Have you forgotten the syntax for using a specific command in the Windows "Command Prompt"? No problem, this article shows you how to view the list of the most common commands so you can find what you need. It is also possible to obtain more information about a specific command, for example the list of parameters it accepts as input. Read on to find out how.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Get the List of Basic and Most Used Commands from the Windows Command Prompt
Step 1. Before starting it should be noted that more advanced and potentially harmful commands such as "takeown", "netsh" and others will not be covered in this article
To see a more complete list of commands (but which does not include all those made available by the "Command Prompt") you can access this page of the Microsoft website: https://docs.microsoft.com/it-it/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-xp/ bb490890 (v = technet.10).
Step 2. Find out which commands are really executable by the Windows command interpreter (the "Command Prompt") by going to the system folder where all the programs are stored
Access the hard drive where the operating system installation is located (usually the drive marked with the letter "C:"), select the "Windows" folder, then access the "System32" directory. All entries of type "Application" (not "Application extension") are commands that can be executed directly from the "Command Prompt".
Step 3. If you are inside a "Command Prompt" window, type the name of the program you are interested in followed by the "/?"
"or" / help "(without quotation marks) and press the" Enter "key. A brief description of the function of the requested command will be displayed along with the syntax to use and the list of available parameters.
Step 4. Launch the Windows "Command Prompt"
Press the hotkey combination ⊞ Win + R. The "Run" dialog will be displayed. Type the keyword cmd into the "Open" field of the "Run" window and press the "OK" button or the "Enter" key. If you are using a Windows 8 system, you can press the key combination ⊞ Win + X and choose the "Command Prompt" item from the menu that appears.
Step 5. View the list of available commands
Type in the keyword help and press the Enter key. A list of all available commands will be displayed. The appeared list is sorted alphabetically.
- Normally the list of commands is much larger than the size of the "Command Prompt" window, so you will have to scroll up or down to find the command you are looking for.
- The list of available commands varies slightly depending on the version of Windows you are using. This happens because over time some commands are removed and new ones are added.
- Next to each item in the list there is a brief description of the function performed by the command.
- The help command can be run from anywhere in the "Command Prompt".
Part 2 of 2: Getting Support for a Specific Command
Step 1. Launch the "Command Prompt"
Press the hotkey combination ⊞ Win + R. The "Run" dialog will be displayed. Type the keyword cmd into the "Open" field of the "Run" window and press the "OK" button or the "Enter" key. If you are using a Windows 8 system, you can press the key combination ⊞ Win + X and choose the "Command Prompt" item from the menu that appears.
Step 2. Type the keyword help followed by the name of the command you need
For example, if you need support for the "mkdir" command, you will need to type the following string help mkdir and press the Enter key. Information about the requested command will be displayed at the bottom of the window.
Step 3. Review the information obtained
The amount of data you will get varies based on the command requested and its complexity. In some cases the information will simply expose the correct syntax to be able to execute the command, while in others it may explain how to use additional or advanced features.
