This presents a list of available directories linked to the root directory - for example, the C drive - in the system. The change directory function looks like this: Each command launches a batch file that initiates a specific function. The basic command level might look like this: A common one in Windows is to use the command prompt shortcut located in the Start menu or on the Apps screen. There are various ways to open command prompt. For example, basic functions such changing a directory or performing an examination of the system disk are easy to execute at the command level. However, it is helpful to know how to execute system functions in the command prompt window. Many Windows users regularly use the GUI. It also offers superior automation through scripting, but mastering the commands can be challenging. Some tools that aren't available through the graphical user interface ( GUI) can be accessed through the command prompt. In Windows systems, such as Windows 10 and many previous versions of Windows, the command interpreter and executioner are referred to as the Windows Command Processor.Ĭommand prompt interfaces can be powerful and succinct. At the command prompt, the user types a statement including a base batch file or a command name and any arguments to specify running conditions, logging and so on for the program. The command prompt is an executable CLI program, cmd.exe.

The CLI is still an essential part of the Linux OS. Current Windows systems offer the CLI for administrative tasks. Microsoft MS-DOS systems and other early consumer-based computers used CLIs. The command prompt consists of a brief text string followed by a blinking cursor, which is where the user types command prompt commands.Ĭommand-line interfaces ( CLI) and prompts were the standard interface for computers from the early days of computing into the 1980s.

The prompt is designed to elicit an action.

A command prompt is the input field in a text-based user interface screen for an operating system (OS) or program.

Command prompt command