Windows Command

This windows command Cheat Sheet is a non exhaustive list of main windows command that you can use.

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#Getting Started

#Basic

CMD Description
cls Clears the content of the screen.
echo Displays messages or enables/disables command echoing.
help Provides help information for Windows commands.
exit Exits the CMD.EXE program (command interpreter).
date Displays or sets the date.
time Displays or sets the system time.
ver Displays the Windows version.
dir Displays a list of files and subdir in a directory.
cd Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
copy Copies one or more files to another location.
move Moves files and renames files and directories.
del Deletes one or more files.
mkdir Creates a directory.
rmdir Removes a directory.
type Displays the contents of a text file.
ren Renames a file or files.
start Starts a separate window to run a specified program or cmd.
shutdown Allows you to shut down or restart the computer.
tasklist Displays all currently running tasks including services.
taskkill Ends one or more tasks or processes.

#Manage file :

#File

CMD Description
attrib Displays or changes file attributes.
fc Compares two files and displays the differences between them.
find Searches for a text string in a file or files.
findstr Searches for strings in files.
xcopy Copies files and directory trees.
robocopy Robust File Copy for Windows, a more advanced version of xcopy.
compact Displays or alters the compression of files on NTFS partitions.
expand Expands one or more compressed files.
replace Replaces files.
tree Graphically displays the folder structure of a drive or path.
sort Sorts input.
more Displays output one screen at a time.
print Prints a text file.
cipher Displays or alters the encryption of dir [files] on NTFS parts.
diskcomp Compares the contents of two floppy disks.
diskcopy Copies the contents of one floppy disk to another.
format Formats a disk for use with Windows.
chkdsk Checks a disk and displays a status report.
label Creates, changes, or deletes the volume label of a disk.
recover Recovers readable information from a bad or defective disk.

#System & Network

#System

CMD Description
systeminfo Displays detailed configuration information about a computer and its operating system.
driverquery Displays current device driver status and properties.
msinfo32 Starts the System Information tool.
reg Registry Console Tool, used to manage the Windows Registry.
sc Displays or configures services (background processes).
taskmgr Starts the Task Manager.
wmic Windows Management Instrumentation , used for managing Windows systems.
sfc System File Checker, scans and verifies the versions of all protected system files.
gpupdate Refreshes local and Active Directory-based Group Policy settings.
gpresult Displays Group Policy settings and Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) for a user or computer.
powercfg Configures power settings.
dxdiag Starts the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
msinfo32 Starts the Microsoft System Information tool.
perfmon Starts the Performance Monitor.
rsop Resultant Set of Policy, used to view Group Policy settings.
sigverif Starts the File Signature Verification tool.
sysedit Starts the System Configuration Editor.
syskey Secures the Windows XP account database.
chgport Displays or changes Com port mappings.
chgusr Changes the installed user mode.

#Network

CMD Description
ipconfig Displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values.
ping Tests network connectivity to a specified host.
tracert Traces the route taken by packets to a specified destination.
netstat Displays active TCP connections, ports on which the computer is listening.
nslookup Displays information that you can use to diagnose Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure.
net Manages network resources, services, and user accounts.
netsh Network Shell, used to configure and monitor network devices.
arp Displays and modifies the IP-to-Physical address translation tables used by the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).
route Displays and modifies the entries in the local IP routing table.
ftp Starts the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client.
telnet Starts the Telnet client.
nbtstat Displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT (NetBIOS over TCP/IP).
netuse Displays information about network connections.
net session Manages server computer connections.
net start Starts a network service.
net stop Stops a network service.
net view Displays a list of resources being shared on a specified computer.
net user Manages user accounts.
net localgroup Manages local groups.
net share Manages shared resources.
net statistics Displays network statistics.

#Miscellaneouss

#Process Management

CMD Description
wmic process Manages processes using Windows Management Instrumentation .
timeout Waits for specified number of seconds / until a key pressed.

#Disk Management

CMD Command Description
diskpart Manages disk partitions.
defrag Defragments a disk.
convert Converts a FAT volume to NTFS.
diskperf Manages disk performance counters.

#System Configuration

CMD Command Description
bcdedit Manages the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store.
bootcfg Configures, queries, or changes Boot.ini file settings.
msconfig Starts the System Configuration utility.
regedit Starts the Registry Editor.

#Tips & Tricks

#Miscellaneouss Tips & Tricks

Tip or Trick Description
wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey Get your Windows Product key
cmd /k Opens the command prompt and executes a specified command, keeping the window open.
cmd /c Opens the command prompt, executes a specified command, and then closes the window.
&& Allows you to run multiple commands in sequence. For example, command1 && command2.
\|\| Allows you to run a second command only if the first command fails. For example, command1 || command2.
> Redirects the output of a command to a file, overwriting the file if it already exists. For example, command > output.txt.
>> Redirects the output of a command to a file, appending the output if the file already exists. For example, command >> output.txt.
\| Pipes the output of one command to another command. For example, command1 | command2.
clip Redirects the output of a command to the Windows clipboard. For example, dir | clip.
for %i in (*.txt) do echo %i Loops through all .txt files in the current directory and echoes their names.
pushd and popd pushd saves the current directory and then changes to a new directory. popd returns to the saved directory.
set Displays, sets, or removes environment variables. For example, set PATH=C:\newpath.
start "" "C:\Path\To\Program\program.exe" Starts a program without waiting for it to finish.
taskkill /IM "process.exe" /F Forcefully kills a process by its image name.
wmic product get name Lists all installed software on the system.
wmic logicaldisk get size,freespace,caption Displays the size, free space, and caption of all logical disks.
systeminfo \| findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version" Displays the OS name and version.
schtasks /query /fo LIST /v Lists all scheduled tasks in detail.
netsh wlan show profiles Displays a list of all saved Wi-Fi profiles.
netsh wlan show profiles name="ProfileName" key=clear Displays the password for a specific Wi-Fi profile.
assoc Displays or modifies file extension associations.
ftype Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations.
driverquery /v Lists all installed drivers with detailed information.
powercfg /energy Generates a detailed energy report for the system.
powercfg /batteryreport Generates a battery life report for laptops.
robocopy C:\Source D:\Destination /MIR Mirrors a directory from one location to another, including subdirectories and files.
mklink /D "C:\Path\To\Link" "C:\Path\To\Target" Creates a symbolic link to a directory.
mklink /H "C:\Path\To\Link" "C:\Path\To\Target" Creates a hard link to a file.
mklink /J "C:\Path\To\Link" "C:\Path\To\Target" Creates a directory junction.
diskpart /s script.txt Runs a DiskPart script to automate disk partitioning tasks.
shutdown /a Aborts a system shutdown.
chkdsk /f /r Checks a disk and fixes errors, also recovers readable information from bad sectors.
sfc /scannow Scans and repairs protected system files.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth Repairs the Windows image using DISM.
bcdboot C:\Windows Repairs the boot environment by copying boot files from the Windows directory.
bootrec /fixmbr Repairs the Master Boot Record (MBR).
bootrec /fixboot Writes a new boot sector to the system partition.
bootrec /scanos Scans for installations compatible with Windows and displays the entries that are currently not in the Boot Configuration Data store.
bootrec /rebuildbcd Scans for installations compatible with Windows and allows you to select the installations you want to add to the Boot Configuration Data store.

#Other