The Complete Guide to CMD & PowerShell Commands: From Beginner to Administrator

This material is written for Windows 10 and Windows 11. All syntax follows modern versions and is presented in standard English.

Table 1: Command Prompt (CMD)

How to open: press Win + R, type cmd, press Enter. For administrative commands, right-click → Run as administrator.

A. Directory Navigation

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
cd	Change directory	cd [path]	cd C:\Users\You\Documents	Use cd .. to go up one level; cd /d D:\Folder to switch drives in one step.
dir	List folder contents	dir [path]	dir	Add /w (wide view) or /s (include subfolders).
cls	Clear the screen	cls	cls	The most commonly used command to keep the output tidy.
pushd / popd	Save & return to a directory	pushd [path] then popd	pushd D:\Data → ... → popd	Useful when moving between folders in a single session.
tree	Display the folder structure	tree [path]	tree C:\Users\You\Documents	Use tree /f to include file names.

B. File & Folder Management

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
md / mkdir	Create a new folder	md [folder name]	md Reports2026	Can create nested folders: md a\b\c.
rd / rmdir	Delete a folder	rd [folder]	rd /s /q Reports2026	/s deletes with contents, /q without confirmation. Be careful!
del / erase	Delete files	del [file]	del *.tmp	Files are not moved to the Recycle Bin. Use wildcards * and ?.
copy	Copy files	copy [source] [destination]	copy report.docx D:\Backup	For whole folders, use xcopy or robocopy.
xcopy	Copy files & folders	xcopy [source] [destination] /e /i	xcopy C:\Data D:\Backup /e /i	/e includes empty subfolders, /i assumes destination is a folder.
robocopy	Advanced folder copying	robocopy [source] [destination] [options]	robocopy C:\Data D:\Backup /MIR	More reliable than xcopy; /MIR mirrors the source.
move	Move files/folders	move [source] [destination]	move report.docx D:\Backup	Can also be used for renaming (see ren).
ren / rename	Rename files/folders	ren [old name] [new name]	ren report.docx report-final.docx	Cannot move between drives.
attrib	Change file attributes	attrib [+/-r/+h/+s] [file]	attrib +h data.txt	+r read-only, +h hidden, +s system.
type	Display the contents of a text file	type [file]	type config.txt	For long files use more.
more	Display file contents one screen at a time	more [file]	more readme.txt	Press Space to continue, Q to quit.
fc	Compare two files	fc [file1] [file2]	fc version1.txt version2.txt	Use fc /b for binary comparison.

C. Searching for Files & Text

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
where	Find the location of a program	where [program name]	where notepad	Shows the full path to the executable.
find	Search for text within a file	find "text" [file]	find "ERROR" server.log	Case-sensitive by default.
findstr	Search for text using patterns	findstr [options] "pattern" [file]	findstr /i "fail" *.log	/i ignores case; supports regex.
dir /s /b	Search for files across all subfolders	dir /s /b [file name]	dir /s /b *.pdf	The fastest combination for searching by file name.

D. System Information

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
ver	Display the Windows version	ver	ver	Shows the build version.
systeminfo	Full system information	systeminfo	systeminfo	RAM, OS, hardware, etc. Takes a few seconds.
hostname	Display the computer name	hostname	hostname	Useful for automation scripts.
whoami	Display the current user	whoami	whoami	whoami /all shows full user & group details.
set	Display all environment variables	set	set	set NAME=value to create one temporarily.

E. Network Information & Configuration

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
ipconfig	Display IP configuration	ipconfig	ipconfig /all	/all full details; /flushdns clears the DNS cache.
ping	Test connectivity to a host	ping [host]	ping google.com	ping -t pings continuously (stop with Ctrl+C).
tracert	Trace the route of packets	tracert [host]	tracert google.com	Shows the hops toward the destination.
pathping	Combination of ping + tracert	pathping [host]	pathping google.com	Analyzes packet loss per hop; slower.
netstat	Display network connections	netstat -ano	netstat -ano	-a all connections, -n no DNS, -o process PID.
nslookup	Look up DNS information	nslookup [domain]	nslookup google.com	Returns the IP address of a domain name.
getmac	Display the MAC address	getmac /v	getmac /v	Useful for device whitelisting.
net use	Connect to a network drive	net use [drive]: [path]	net use Z: \\server\data	net use Z: /delete to disconnect.
netsh	Advanced network configuration	netsh [context] [command]	netsh wlan show profiles	Wi-Fi, firewall, etc. configuration.

F. Process & Program Management

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
tasklist	Display the list of processes	tasklist	tasklist /svc	/svc shows the services running in each process.
taskkill	Terminate processes	taskkill /PID [number] /F	taskkill /IM chrome.exe /F	/IM by name, /PID by number, /F force.
start	Run a program/URL	start [program/url]	start notepad	start http://... to open a browser.

G. Service Management

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
net start	Display/start services	net start [name]	net start wuauserv	With no arguments, lists all running services.
net stop	Stop a service	net stop [name]	net stop wuauserv	Requires administrator rights.
sc	Advanced service control	sc query [name]	sc query | findstr RUNNING	sc config [name] start= auto sets the startup mode.

H. Environment Variables & Disk

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
setx	Set a permanent environment variable	setx [NAME] "value"	setx JAVA_HOME "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17"	Applies to new sessions only.
echo %VAR%	Display a variable value	echo %PATH%	echo %USERNAME%	%VAR% is the variable syntax in CMD.
chkdsk	Check a disk	chkdsk C:	chkdsk C: /f	/f fixes errors; may require a restart.
diskpart	Disk management (partition, format)	diskpart → list disk	list disk	Interactive mode — be careful, it is very dangerous.
wmic	System information via WMI	wmic logicaldisk get name,freespace	wmic logicaldisk get size,freespace	Being deprecated on newer Windows 11; use PowerShell.

I. Users, Shutdown & Utilities

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
net user	Manage user accounts	net user	net user Andi /add	net user Andi * to set a password interactively.
net localgroup	Manage local groups	net localgroup [group]	net localgroup Administrators	Add a user to a group: net localgroup Administrators Andi /add.
runas	Run a program as another user	runas /user:[user] [program]	runas /user:Administrator cmd	Requires the target user's password.
shutdown	Shut down / restart the computer	shutdown /r /t 0	shutdown /s /t 60	/s shutdown, /r restart, /a abort, /t seconds.
logoff	Log out of the current session	logoff	logoff	Closes all applications in the active session.
sfc /scannow	Repair system files	sfc /scannow	sfc /scannow	Requires admin; verifies Windows file integrity.
DISM	Repair the Windows image	DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth	DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth	Run before sfc for severe damage.
gpupdate	Refresh group policy	gpupdate /force	gpupdate /force	Applies policy without restarting.
help	Help for commands	help [command]	help cd	command /? also shows help.
exit	Close the CMD window	exit	exit	Also used to end batch scripts.
title	Set the window title	title [text]	title Server Monitor	Useful for telling many CMD windows apart.
date / time	Display/set the date & time	time	time	For scripts, use echo %DATE% %TIME%.
assoc	Display file extension associations	assoc .txt	assoc .txt	assoc .txt=txtfile to change an association.

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Table 2: Windows PowerShell

How to open: right-click Start → Windows PowerShell or Terminal. For administrative commands, choose Run as administrator. Tip: PowerShell understands almost all CMD commands (built-in aliases). This table focuses on native PowerShell cmdlets (the Verb-Noun pattern, e.g. Get-ChildItem).

A. Directory Navigation

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
Get-Location	Display the current directory	Get-Location	Get-Location	Aliases: pwd, gl.
Set-Location	Change directory	Set-Location [path]	Set-Location C:\Users\You\Documents	Aliases: cd, sl.
Clear-Host	Clear the screen	Clear-Host	Clear-Host	Alias: cls.
Push-Location / Pop-Location	Save & return to a directory	Push-Location [path] → Pop-Location	Push-Location D:\Data → ... → Pop-Location	Equivalent to pushd/popd in CMD.
Get-ChildItem	List folder contents	Get-ChildItem [path]	Get-ChildItem C:\Users\You -Recurse	Aliases: dir, ls, gci. -Recurse includes subfolders.

B. File & Folder Management

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
New-Item	Create a file/folder	New-Item -Path [path] -ItemType [type]	New-Item -Path Reports2026 -ItemType Directory	-ItemType File for an empty file.
Remove-Item	Delete files/folders	Remove-Item [path]	Remove-Item Reports2026 -Recurse -Force	Aliases: rm, del. -Recurse for folders with contents.
Copy-Item	Copy files/folders	Copy-Item [source] [destination]	Copy-Item report.docx D:\Backup	Aliases: cp, copy. -Recurse for folders.
Move-Item	Move files/folders	Move-Item [source] [destination]	Move-Item report.docx D:\Backup	Aliases: mv, move.
Rename-Item	Rename files/folders	Rename-Item [path] -NewName [name]	Rename-Item report.docx -NewName report-final.docx	Aliases: ren, rni.
Get-Content	Display the contents of a file	Get-Content [path]	Get-Content server.log -Tail 50	Aliases: cat, type. -Tail 50 last 50 lines.
Set-Content	Write/overwrite file contents	Set-Content [path] -Value [text]	Set-Content config.txt -Value "port=8080"	Add-Content to append without overwriting.
Out-File	Save output to a file	[command] | Out-File [path]	Get-Process | Out-File processes.txt	Saves any output as text.
Test-Path	Check whether a path exists	Test-Path [path]	Test-Path C:\Windows	Returns True/False.
Select-String	Search for text in files	Select-String -Path [file] -Pattern [pattern]	Select-String -Path *.log -Pattern "ERROR"	Alias: sls. A more powerful equivalent of findstr.
Where-Object	Filter objects by condition	[objects] | Where-Object { condition }	Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.CPU -gt 100}	Aliases: ?, where. A key feature of the PowerShell pipeline.

C. System & Network Information

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
Get-ComputerInfo	Full system information	Get-ComputerInfo	Get-ComputerInfo	RAM, OS, BIOS, etc.
Get-Date	Display the date & time	Get-Date	Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd"	Very useful for naming backup files.
Get-NetIPAddress	Display IP configuration	Get-NetIPAddress	Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4	The modern equivalent of ipconfig.
Test-Connection	Test connectivity to a host	Test-Connection [host]	Test-Connection google.com -Count 4	Alias: ping.
Test-NetConnection	Test connection + port	Test-NetConnection [host] -Port [port]	Test-NetConnection google.com -Port 443	Alias: tnc. Checks connectivity & open ports.
Resolve-DnsName	Look up DNS information	Resolve-DnsName [domain]	Resolve-DnsName google.com	The modern equivalent of nslookup.
Get-NetTCPConnection	Display network connections	Get-NetTCPConnection	Get-NetTCPConnection -State Listen	A more structured equivalent of netstat -ano.
Clear-DnsClientCache	Clear the DNS cache	Clear-DnsClientCache	Clear-DnsClientCache	Equivalent to ipconfig /flushdns.

D. Processes, Services & Disk

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
Get-Process	Display the list of processes	Get-Process	Get-Process chrome	Aliases: ps, gps.
Stop-Process	Terminate a process	Stop-Process -Name [name] -Force	Stop-Process -Name chrome -Force	Alias: kill.
Start-Process	Run a program	Start-Process [program]	Start-Process notepad	-Verb RunAs to run as administrator.
Get-Service	Display the list of services	Get-Service	Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "Running"}	Alias: gsv.
Start-Service / Stop-Service	Start/stop services	Start-Service [name]	Restart-Service wuauserv	Requires admin. Restart-Service combines both.
Get-PSDrive	Display drives & locations	Get-PSDrive	Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystem	Includes network & registry drives.
Get-Volume	Display volume/disk information	Get-Volume	Get-Volume	Capacity & free space per drive.
Get-Disk	Display physical disks	Get-Disk	Get-Disk	Information about attached physical disks.

E. Users, Environment & Utilities

Command	Function / Short Description	Basic Syntax	Example Usage	Notes
Get-LocalUser	Display local user accounts	Get-LocalUser	Get-LocalUser	Modern Windows 10/11.
Get-LocalGroup	Display local groups	Get-LocalGroup	Get-LocalGroup -Name Administrators	List members: Get-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators".
$env:NAME	Read an environment variable	$env:NAME	$env:USERNAME	Set permanently: [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("NAME","value","User").
Get-ChildItem Env:	Display all environment variables	Get-ChildItem Env:	Get-ChildItem Env: | Sort-Object Name	Equivalent to set in CMD.
Get-Help	Help for cmdlets	Get-Help [cmdlet]	Get-Help Get-Process -Full	Alias: help. Try Update-Help for the full version.
Get-Command	Find available cmdlets/aliases	Get-Command [word]	Get-Command *service*	Lists every command matching the pattern.
Get-History	Command history of this session	Get-History	Get-History | Select-Object -Last 10	The last 10 commands.
Export-Csv	Save output as CSV	[objects] | Export-Csv [path]	Get-Process | Export-Csv processes.csv	Can be opened in Excel.
ConvertTo-Json	Convert output to JSON	[objects] | ConvertTo-Json	Get-Service | ConvertTo-Json	Useful for API integration.
Invoke-RestMethod	Call a REST API	Invoke-RestMethod -Uri [url]	Invoke-RestMethod -Uri https://api.github.com/users/rohmansyah23	Alias: irm. Test/fetch data from APIs.
Restart-Computer / Stop-Computer	Restart / shut down the computer	Restart-Computer -Force	Restart-Computer -Force	Equivalent to shutdown /r but more PowerShell-native.
Get-EventLog / Get-WinEvent	Read Windows logs	Get-WinEvent -LogName System -MaxEvents 20	Get-WinEvent -LogName Application -MaxEvents 10	Log-based troubleshooting.
Set-ExecutionPolicy	Set the script execution policy	Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned	Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser RemoteSigned	Required before running .ps1 files.
Compress-Archive / Expand-Archive	Zip / unzip files	Compress-Archive [source] -DestinationPath [zip]	Compress-Archive *.log -DestinationPath logs.zip	Built-in zip without extra applications.

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Differences Between CMD and PowerShell

Aspect	Command Prompt (CMD)	Windows PowerShell
Paradigm	Text-based command interpreter (DOS legacy)	Object-oriented shell & scripting language based on .NET
Output	Pure text (strings)	Objects (with properties & methods)
Pipeline	Passes text between commands	Passes objects between cmdlets (|)
Scripting support	Simple batch (.bat/.cmd)	Full scripting (.ps1) — functions, classes, modules, error handling
Variables	%NAME%	$NAME, objects, arrays, hash tables
Number of commands	Limited (a few dozen)	Thousands of cmdlets + full access to .NET & WMI/CIM
Enrichment features	Minimal	Automatic formatting, Export-Csv, ConvertTo-Json, remoting (WinRM)
Script security	No restrictions	ExecutionPolicy restricts running .ps1
Use cases	Quick tasks & simple scripts, legacy batch compatibility	Modern administration, automation, large-scale system management
Recommendation	Still useful, but no longer evolving	The standard for modern Windows administration — all new learning material points here

In short: CMD is a text typewriter — what you see is plain text. PowerShell is an object engine — every output can be filtered, sorted, and processed further, making it far more flexible for administration and automation.

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Learning Recommendations

The order of commands recommended for beginners, from the most basic to advanced:

Stage 1 — Foundations (Days 1–3)

1. Navigation: cd / dir → Set-Location / Get-ChildItem
2. Clearing the screen: cls → Clear-Host
3. Creating folders: md → New-Item -ItemType Directory
4. Viewing file contents: type → Get-Content

Stage 2 — File Management (Week 1)

5. Copying: copy / xcopy → Copy-Item
6. Moving & renaming: move / ren → Move-Item / Rename-Item
7. Deleting: del / rd → Remove-Item -Recurse -Force
8. Searching files & text: findstr / where → Select-String / Where-Object

Stage 3 — System & Network (Week 2)

9. System information: systeminfo / hostname / whoami → Get-ComputerInfo
10. Basic networking: ipconfig / ping / nslookup → Get-NetIPAddress / Test-Connection / Resolve-DnsName
11. Active connections: netstat -ano → Get-NetTCPConnection

Stage 4 — Administration (Weeks 3–4)

12. Processes: tasklist / taskkill → Get-Process / Stop-Process
13. Services: net start / sc → Get-Service / Restart-Service
14. Environment variables: set / setx → $env:NAME
15. Troubleshooting: sfc /scannow / DISM → Get-WinEvent / Test-NetConnection

Stage 5 — Automation (Month 1+)

16. Pipeline & filtering: Where-Object / Select-Object / Sort-Object
17. Your first script: save commands to a .ps1 file, set the ExecutionPolicy
18. Output to file: Out-File / Export-Csv / ConvertTo-Json
19. API & integration: Invoke-RestMethod
20. Functions & modules: create your own functions for repetitive tasks

Practical advice: learn the commands in both CMD and PowerShell at the same time — because they complement each other, and many CMD commands are still used in modern scripts for compatibility. Start with PowerShell as your main target because it is the standard for Windows administration today.