Windows Command Line Cheat Sheet

Navigating the File System

cd - Change the current directory.

cd \path\to\directory

cd .. (move up one directory)

dir - List directory contents.

dir

tree - Display directory structure in a tree format.

tree

File and Directory Management

mkdir - Create new directories.

mkdir new_folder

rmdir - Remove directories.

rmdir folder

rmdir /s folder (remove directory and its contents)

del - Delete one or more files.

del file.txt

copy - Copy files from one location to another.

copy file1.txt file2.txt

move - Move or rename files or directories.

move old_name.txt new_name.txt

Viewing and Editing Files

type - Display the contents of a text file.

type file.txt

notepad - Open a file in Notepad.

notepad file.txt

Searching and Filtering Text

find - Search for a text string in a file.

find "search_term" file.txt

Command Line Tools and Utilities

ipconfig - Display network configuration information.

ipconfig

ipconfig /all (detailed information)

ping - Send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST to network hosts to test connectivity.

ping google.com

ping -n 4 google.com (limit to 4 packets)

tracert - Trace the route packets take to the destination.

tracert google.com

netstat - Display network connections, routing tables, and interface statistics.

netstat

Managing Processes

tasklist - Display a list of currently running processes.

tasklist

taskkill - Terminate a process by its PID or image name.

taskkill /PID 1234

taskkill /IM notepad.exe (terminate by image name)

System Information and Maintenance

systeminfo - Display detailed system information.

systeminfo

chkdsk - Check the file system and status of the hard drives.

chkdsk

chkdsk /f (fix errors)

sfc - Scan and repair system files.

sfc /scannow

shutdown - Shutdown or restart the computer.

shutdown /s (shutdown)

shutdown /r (restart)