Since the beginning of the Windows OS, there have been a few things in particular that have stayed on with the newer versions. The Command Prompt has been around for a long time and will continue to stay the same. Sure, Windows is all about the GUI and ease of getting things done by simply clicking, there are a few things that can be done by simply using commands. It helps in reducing time usage and is simple without you having to worry about what and where to go next. Let’s take a look at the 15 best CMD commands you need to know.
Accessing the Command Prompt application is simple and super easy. You can either access it from the Start Menu itself, or you could even run it using the run dialog box by pressing Windows and R keys followed by typing in cmd and hitting the enter key. Do you also know that you can open the command prompt application within a folder as well?
You can read about that over here. Yes, you might have used the Command prompt maybe once or twice to probably sideload a Microsoft Store app or even run adb commands for your Android device. Here is a list of the best and useful commands that can be helpful in your day-to-day life.
Best CMD Commands
Encrypting Files and Folders
Want to encrypt a particular folder and all its contents right away without having to perform several steps > ere is a simple way to do it. You can use this command to encrypt your folder and files.
cipher /e (folder path)
You can also decrypt files easily by typing in
cipher /d (folder path)
See system IP Address
This command displays all the addresses. Your IP Address, Physical as well as MAC Addresses. Here is what you need to enter into the Command Prompt.
ipconfig /all
Fix DNS Issues
Ever had trouble with some websites not opening or loading correctly on a particular network? Here is where being able to flush the DNS comes in handy. The command is simple.
ipconfig /flushdns
Finding a Website’s IP Address
The next command in the list of best CMD commands is the command to find the website’s IP address. You can use the ping command to see how long a particular website takes to open or respond to your connection. You also get to see the IP Address of the website.
ping (website name)
Check Connection Issues
At times, it could be that a website might be working fine as always but suddenly it just refuses to open up or load. With the Tracert command, you see where the issue lies, Whether it is something to do with your router or the ISP or maybe even the server.
tracert (website name)
Check Core System Files
At times, a few files might have got into some error or could even be damaged. Such issues with core files can sometimes cause your system to not function properly. You can use a command to look for such files and even repair them right away.
sfc /scannow
Repair Corrupted System Files
This command can be used if the previous sfc command was not able to fix up the corrupted files. However before you run this command, it is best to restart your system and then run the command. Also, you will need to run Command Prompt as an Administrator
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image .RestoreHealth
See Currently Running Tasks
This command replicates the popular Task Manager window that shows you all the running programs and services on your Windows PC. It is one of the useful and best CMD commands.
tasklist
Terminate or End running tasks
Sure, the Task Manager lets you end certain tasks or programs that are not behaving or responding correctly. However, at times ending a particular program via the Task Manager simply is not able to end. In this case, using the taskkill command will work the best
taskkill /f /t /pid (program id number)
Check System Power usage and battery health status
It is always good to know what the power output your system and its connected devices are drawing. It shows you how much power is being used and what stays active while the system is put into sleep mode. The Battery status report shows you the battery charge cycle and the battery cycle too. You get to see these results in an HTML file that gets generated for you to see.
powercfg /energy
powercfg /batteryreport
Check All Installed Drivers
This does what the title says. It displays all your drivers that have been installed on your Windows PC. You will also be able to see the date and time of the drivers too.
driverquery
Check System Hardware Specs
This is an alternative to looking out for the system specifications in the Settings app. A command line will simply show you all the details right away.
systeminfo
Clear Command Prompt Screen
Now, you might have tried all of these commands on your system, but the Command Prompt screen might look full with results from various other commands. You can simply clear it up with a single command instead of opening a new Command Prompt window.
cls
Repair Particular Disk Error
And the last in the list of best CMD codes is the repair disk error command. Sometimes, hard drives might have a few errors that might lead to slow loading or even file transfer times. The command used here will look for errors if any and will also try to solve these errors.
chkdsk (drive path)/r
Conclusion
These are some of the important command lines you need to know as these are super helpful to you and can come in super handy. Of course, there are other advanced command lines. However, it is always best to know the simple ones first and what they do.
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If we miss including your favorite CMD command, do let us know about them in the comments below. Also, share these best CMD commands with your friends.
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