Command Prompt can be found in the Start menu or Apps screen, or use the Run command cmd
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- 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.exe
- To use, enter a valid Command Prompt command.
Command Prompt is a command line interpreter application in most Windows operating systems. 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 Windows issues.
What Is Windows Command Prompt?
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.
Command Prompt is sometimes incorrectly called “the DOS prompt” or MS-DOS. Command Prompt is a Windows program that emulates many command line abilities available in MS-DOS, but it’s not MS-DOS.
Cmd is also an abbreviation for many other technology terms like centralized message distribution, color monitor display, and common management database. Still, 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.
The shortcut is faster for most people, but another way to access the Command Prompt is via the cmd Run command. You can also open cmd.exe from its original location:
C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exeYet another method for opening Command Prompt in some versions of Windows is through the Power User Menu. However, you might see PowerShell 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.
Important
- Many commands can only be executed if you run 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 executes the command as entered and performs the task or function it’s designed to perform in Windows.
For example, executing the following Command Prompt command in your Downloads folder would remove all MP3s from that folder:
del *.mp3Commands must be entered into the 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.
For example, executing the dir command will show a list of files and folders at any specific location on the computer, but it doesn’t do anything. However, change just a couple of letters, and it turns into the del command, which is how you delete files from Command Prompt!
The syntax is so important that adding even a single space can mean deleting entirely different data with some commands, especially the delete command.
