Download Article
Download Article
Have you forgotten a certain command that you need to use in the Command Prompt? You can quickly list most commands, allowing you to search the list and find the one you need. You can also use the same function to get additional help for specific commands. See below to learn how.
How to Check Commands in CMD
Open the Command Prompt program on your computer. Type in "Help" when the window appears and hit Enter to pull up a list of all the available commands. To learn how a specific command works, type "help" followed by the command for more details.
Steps
Part 1
Part 1 of 2:
List of the Most Basic and Frequently Used Commands Accessed Within the Interpreter
-
Please Note; TAKEOWN, NETSH and many other more 'intrusive' commands WILL NOT be present here.
- See more commands (but NOT ALL of them) you can visit microsoft technet - https://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/library/bb490890.aspx
-
Find what's actually available in your interpreter, as well what programs are using it, check the cmd folder. Go to computer --->C:--->windows--->System32. The Application (not application extension) are the current executable commands within the interpreter on your system.Advertisement
-
If you are at the Command Prompt, type the application name and the /? attribute (read further) or type the word /help after the command and to see what it does, and the basic way to use it. [1] X Research source
-
Open the Command Prompt. You can open the Command Prompt by pressing ⊞ Win + R to open the Run box and typing cmd . Windows 8 users can also press ⊞ Win + X and select Command Prompt from the menu. [2] X Research source
-
Retrieve the list of commands. Type help and press ↵ Enter . A list of all the available commands will be displayed. The listed is sorted alphabetically. [3] X Research source
- The list is usually larger than the Command Prompt window, so you may need to scroll up to find the command you want.
- The list varies slightly depending on which Windows version you are using, as commands are occasionally added or removed.
- A short description of the command will be displayed next to each entry.
- You can enter the help command at any location in the Command Prompt.
Advertisement
-
Open the Command Prompt. You can open the Command Prompt by pressing ⊞ Win + R to open the Run box and typing cmd . Windows 8 users can also press ⊞ Win + X and select Command Prompt from the menu. [4] X Research source
-
Type help , followed by the command. For example, if you wanted more information n the "mkdir" command, you would type help mkdir and press ↵ Enter . The additional information will be displayed beneath. [5] X Research source
-
Review the information that appears. The amount of information you get will vary depending on the command and its complexity. The help information may just tell you how to properly format the command, or it may provide information on how to get more functionality out of it than you might normally. [6] X Research source
Advertisement
Community Q&A
Search
-
QuestionHow do I open cmd on a Windows phone?Community AnswerSince a phone is not a pc, using cmd on it is not possible.
-
QuestionHow do I minimize a window?MikePlaysGamesCommunity AnswerYou have to click the button in between the - and the x. You can also click and drag the side of the window to make it smaller and drag at the corner of the window to make the height and width minimize or maximize at the same rate.
-
QuestionHow do I use CMD for make a folder in C drive?Community AnswerNavigate to a directory you want to create a folder in (cd c:\{directory}), then create sub-directory (mkdir {nameOfDirectory}).
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Video
Tips
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
References
- ↑ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/cmd
- ↑ https://grok.lsu.edu/article.aspx?articleid=13578
- ↑ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/windows-commands
- ↑ https://grok.lsu.edu/article.aspx?articleid=13578
- ↑ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/help
- ↑ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/help
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 603,118 times.
Advertisement