{"id":2874,"date":"2023-01-14T01:02:06","date_gmt":"2023-01-14T01:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/?p=2874"},"modified":"2023-01-14T23:55:18","modified_gmt":"2023-01-14T23:55:18","slug":"popular-command-line-prompts-and-what-they-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/popular-command-line-prompts-and-what-they-do\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Popular Command Line Prompts (and what they do)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<p>The trusty command line has been a feature of windows since, well, before windows! In this article we look at 25 Popular Command Line Prompts and what they are used for, but first of all, what is the command prompt?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DOS faithful&#8217;s know all too well about the command line and it&#8217;s importance, seeing as that&#8217;s all they had before GUI (graphical user interfaces) were invented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Modern Windows users, from Windows 1.0 onwards (OK, so Windows 1.0 isn&#8217;t that modern any more!) will likely refer to the command line as Command Prompt, as this is what it&#8217;s called in modern versions of windows, such as Windows 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-662a59eda411d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-662a59eda411d\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/popular-command-line-prompts-and-what-they-do\/#How_to_access_the_command_prompt\" title=\"How to access the command prompt\">How to access the command prompt<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/popular-command-line-prompts-and-what-they-do\/#Popular_Command_Line_Prompts\" title=\"Popular Command Line Prompts\">Popular Command Line Prompts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/popular-command-line-prompts-and-what-they-do\/#Command_Prompt_Modifiers\" title=\"Command Prompt Modifiers\">Command Prompt Modifiers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/popular-command-line-prompts-and-what-they-do\/#Long_live_the_command_prompt\" title=\"Long live the command prompt!\">Long live the command prompt!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_access_the_command_prompt\"><\/span>How to access the command prompt<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can access the Command Prompt by clicking on the Start menu, typing &#8220;cmd&#8221; into the search box, and then clicking on the Command Prompt application. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"777\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-14.png?resize=777%2C726&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-14.png?w=777&amp;ssl=1 777w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-14.png?resize=300%2C280&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-14.png?resize=768%2C718&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Command Prompt in Windows 11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the Command Prompt is open, you can type in commands and press Enter to execute them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Command Prompt also supports many command-line options and arguments that can be used to modify the behavior of commands and scripts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Popular_Command_Line_Prompts\"><\/span>Popular Command Line Prompts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>How many command prompts are there? There&#8217;s actually <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifewire.com\/list-of-command-prompt-commands-4092302#:~:text=The%20Command%20Prompt%20in%20Windows,use%20most%20of%20the%20time.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">over 280<\/a> built in to Windows!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article we look at 25 popular command prompts, that are useful for home autometer&#8217;s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>&#8220;dir&#8221; &#8211; Lists all files and folders in the current directory<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;cd&#8221; &#8211; Changes the current directory<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;mkdir&#8221; &#8211; Creates a new directory<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;rmdir&#8221; &#8211; Deletes an empty directory<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;del&#8221; &#8211; Deletes a file<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;copy&#8221; &#8211; Copies a file<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;xcopy&#8221; &#8211; Copies multiple files and directories<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;type&#8221; &#8211; Displays the contents of a text file<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;rename&#8221; &#8211; Renames a file<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;cls&#8221; &#8211; Clears the command prompt screen<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;ping&#8221; &#8211; Tests connectivity to a specified host<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;ipconfig&#8221; &#8211; Displays IP configuration information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;netstat&#8221; &#8211; Shows active network connections<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;nslookup&#8221; &#8211; Queries a DNS server for information about a domain<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;tracert&#8221; &#8211; Traces the route taken to a specified host<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;shutdown&#8221; &#8211; Shuts down the computer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;tasklist&#8221; &#8211; Lists currently running processes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;taskkill&#8221; &#8211; Ends a running process<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;systeminfo&#8221; &#8211; Displays system information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;powercfg&#8221; &#8211; Configures power settings on the computer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;chkdsk&#8221; &#8211; Checks the integrity of a disk<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;sfc&#8221; &#8211; Scans and repairs system files<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;diskpart&#8221; &#8211; Manages disk partitions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;bcdedit&#8221; &#8211; Edits the Windows boot configuration<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;net&#8221; &#8211; Manages network settings and connections<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"976\" height=\"508\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/command-prompt.jpg?resize=976%2C508&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/command-prompt.jpg?w=976&amp;ssl=1 976w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/command-prompt.jpg?resize=300%2C156&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/command-prompt.jpg?resize=768%2C400&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Command_Prompt_Modifiers\"><\/span>Command Prompt Modifiers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Command prompt modifiers (also known as command switches or options), are parameters that can be added to your command to modify its behaviour or output. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are usually preceded by a forward slash (\/) or a dash (-) and can be used to specify additional options, such as displaying hidden files, sorting the output, or controlling the format of the output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some examples of command prompt modifiers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>\/p : Pauses the output after each screenful.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\/w : Displays the list of files and directories in wide format, where the information is displayed in multiple columns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\/a : Lists all files and directories, including hidden and system files.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\/s : Lists the files and directories in the current directory and all subdirectories.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\/b : Displays the list of files and directories in bare format, which shows only the names of the files and directories and not their attributes or other information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\/l : Displays the file information in lowercase.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\/o : Sorts the files and directories based on various criteria such as name, size, type, and time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\/t : Sorts the files and directories based on the time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\/x : Displays the short names of the files and directories, if they have one.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\/on : Sorts the files and directories by name.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>These are just a few examples of command prompt modifiers and each command has its own set of options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some commands even have their own unique switches which are specific to that command!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example if you run the command<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>ping 1.1.1.1<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>By default the command will ping that IP address 4 times and then stop;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"601\" height=\"322\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-16.png?resize=601%2C322&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-16.png?w=601&amp;ssl=1 601w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-16.png?resize=300%2C161&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 601px) 100vw, 601px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But if you add a modifier, such as -t<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>ping 1.1.1.1 -t<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>It will ping that IP address indefinitely!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"452\" height=\"324\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-15.png?resize=452%2C324&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-15.png?w=452&amp;ssl=1 452w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-15.png?resize=300%2C215&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Long_live_the_command_prompt\"><\/span>Long live the command prompt!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst the command prompt can seem daunting, it&#8217;s exceptionally useful and well worth spending some time to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are so many benefits of the command prompt, especially for automations and repetitive tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In summary, the command prompt is a really powerful tool that you should learn to use, isn&#8217;t going anywhere, and remains popular because it provides a powerful and flexible way to interact with the operating system, allows for scripting and automation, is compatible with most versions of Windows, and is really useful for sysadmins, home autometer&#8217;s, and geeks conducting system maintenance and troubleshooting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"25 Popular Command Line Prompts (and what they do)\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/popular-command-line-prompts-and-what-they-do\/#more-2874\" aria-label=\"More on 25 Popular Command Line Prompts (and what they do)\">Read Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/25-Popular-Command-Line-Prompts-and-what-they-do.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2874"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2874"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2896,"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2874\/revisions\/2896"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rapidlydigital.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}