Command Prompt is a command line interpreter application available in most Windows operating systems.
Command Prompt is officially called Windows Command Processor but is also sometimes called the command shell or by its file name cmd.exe.
Note: Command Prompt is sometimes incorrectly referred to as "the DOS prompt" or as MS-DOS itself. Command Prompt is a Windows program that emulates many of the command line abilities available in MS-DOS but it is not actually MS-DOS.
Command Prompt is used to execute entered commands.
Command Prompt is most commonly used to execute batch files, perform advanced administrative functions, and troubleshoot and solve certain kinds of Windows issues.
Command Prompt can be accessed via the Command Prompt shortcut located in the Accessories program group in Windows.
Another way to access Command Prompt would be to execute cmd or cmd.exe from the Run dialog box.
Important: Many commands can only be executed if Command Prompt is being run as an administrator. See How to Run Command Prompt with Administrator Privileges for more details.
A valid command entered into Command Prompt is executed by the program and performs whatever task or function it's designed to perform in Windows.
A large number of commands exist in Command Prompt but their availability differs from operating system to operating system:
- List of Commands Available in Windows 7
- List of Commands Available in Windows Vista
- List of Commands Available in Windows XP
Important: Commands must be entered into Command Prompt exactly. Wrong syntax or a misspelling could cause the command to fail or worse, could execute the wrong command or the right command in the wrong way.
Command Prompt is available on every Windows NT-based operating system including Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2008/2003.
Windows PowerShell, a more advanced command line interpreter available in recent Windows versions, in many ways supplements the command executing abilities available in Command Prompt. Windows PowerShell may eventually replace the Command Prompt in a future version of Windows.
Note: In Windows 98 & 95, the command line interpreter is command.com. In MS-DOS, command.com is the default user interface.
