COMMAND24 records
Windows Command Reference
Command Prompt and PowerShell commands for networking, diagnostics, system repair and process management. Syntax, useful options, examples and what the output means.
Each record gives the syntax, the options that matter in practice, realistic examples with expected output, common mistakes and whether administrator rights are required. Commands marked CMD run in Command Prompt and PowerShell; those marked PowerShell are cmdlets. Where a command can change or destroy data, the record says so before the example.
Open an elevated prompt by right-clicking Start → Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
Networking
Addresses, DNS, connections, routes and reachability.
- arpView and edit the ARP cachearp shows and manages the ARP cache, the table that maps local IP addresses to their MAC (hardware)…
- Get-NetTCPConnectionList TCP connections as objectsGet-NetTCPConnection lists the machine's TCP connections and listening ports as PowerShell objects, so you…
- ipconfigIP configuration and DNS cacheipconfig displays the IP address, subnet mask and default gateway for each network adapter on Windows. Its…
- netshNetwork shell for interface, firewall and Wi-Finetsh (network shell) configures nearly every part of Windows networking from the command line: interface…
- netstatActive connections and listening portsnetstat shows the machine's active TCP and UDP connections and the ports it is listening on. The combination…
- nslookupQuery DNS recordsnslookup queries the Domain Name System from the command line. nslookup example.com returns the address your…
- pingTest reachability with ICMP echoping sends ICMP echo requests to a host and reports whether replies come back and how long they take. It is…
- Resolve-DnsNameQuery DNS in PowerShellResolve-DnsName is the PowerShell cmdlet for DNS queries. It returns structured objects instead of…
- routeView and edit the IP routing tableroute shows and edits the routing table that decides where a Windows machine sends each packet. route print…
- Test-NetConnectionTest a TCP port or host reachabilityTest-NetConnection is the PowerShell cmdlet for testing network reachability. With -Port it attempts a TCP…
- tracertTrace the route to a hosttracert shows the sequence of routers (hops) a packet passes through to reach a destination and the…
System repair
Built-in tools that check and repair Windows files, the component store and disks.
- chkdskCheck and repair a disk volumechkdsk checks a disk volume's file system for errors and, with /f, repairs them; with /r it also scans for…
- DISM /RestoreHealthDeployment Image Servicing and ManagementDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth repairs the Windows component store (WinSxS), the source that…
- sfc /scannowSystem File Checkersfc /scannow scans all protected Windows system files and replaces corrupted ones with known-good copies.…
Diagnostics & information
What is installed, what is running, who you are, how power behaves.
- getmacList network adapter MAC addressesgetmac lists the MAC address of every network adapter on a Windows machine, with the transport name for…
- pathpingTrace a route and measure per-hop losspathping traces the route to a destination like tracert, then spends time sending many probes to each hop…
- systeminfoReport system configurationsysteminfo prints a summary of a Windows machine: OS name, version and build, install date, last boot time,…
- whoamiShow the current user, groups and privilegeswhoami prints the current user account in domain\user form. With options it shows much more: /groups lists…
Process management
List and stop processes and services.
- scQuery and control Windows servicessc (service control) queries and manages Windows services from the command line. sc query shows status, sc…
- taskkillStop a process or process treetaskkill stops a running process by its PID (/PID) or image name (/IM). Add /F to force termination and /T…
- tasklistList running processestasklist lists the processes running on a Windows machine with their process ID (PID), session and memory…
Remote access & transfer
Reach other machines and fetch data from the command line.
- curlTransfer data and inspect HTTP from the command linecurl transfers data to and from a server and is built into Windows 10 and 11. For diagnostics it is the…
- net useMap and manage network drivesnet use connects a Windows machine to a shared folder over SMB, optionally mapping it to a drive letter. net…
- sshOpenSSH client for WindowsThe ssh command is the OpenSSH client built into Windows 10 and 11. It opens an encrypted terminal session…