Skip to content

Windows CLI Magic

These are the commands I reach for when Windows gets real. Not a reference manual, more a survival kit. Split into CMD and PowerShell, because each has its own quirks, strengths, and use cases.

CMD Essentials

Old-school, still useful. Especially when scripting in constrained environments or dealing with legacy systems.

  • cd : Change directory.
  • dir : List contents of a directory. Use /A to show hidden files.
  • tree : Visualize folder structure.
  • echo %USERNAME% : Show current user.

System Info & Control

  • tasklist : List running processes.
  • taskkill /PID 1234 /F : Kill a process by PID.
  • systeminfo : Dump OS version, uptime, hotfixes.
  • set : View or set environment variables.

Networking

  • ipconfig : Show IP config. Use /all for full detail.
  • ping, tracert, netstat : Basic network diagnostics.
  • nslookup : DNS queries.
  • net use : Map network drives.
  • net user : Manage local users.

File & Disk

  • copy, xcopy, robocopy : File copying tools.
  • del, erase : Delete files.
  • attrib : View/set file attributes.
  • chkdsk : Check disk health.
  • diskpart : Partition manager.

Misc

  • cls : Clear screen.
  • type : View file contents.
  • findstr : Search inside files.
  • fc : Compare two files.
  • shutdown /r /t 0 : Reboot instantly.

⚡ PowerShell Essentials

Modern, object-oriented, and scriptable. This is where Windows gets powerful.

  • Get-Location : Like pwd.
  • Set-Location : Like cd.
  • Get-ChildItem : Like ls. Use -Recurse to go deep.
  • Resolve-Path : Like readlink.

System Info & Control

  • Get-Process : List processes.
  • Stop-Process -Id 1234 : Kill process.
  • Get-Service : List services.
  • Restart-Service : Restart a service.
  • Get-EventLog : View logs.

Networking

  • Test-Connection : Like ping.
  • Resolve-DnsName : Like nslookup.
  • Get-NetIPAddress : IP config.
  • New-PSSession : Remote PowerShell session.
  • Invoke-WebRequest : Like curl.

File & Text

  • Get-Content : Like cat.
  • Set-Content, Add-Content : Write to files.
  • Select-String : Like grep.
  • Out-File : Redirect output.
  • Compare-Object : Compare data sets.

Security & Identity

  • Get-LocalUser, Get-LocalGroup : Manage users/groups.
  • Get-Credential : Prompt for secure credentials.
  • Get-Acl, Set-Acl : View/set permissions.

Misc

  • Get-Help : Built-in docs.
  • Get-History : Command history.
  • Start-Job, Receive-Job : Background tasks.
  • $env:USERNAME : Environment variables.
  • Measure-Command : Time execution.

Tips & Real Use Cases

  • Get-Content large.log | Select-String "error" Search logs for errors.
  • Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "http://target" -OutFile "page.html" : Grab a webpage.
  • Get-Process | Sort-Object CPU -Descending | Select-Object -First 5 : Top CPU hogs.
  • Get-ChildItem -Recurse | Where-Object { $_.Length -gt 1MB } : Find big files.