View source for Windows Command Line

{{PageAuthor|sag47}}
This is a quick tutorial for how to use the Windows Command Line.  It is also commonly referred to as the Command Prompt.


== How to access it? ==
1.  Click on Windows Start menu

2.  Click "Run Command..." (Vista Users: Use the shortcut [Windows Key]+R)

3.  Type "cmd" without quotations


== Terminology ==
A directory is a synonym for folder.

== General Commands/Features ==
Example:
 command - description

Command List:
 cd - Enter a directory
 cd .. - Leave a directory
 del - Remove a file or empty directory
 help - Display a detailed list of commands and short descriptions
 mkdir - Create a directory
You can also view a detailed description of a command by simply typing
 command/?
Just replace command with the command of your choice such as "del/?"


== Windows environment variables ==
Example:
 variable - default Windows 2000/XP path
          - default Windows Vista path
 
 If only one path is provided then it is the same for all Windows 2000/XP/Vista
 
 {whatever} is a variable that changes with each system the command is run on

Variable List (not all variables listed):
 %ALLUSERSPROFILE% - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users
                   - C:\ProgramData
 %APPDATA% - C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data
           - C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming
 %COMPUTERNAME% - {Computer Name}
 %COMSPEC% - C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe
 %HOMEDRIVE% - C:
 %HOMEPATH% - \Documents and Settings\{username}
            - \Users\{username}
 %PATH% - C:\Windows\System32\;C:\Windows\;C:\Windows\System32\Wbem
 %PATHEXT% - .COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.WSF;.WSH
           - .COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC
 %PROGRAMFILES% - C:\Program Files
 %PROMPT% - $P$G
 %SYSTEMDRIVE% - C:
 %SYSTEMROOT% - C:\Windows
 %TEMP% and %TMP% - C:\DOCUME~1\{username}\LOCALS~1\Temp
                  - C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp
 %USERNAME% - {username}
 %USERPROFILE% - C:\Documents and Settings\{username}
               - C:\Users\{username}
 %WINDIR% - C:\Windows