windows_cmd_commands.md

CMD useful comands

• tasklist - To list the tasks running
• taskkill - To kill a task

Examples

Search for a task

C:\>tasklist | find /i "notepad"
notepad.exe                  23512 Console                    2     16,304 K

Kill a task based on its image name.

C:\>taskkill /im notepad.exe
SUCCESS: Sent termination signal to the process "notepad.exe" with PID 23512.

Search for a port and PID of the task associated with it.

C:\>netstat -aon | find /i "192.168.1.34:62583"
  TCP    192.168.1.34:62583     168.62.106.216:443     ESTABLISHED     17404

More commands

File & Directory Management

• dir – Lists files and folders in the current directory
• cd – Displays or changes the current directory
• md / mkdir – Creates a new directory
• rd / rmdir – Removes a directory (use /S for contents)
• del – Deletes one or more files
• copy – Copies files from one location to another
• xcopy – Advanced file copy, supports directories
• robocopy – Robust file copy (mirroring, retries)
• move – Moves or renames files
• ren – Renames a file or folder
• attrib – Displays or changes file attributes
• type – Displays the contents of a text file
• more – Displays text one screen at a time
• tree – Graphically displays folder structure

System Information

• ver – Displays Windows version
• systeminfo – Detailed system configuration and OS info
• hostname – Displays computer name
• set – Shows environment variables
• echo – Displays text or variables
• date – Displays or sets system date
• time – Displays or sets system time

Disk & File System

• chkdsk – Checks disk for errors
• diskpart – Opens disk partition utility
• format – Formats a disk for use
• label – Changes volume label of a disk
• vol – Displays disk volume label and serial number
• fsutil – Advanced file system utility
• mountvol – Manages volume mount points
• compact – Displays/changes NTFS compression
• cipher – Manages NTFS encryption

Networking

• ping – Tests network connectivity to a host
• tracert – Traces route packets take to a destination
• ipconfig – Displays IP configuration info
• netstat – Displays active network connections
• nslookup – Queries DNS servers for name resolution
• arp – Displays/edits ARP table
• net use – Manages shared network drives
• net user – Manages user accounts
• net share – Manages shared folders
• net view – Shows shared resources on a computer
• net session – Displays/disconnects sessions
• netsh – Configures network stack (firewall, TCP/IP, etc.)
• pathping – Combines ping + tracert with loss statistics
• nbtstat – Displays NetBIOS over TCP/IP info
• getmac – Displays MAC addresses

Process & Task Management

• tasklist – Lists running processes
• taskkill – Kills processes by name or PID
• shutdown – Shuts down, restarts, or logs off computer
• logoff – Logs off the current user
• cls – Clears the screen
• pause – Pauses batch file execution
• schtasks – Manages scheduled tasks

Scripting & Utilities

• call – Calls another batch file
• exit – Closes the command prompt window
• help – Lists available commands
• find – Searches for text in files
• fc – Compares two files and shows differences
• where – Locates a file in the PATH
• choice – Prompts user for a choice (batch scripts)
• for – Iterates over items in a batch script
• if – Conditional execution in scripts
• goto – Jumps to a label in batch files
• shift – Shifts batch arguments
• setlocal / endlocal – Controls environment variable scope
• assoc – Displays or modifies file associations
• ftype – Defines executables for file types
• pushd / popd – Saves/restores current directory

Administrative & System

• sfc – Scans and repairs Windows system files
• dism – Manages Windows images and drivers
• bcdedit – Edits boot configuration data
• sc – Service Controller for Windows services
• reg – Registry editor via command line
• driverquery – Lists installed drivers
• gpupdate – Applies group policy updates immediately
• gpresult – Displays group policy results
• whoami – Displays current user and groups

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Less-Known / Hidden

• clip – Redirects output to clipboard
• msg – Sends popup messages to network users
• start – Opens files, folders, or programs
• explorer – Opens File Explorer
• control – Opens Control Panel or applets
• taskmgr – Opens Task Manager
• mstsc – Opens Remote Desktop Connection
• dxdiag – DirectX Diagnostic Tool
• perfmon – Performance Monitor
• lodctr / unlodctr – Loads/unloads performance counters
• rasdial – Manages dial-up or VPN connections
• klist – Displays Kerberos tickets
• debug – Old DOS debugger (legacy, removed in x64 Windows)
• edlin – Line editor from DOS (legacy)