Windows 7 / Getting Started

Extended Commands

CMD's built-in commands are a superset of the ones recognized by the old COMMAND.COM shell, and many have been extended with new features. The command extensions are enabled by default in Windows 7,Vista, and XP, although they can be disabled if necessary. Table below lists the extended commands and their added features. If the extensions cause problems for you-for example, if you have to use old batch files that do not work with the new command versions and you cannot update them-you can start CMD with the extensions disabled. I discuss this in the section "Running CMD."

Commands Modified by Command Extensions
CommandFeatures Added by Command Extensions
assocOnly available with extensions enabled.
callcall :label
Argument substitution modifiers (for example, %~f1).
cd / chdirOption /D changes current drive.
The current directory uses the directory's actual upper/lowercase.
colorOnly available with extensions enabled.
dateOption /T prints the date without prompting for a new date.
del / eraseOption /S displays names of files being deleted.
endlocalRestores EXTENSIONS and DELAYEXPANSION settings.
for
ftypeOnly available with extensions enabled.
gotogoto :EOF
if...else/I, IF CMDEXTVERSION, IF DEFINED Comparisons such as LEQ.
md / mkdirCreates intermediate directories if necessary.
prompt$+ and $M options.
pushd / popdAccepts a network path and maps a drive letter.
set/A and /P options. The set command with a partial name displays matching names.
setlocalENABLE... and DISABLE... arguments.
shift/n option.
startStarts nonexecutable files via file extensions. Uses PATHEXT expansion. Doesn't wait for Win32 commands to exit before prompting again. Uses the COMSPEC path when the command is CMD. Runs Explorer if the command is a folder name.
timeOption /T prints the time without prompting for a new time.

In the next few sections, some additional detail on some of the more important commands.

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In this tutorial:

  1. The CMD Command-Line
  2. CMD Versus COMMAND
  3. Running CMD
  4. Opening a Command Prompt Window with Administrator Privileges
  5. CMD Options
  6. Disabling Command Extensions
  7. Command-Line Processing
  8. Console Program Input and Output
  9. Using the Console Window
  10. I/O Redirection and Pipes
  11. Copy and Paste in Command Prompt Windows
  12. Command Editing and the History List
  13. Name Completion
  14. Enabling Directory Name Completion
  15. Multiple Commands on One Line
  16. Grouping Commands with Parentheses
  17. Arguments, Commas, and Quotes
  18. Escaping Special Characters
  19. Configuring the CMD Program
  20. The Search Path
  21. Changing the Path
  22. Predefined and Virtual Environment Variables
  23. Setting Default Environment Variables
  24. Built-in Commands
  25. Extended Commands
  26. Listing Files with the Dir Command
  27. Paginating Long Listings
  28. Printing Directory Listings
  29. Sorting Listings
  30. Locating Alternate File Streams
  31. Setting Variables with the Set Command
  32. Conditional Processing with the if Command
  33. Scanning for Files with the for Command
  34. Using the for Command's Variable
  35. Processing Directories
  36. Numerical for Loop
  37. Getting More Information