Cmd
Archived: 2026-04-05 13:23:44 UTC
Starts a new instance of the command interpreter, Cmd.exe. Used without parameters, cmd displays Windows XP
version and copyright information.
Syntax
cmd [[{/c|/k}] [/s] [/q] [/d] [{/a|/u}] [/t:fg] [/e:{on|off}] [/f:{on|off}] [/v:{on|off}] string]
Parameters
/c   : Carries out the command specified by string and then stops.
/k : Carries out the command specified by string and continues.
/s   : Modifies the treatment of string after /c or /k.
/q : Turns the echo off.
/d   : Disables execution of AutoRun commands.
/a : Creates American National Standards Institute (ANSI) output.
/u : Creates Unicode output.
/t: fg   : Sets the foreground f and background g colors. The following tables lists valid hexadecimal digits that
you can use as the values for f and g.
Value Color
0 Black
1 Blue
2 Green
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Value Color
3 Aqua
4 Red
5 Purple
6 Yellow
7 White
8 Gray
9 Light blue
A Light green
B Light aqua
C Light red
D Light purple
E Light yellow
F Bright white
/e:on   : Enables command extensions.
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/e:off   : Disables commands extensions.
/f:on   : Enables file and directory name completion.
/f:off   : Disables file and directory name completion.
/v:on   : Enables delayed environment variable expansion.
/v:off   : Disables delayed environment variable expansion.
string   : Specifies the command you want to carry out.
/?   : Displays help at the command prompt.
Using multiple commands
You can use multiple commands separated by the command separator && for string, but you must enclose
them in quotation marks (for example, "command&&command&&command").
Processing quotation marks
If you specify /c or /k, cmd processes the remainder of string and quotation marks are preserved only if all
of the following conditions are met:
You do not use /s.
You use exactly one set of quotation marks.
You do not use any special characters within the quotation marks (for example: &<>( ) @ ^ |).
You use one or more white-space characters within the quotation marks.
The string within quotation marks is the name of an executable file.
If the previous conditions are not met, string is processed by examining the first character to verify whether
or not it is an opening quotation mark. If the first character is an opening quotation mark, it is stripped
along with the closing quotation mark. Any text following the closing quotation marks is preserved.
Executing registry subkeys
If you do not specify /d in string, Cmd.exe looks for the following registry subkeys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun\REG_SZ 
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun REG_EXPAND_SZ
If either one or both registry subkeys are present, they are executed before all other variables.
** Caution**
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Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making changes to the
registry, you should back up any valued data on the computer.
Enabling and disabling command extensions
Command extensions are enabled by default in Windows XP. You can disable them for a particular process
by using /e:off. You can enable or disable extensions for all cmd command-line options on a computer or
user session by setting the following REG_DWORD values:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command
Processor\EnableExtensions\REG_DWORD 
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command
Processor\EnableExtensions\REG_DWORD 
Set the REG_DWORD value to either 0×1 (that is, enabled) or 0×0 (that is, disabled) in the registry by
using Regedit.exe. User-specified settings take precedence over computer settings, and command-line
options take precedence over registry settings.
** Caution**
Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making changes to the
registry, you should back up any valued data on the computer.
When you enable command extensions, the following commands are affected:
assoc 
call 
chdir (cd)
color 
del (erase)
endlocal 
for 
ftype 
goto 
if 
mkdir (md)
popd 
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prompt 
pushd 
set 
setlocal 
shift 
start (also includes changes to external command processes)
For more information about these commands, see Related Topics.
Enabling delayed environment variable expansion
If you enable delayed environment variable expansion, you can use the exclamation character to substitute
the value of an environment variable at run time.
Enabling file and directory name completion
File and directory name completion is not enabled by default. You can enable or disable file name
completion for a particular process of the cmd command with /f:{on|off}. You can enable or disable file
and directory name completion for all processes of the cmd command on a computer or user logon session
by setting the following REG_DWORD values:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command
Processor\CompletionChar\REG_DWORD 
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command
Processor\PathCompletionChar\REG_DWORD 
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command
Processor\CompletionChar\REG_DWORD 
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command
Processor\PathCompletionChar\REG_DWORD 
To set the REG_DWORD value, run Regedit.exe and use the hexadecimal value of a control character for
a particular function (for example, 0×9 is TAB and 0×08 is BACKSPACE). User-specified settings take
precedence over computer settings, and command-line options take precedence over registry settings.
** Caution**
Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making changes to the
registry, you should back up any valued data on the computer.
If you enable file and directory name completion by using /f:on, use CTRL+D for directory name
completion and CTRL+F for file name completion. To disable a particular completion character in the
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registry, use the value for white space [0×20] because it is not a valid control character.
When you press CTRL+D or CTRL+F, cmd processes file and directory name completion. These key
combination functions append a wildcard character to string (that is, if one is not present), build a list of
paths that match, and then display the first matching path. If none of the paths match, the file and directory
name completion function beeps and does not change the display. To move through the list of matching
paths, press CTRL+D or CTRL+F repeatedly. To move through the list backwards, press the SHIFT key
and CTRL+D or CTRL+F simultaneously. To discard the saved list of matching paths and generate a new
list, edit string and press CTRL+D or CTRL+F. If you switch between CTRL+D and CTRL+F, the saved
list of matching paths is discarded and a new list is generated. The only difference between the key
combinations CTRL+D and CTRL+F is that CTRL+D only matches directory names and CTRL+F
matches both file and directory names. If you use file and directory name completion on any of the built-in
directory commands (that is, CD, MD, or RD), directory completion is assumed.
File and directory name completion correctly processes file names that contain white space or special
characters if you place quotation marks around the matching path.
The following special characters require quotation marks: & < > [ ] { } ^ = ; ! ' + , ` ~ [white space]
If the information that you supply contains spaces, use quotation marks around the text (for example,
"Computer Name").
If you process file and directory name completion from within string, any part of the [Path] to the right of
the cursor is discarded (that is, at the point in string where the completion was processed).
Formatting legend
Format Meaning
Italic Information that the user must supply
Bold
Elements that the user must type exactly as
shown
Ellipsis (...)
Parameter that can be repeated several times in a
command line
Between brackets ([]) Optional items
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Format Meaning
Between braces ({}); choices separated by pipe (|).
Example: {even|odd}
Set of choices from which the user must choose
only one
Courier font Code or program output
Assoc
Call
Chdir
Color
Del (erase)
Endlocal
For
Ftype
Goto
If
Mkdir
Popd
Prompt
Pushd
Set
Setlocal
Shift
Start
Command-line reference A-Z
Command shell overview
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Source: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490880.aspx
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