

– Shows IP address and network configuration.

ipconfig /all

ping

– Tests network connectivity.

ping baidu.com -t

tracert

– Traces route hops.

tracert baidu.com

netstat

– Displays network connections and listening ports.

netstat -an

nslookup

– Queries DNS records.

nslookup baidu.com

arp

– Shows the ARP cache table.

arp -a

getmac

– Shows network adapter MAC addresses.

getmac /V

route

– Views or modifies the routing table.

route print

pathping

– Combines ping and traceroute with latency stats.

pathping baidu.com

ftp

– Enters FTP file‑transfer mode.

ftp ftp.example.com

nbtstat

– Shows NetBIOS over TCP/IP statistics.

nbtstat -n

netsh

– Network configuration scripting tool (e.g., reset network, view Wi‑Fi passwords).

netsh wlan show profile

5️⃣ Process and Task Management

tasklist

– Lists all running processes.

tasklist

taskkill

– Forces termination of a specific process.

taskkill /F /IM notepad.exe

schtasks

– Manages scheduled tasks.

schtasks /Query

wmic process

– Views detailed process information via WMI.

wmic process list brief

start

– Launches a new window to run a program.

start notepad.exe

runas

– Runs a program as another user.

runas /user:Administrator cmd

6️⃣ Batch Scripting and Automation

echo

– Displays a message or toggles command echoing.

echo Processing complete!

@

– Hides the command itself from being echoed.

@echo off

pause

– Pauses execution and prompts “Press any key to continue”.

pause

rem

– Adds a comment line.

rem This is a comment

call

– Calls another batch file and returns.

call anotherScript.bat

goto

– Jumps to a labeled line.

goto :end

if

– Conditional statement.

if exist file.txt del file.txt

for

– Loops over files or sets.

for %f in (*.txt) do echo %f

set /P

– Prompts for user input.

set /P name=Enter your name:

exit

– Exits the script or command interpreter.

exit /b

color

– Sets console foreground/background colors.

color 0A

title

– Sets the CMD window title.

title My Automation Tool

7️⃣ User, Permissions, and Security

net user

– Manages local user accounts.

net user NewUser Password /add

net localgroup

– Manages local groups.

net localgroup Administrators User /add

net share

– Manages shared folders.

net share ShareName=C:\Folder

net use

– Connects or disconnects network drives.

net use Z: \\Server\Share

net accounts

– Views account password policies.

net accounts

takeown

– Takes ownership of a file or folder.

takeown /F ProtectedFile.txt

icacls

– Displays or modifies file ACLs.

icacls Folder /grant User:F

cipher

– Encrypts or decrypts NTFS files.

cipher /E Secret.docx

8️⃣ Handy Utilities

cls

– Clears the screen.

cls

exit

– Closes the CMD window.

exit

help

– Shows a list of commands or help for a specific command.

help copy

/?

– Displays detailed syntax for a command.

ping /?

cmd

– Starts a new command session.

cmd /k

powershell

– Switches to PowerShell.

powershell

notepad

, calc, osk – Launches common Windows utilities. control, gpedit.msc, services.msc, eventvwr, msconfig, mstsc, dxdiag, cleanmgr – Opens various system management consoles.

Tips from the Author

Quickly open CMD: press Win+R, type cmd, and press Enter. For admin rights, use Win+X → “Terminal (Admin)”.

Paste in CMD by right‑clicking the mouse.

Get command help by appending /? (e.g., copy /?).

Remember to separate commands, parameters, and paths with spaces.