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%Start Command Prompt: What It Is and How to Use It GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps &gt; Windows 711 711 people found this article helpful <h1> Command Prompt: What It Is and How to Use It</h1> <h2> Command Prompt is available in most Windows operating systems</h2> By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years&#39; of professional technology experience. He&#39;s been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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%Start Command Prompt: What It Is and How to Use It GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > Windows 711 711 people found this article helpful

Command Prompt: What It Is and How to Use It

Command Prompt is available in most Windows operating systems

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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It's used to execute entered commands. Most of those commands automate tasks via scripts and batch f...
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lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 4, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Windows The Ultimate Laptop Buying Guide <h3> What to Know</h3> Command Prompt can be found in the Start menu or Apps screen.Alternatively, use the Run command cmd, or open from its original location: C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exeTo use, enter a valid Command Prompt command. Command Prompt is a command line interpreter application available in most Windows operating systems.
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What to Know

Command Prompt can be found in the Start menu or Apps screen.Alternatively, use the Run command cmd, or open from its original location: C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exeTo use, enter a valid Command Prompt command. Command Prompt is a command line interpreter application available in most Windows operating systems.
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It's used to execute entered commands. Most of those commands automate tasks via scripts and batch files, perform advanced administrative functions, and troubleshoot or solve certain kinds of Windows issues. Command Prompt is officially called Windows Command Processor, but it&#39;s also sometimes referred to as ​the command shell or cmd prompt, or even by its filename, cmd.exe.
Evelyn Zhang Member
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It's used to execute entered commands. Most of those commands automate tasks via scripts and batch files, perform advanced administrative functions, and troubleshoot or solve certain kinds of Windows issues. Command Prompt is officially called Windows Command Processor, but it's also sometimes referred to as ​the command shell or cmd prompt, or even by its filename, cmd.exe.
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Lifewire / Derek Abella Command Prompt is sometimes incorrectly referred to as &#34;the DOS prompt&#34; or as MS-DOS. Command Prompt is a Windows program that emulates many of the command line abilities available in MS-DOS, but it&#39;s not MS-DOS.
Christopher Lee Member
access_time 12 minutes ago
Lifewire / Derek Abella Command Prompt is sometimes incorrectly referred to as "the DOS prompt" or as MS-DOS. Command Prompt is a Windows program that emulates many of the command line abilities available in MS-DOS, but it's not MS-DOS.
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Noah Davis 3 minutes ago
Cmd is also an abbreviation for many other technology terms like centralized message distribution, c...
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Cmd is also an abbreviation for many other technology terms like centralized message distribution, color monitor display, and common management database, but none of them have anything to do with Command Prompt. <h2> How to Access Command Prompt </h2> There are several ways to open Command Prompt, but the "normal" method is via the Command Prompt shortcut located in the Start menu or on the Apps screen, depending on your version of Windows.
Zoe Mueller Member
access_time 25 minutes ago
Cmd is also an abbreviation for many other technology terms like centralized message distribution, color monitor display, and common management database, but none of them have anything to do with Command Prompt.

How to Access Command Prompt

There are several ways to open Command Prompt, but the "normal" method is via the Command Prompt shortcut located in the Start menu or on the Apps screen, depending on your version of Windows.
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Thomas Anderson 12 minutes ago
Opening Command Prompt in Windows 11. The shortcut is faster for most people, but another way to acc...
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Amelia Singh 13 minutes ago
However, you might see PowerShell there instead of Command Prompt depending on how your computer is ...
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Opening Command Prompt in Windows 11. The shortcut is faster for most people, but another way to access Command Prompt is via the cmd Run command. You can also open cmd.exe from its original location: C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe Yet another method for opening Command Prompt in some versions of Windows is through the Power User Menu.
Elijah Patel Member
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Opening Command Prompt in Windows 11. The shortcut is faster for most people, but another way to access Command Prompt is via the cmd Run command. You can also open cmd.exe from its original location: C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe Yet another method for opening Command Prompt in some versions of Windows is through the Power User Menu.
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Victoria Lopez 20 minutes ago
However, you might see PowerShell there instead of Command Prompt depending on how your computer is ...
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However, you might see PowerShell there instead of Command Prompt depending on how your computer is set up. You can switch between Command Prompt and PowerShell from the Win+X menu.
Daniel Kumar Member
access_time 28 minutes ago
However, you might see PowerShell there instead of Command Prompt depending on how your computer is set up. You can switch between Command Prompt and PowerShell from the Win+X menu.
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Scarlett Brown 5 minutes ago
Many commands can only be executed if you're running the Command Prompt as an administrator.

Ho...

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Nathan Chen 14 minutes ago
For example, executing the following Command Prompt command in your Downloads folder would remove al...
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Many commands can only be executed if you're running the Command Prompt as an administrator. <h2> How to Use Command Prompt </h2> To use Command Prompt, you enter a valid Command Prompt command along with any optional parameters. Command Prompt then executes the command as entered and performs the task or function it's designed to perform in Windows.
Audrey Mueller Member
access_time 32 minutes ago
Many commands can only be executed if you're running the Command Prompt as an administrator.

How to Use Command Prompt

To use Command Prompt, you enter a valid Command Prompt command along with any optional parameters. Command Prompt then executes the command as entered and performs the task or function it's designed to perform in Windows.
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Luna Park 6 minutes ago
For example, executing the following Command Prompt command in your Downloads folder would remove al...
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For example, executing the following Command Prompt command in your Downloads folder would remove all MP3s from that folder: del *.mp3 Commands must be entered into Command Prompt exactly. The wrong syntax or a misspelling could cause the command to fail or worse; it could execute the wrong command or the right command in the wrong way. A comfort level with reading command syntax is recommended.
Ava White Moderator
access_time 36 minutes ago
For example, executing the following Command Prompt command in your Downloads folder would remove all MP3s from that folder: del *.mp3 Commands must be entered into Command Prompt exactly. The wrong syntax or a misspelling could cause the command to fail or worse; it could execute the wrong command or the right command in the wrong way. A comfort level with reading command syntax is recommended.
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Sophia Chen 20 minutes ago
For example, executing the dir command will show a list of files and folders that exist at any speci...
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Madison Singh 30 minutes ago
Syntax is so important that with some commands, especially the delete command, adding even a single ...
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For example, executing the dir command will show a list of files and folders that exist at any specific location on the computer, but it doesn&#39;t actually do anything. However, change just a couple letters and it turns into the del command, which is how you delete files from Command Prompt!
Sofia Garcia Member
access_time 50 minutes ago
For example, executing the dir command will show a list of files and folders that exist at any specific location on the computer, but it doesn't actually do anything. However, change just a couple letters and it turns into the del command, which is how you delete files from Command Prompt!
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William Brown 1 minutes ago
Syntax is so important that with some commands, especially the delete command, adding even a single ...
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Daniel Kumar 40 minutes ago
Don't let this scare you away from using Command Prompt commands, but definitely let it make you...
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Syntax is so important that with some commands, especially the delete command, adding even a single space can mean deleting entirely different data. Here's an example where the space in the command breaks the line into two sections, essentially creating two commands where the files in the root folder (files) are deleted instead of the files in the subfolder (music):<br> del C:\files\ music The proper way to execute that command so as to remove files from the music folder instead is to remove the space so that the whole command is strung together correctly.
Zoe Mueller Member
access_time 55 minutes ago
Syntax is so important that with some commands, especially the delete command, adding even a single space can mean deleting entirely different data. Here's an example where the space in the command breaks the line into two sections, essentially creating two commands where the files in the root folder (files) are deleted instead of the files in the subfolder (music):
del C:\files\ music The proper way to execute that command so as to remove files from the music folder instead is to remove the space so that the whole command is strung together correctly.
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Noah Davis 24 minutes ago
Don't let this scare you away from using Command Prompt commands, but definitely let it make you...
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Emma Wilson 25 minutes ago
Here are some of the more commonly used Command Prompt commands that are utilized in a variety of ci...
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Don&#39;t let this scare you away from using Command Prompt commands, but definitely let it make you cautious. <h2> Command Prompt Commands </h2> A large number of commands exist in Command Prompt, but command availability varies across Microsoft Operating Systems. Command Prompts for Windows Operating Systems: Windows 8 Commands Windows 7 Commands Windows XP Commands All Windows Command Prompt Commands<br> There are lots and lots of commands you can use in Command Prompt, but not all of them are used as often as others.
Sofia Garcia Member
access_time 48 minutes ago
Don't let this scare you away from using Command Prompt commands, but definitely let it make you cautious.

Command Prompt Commands

A large number of commands exist in Command Prompt, but command availability varies across Microsoft Operating Systems. Command Prompts for Windows Operating Systems: Windows 8 Commands Windows 7 Commands Windows XP Commands All Windows Command Prompt Commands
There are lots and lots of commands you can use in Command Prompt, but not all of them are used as often as others.
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Here are some of the more commonly used Command Prompt commands that are utilized in a variety of circumstances: chkdsk, copy, ftp, del, format, ping, attrib, net, dir, help, and shutdown. 21 Best Command Prompt Tricks <h2> Command Prompt Availability </h2> Command Prompt is available on every Windows NT-based operating system which includes Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000, as well as Windows Server 2012, 2008, and 2003. Windows PowerShell, an advanced command line interpreter available in recent Windows versions, supplements the command executing abilities available in Command Prompt.
Joseph Kim Member
access_time 65 minutes ago
Here are some of the more commonly used Command Prompt commands that are utilized in a variety of circumstances: chkdsk, copy, ftp, del, format, ping, attrib, net, dir, help, and shutdown. 21 Best Command Prompt Tricks

Command Prompt Availability

Command Prompt is available on every Windows NT-based operating system which includes Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000, as well as Windows Server 2012, 2008, and 2003. Windows PowerShell, an advanced command line interpreter available in recent Windows versions, supplements the command executing abilities available in Command Prompt.
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Windows PowerShell may eventually replace the Command Prompt in a future version of Windows. Windows Terminal is another Microsoft-approved way of using Command Prompt and PowerShell within the same tool.
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Windows PowerShell may eventually replace the Command Prompt in a future version of Windows. Windows Terminal is another Microsoft-approved way of using Command Prompt and PowerShell within the same tool.
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Christopher Lee 52 minutes ago
FAQ How do I use a command prompt on macOS? The Terminal app is similar to the Command Prompt in Win...
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To open, go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. How do I change the directory in Command P...
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FAQ How do I use a command prompt on macOS? The Terminal app is similar to the Command Prompt in Windows.
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FAQ How do I use a command prompt on macOS? The Terminal app is similar to the Command Prompt in Windows.
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To open, go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. How do I change the directory in Command P...
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Then drag the folder or type the name of the folder into the command prompt. Was this page helpful?...
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To open, go to Applications &gt; Utilities &gt; Terminal. How do I change the directory in Command Prompt? To change directories, enter cd followed by a space.
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To open, go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. How do I change the directory in Command Prompt? To change directories, enter cd followed by a space.
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Then drag the folder or type the name of the folder into the command prompt. Was this page helpful?...
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Then drag the folder or type the name of the folder into the command prompt. Was this page helpful?
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Then drag the folder or type the name of the folder into the command prompt. Was this page helpful?
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Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Open Command Prompt (Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, etc.) List of Windows XP Command Prompt Commands What Is a Command for Computers?
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Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Open Command Prompt (Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, etc.) List of Windows XP Command Prompt Commands What Is a Command for Computers?
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