Q&A for How to Run a Batch File from the Command Line on Windows

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After I run the batch script, it just opens another line and nothing happens.

Nicole Levine, MFA
wikiHow Technology Writer
Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.

Nicole Levine, MFA

wikiHow Technology Writer

Expert Answer

Many batch scripts won't display any confirmation that the commands have run. If you wrote the batch script yourself, you can switch the value of "echo" to "on" to display the commands at the prompt as they run. You can also add "pause" to the end of the script to make it prompt the user to press a key to continue. But in general, as long as you don't see an error, that means the batch script executed properly.

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Question

What does this error mean? '.' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

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Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

The batch script is trying to run "." as a command, which is not a recognized command. Look for the extra period somewhere in the script and remove it.

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Question

How do I get out after I run my batch file ?

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wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Just click the '''X''' at the top corner of the command prompt window to close it. Or, if the batch script is hung on a process and not letting you go to the next line, you can press Ctrl + C to stop the batch file from running.

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Question

It gives an error saying "The input line is too long. The syntax of the command is incorrect."

Community Answer

Double-check the code, as there's a command that was not correctly written. Ensure all spaces and special characters are in the proper places.

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