Windows Commands

Command Library

Windows Commands

Essential Windows commands and system tools for daily use.

Windows Keyboard Commands

Show desktop

Win + D

Minimizes all windows instantly.

Switch apps

Alt + Tab

Cycles through open applications.

Lock screen

Win + L

Locks the workstation quickly.

Open File Explorer

Win + E

Launches Windows Explorer.

Run Commands

Open System Information

Win + R → msinfo32

Shows hardware and software details.

Open Command Prompt

Win + R → cmd

Starts the command-line interpreter.

Open PowerShell

Win + R → powershell

Launches the modern shell.

Open Control Panel

Win + R → control

Launches the control panel.

Command Prompt / CMD

List directory contents

dir

Shows files and folders in the current directory.

Change directory

cd folder

Moves into a different folder.

Display network settings

ipconfig

Shows IPv4, IPv6, and adapter details.

Check connectivity

ping google.com

Tests whether a host is reachable.

PowerShell

List files and folders

Get-ChildItem

Similar to ls in Linux.

List running processes

Get-Process

Displays current processes.

List services

Get-Service

Shows Windows services status.

Ping a host

Test-Connection google.com

Checks connectivity to a remote server.

File & System Management

View folder structure

tree

Displays directory hierarchy.

Compare files

fc file1 file2

Shows differences between two files.

Clear terminal screen

cls

Clears the command-line output.

Restart immediately

shutdown /r /t 0

Reboots the system without delay.

Networking

Detailed network info

ipconfig /all

Shows adapter details and DNS configuration.

Check DNS resolution

nslookup example.com

Queries the DNS server for a host.

View open ports and connections

netstat -ano

Shows active TCP/UDP details and PIDs.

Display ARP table

arp -a

Shows local IP-to-MAC mappings.

Developer / Terminal

Check repository status

git status

Shows working tree changes.

Open folder in VS Code

code .

Launches the current folder in Visual Studio Code.

Locate Python executable

where python

Shows the installed Python path.

Check disk health

chkdsk

Looks for filesystem errors on a drive.