cmd

Cmd, short for Command Prompt, is the command-line interpreter for Windows operating systems. It provides a text-based interface for interacting with the OS, launching programs, and running batch scripts. It is the successor to COMMAND.COM used in MS-DOS and early Windows versions and is invoked by running cmd.exe. Cmd runs in a console window and processes both internal commands and external executables.

Cmd has long been part of the Windows NT family (including Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, and 11) and remains included for backward compatibility. It is distinct from Windows PowerShell, which offers a more advanced scripting environment, while cmd serves as a lightweight, widely compatible tool for basic tasks and troubleshooting.

The command set of cmd includes many internal commands such as dir, copy, del, move, md (make directory), rd (remove directory), type, echo, set, and pause. It also supports batch scripting with the .bat or .cmd extensions, enabling simple control flow with constructs like if, for, goto, and call, along with environment variable expansion and basic redirection and piping.

Cmd supports redirection and piping using symbols like <, >, >>, 2>, and the vertical bar | to connect commands. It handles ASCII and extended character output, with modern Windows providing broader Unicode support for certain operations. Batch scripts can be run to automate repetitive tasks, manage environment scope with commands like setlocal and endlocal, and call other scripts or executables.

Because cmd is lightweight and backwards-compatible, it remains widely used for system administration, startup tasks, and troubleshooting. For more complex automation, Windows PowerShell is commonly preferred.