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How to use command-line apps like the Windows Terminal and the Command Prompt from Windows, Linux Bash, Telnet, and similar tools.

article What is Command Prompt (CMD)?

What is Command Prompt (CMD)?

The Command Prompt, commonly known as CMD, often feels intimidating and somewhat mysterious to many Windows users. For most people, it’s the black window with white text they’d rather not deal with unless forced by circumstance. Typically, readers who find our Command Prompt tutorials on Digital Citizen are either students who need to master it for their exams or IT professionals who depend on
tutorial Master the Windows Terminal: 7 easy tricks to boost your productivity

Master the Windows Terminal: 7 easy tricks to boost your productivity

I spend plenty of time tweaking my tools, and Windows Terminal is one of my favorites. It’s not just about its look or modern feel: Windows Terminal manages to make daily tasks quicker and simpler, offering a user experience that’s far superior to older command-line interfaces. I’ve often come across new ways this tool can save me precious time that I’d otherwise spend jumping
tutorial How to customize Windows Terminal Profiles

How to customize Windows Terminal Profiles

Whether you’re running PowerShell for system tasks, using Command Prompt for legacy applications, or working with Linux and WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), Windows Terminal allows you to customize each environment with unique settings and visual styles. In this guide, I’ll explain every option available in the profiles’ settings interface. From time to time, I’ll also give you some ideas for real-world scenarios to
tutorial How to customize the Windows Terminal

How to customize the Windows Terminal

Windows Terminal is a favorite tool for software developers and power users alike, thanks to its modern design, flexibility, and impressive customization options. Unlike the classic Command Prompt, Windows Terminal combines multiple environments, such as PowerShell, Command Prompt, and even Linux distributions like Ubuntu, in one easy-to-use interface. But why stick with the default look and settings when you can personalize it exactly the
tutorial How to customize the Command Prompt (CMD) in Windows 10

How to customize the Command Prompt (CMD) in Windows 10

The Command Prompt (CMD) is a powerful tool, and many enjoy using it. However, it does look somewhat boring and intimidating, especially for younger audiences. The good news is that you can configure the Command Prompt settings according to your needs and preferences, as well as change its appearance and color scheme. This tutorial shows you how to customize CMD so that it not
tutorial How to open Command Prompt (14 ways)

How to open Command Prompt (14 ways)

Command Prompt is a powerful tool for running commands, executing scripts, and performing advanced tasks in Windows. Whether you’re troubleshooting issues, automating processes, or simply prefer the command-line experience, it’s useful to know different methods for launching cmd. In this guide, you’ll discover fourteen ways to open Command Prompt, from classic options like the Run window and desktop shortcuts to more handy solutions involving
tutorial 44 keyboard shortcuts for Command Prompt (Windows 10 & Windows 11)

44 keyboard shortcuts for Command Prompt (Windows 10 & Windows 11)

Most power users love the Command Prompt because it’s a straightforward way to run text-based commands and administrative tasks. Fortunately, over time, Microsoft improved the Command Prompt by adding many handy keyboard shortcuts in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. In this article, I’ll show you some of the best keyboard shortcuts for CMD so that you can work faster and more efficiently. Without
tutorial Shortcuts for the UEFI BIOS & Windows Recovery Environment

Shortcuts for the UEFI BIOS & Windows Recovery Environment

When performing system maintenance, troubleshooting issues, or making hardware configuration changes, you may have to access your computer’s UEFI (BIOS) or the Windows Recovery Environment. Unfortunately, manually navigating through menus can be time-consuming, especially when you want or need to act as fast as possible. The good news is that in both Windows 10 and Windows 11, you can use commands and shortcuts for
tutorial How to create a file on a Windows computer

How to create a file on a Windows computer

Creating a file is a basic but important task that any computer user should know how to do. Especially as there are several different ways you can create new files in Windows, and most are quite easy and intuitive. Yes, some are visual and involve using only the operating system’s interface or your installed applications. Others rely on using commands that create files from
tutorial How to create dummy files in Windows

How to create dummy files in Windows

While many everyday users might not immediately see the need to create random dummy files of a specific size, tech enthusiasts, software developers, and power users understand how valuable these files can sometimes be. Dummy files are useful for testing purposes, such as identifying bad sectors on a hard drive, measuring network speed, or ensuring that files are securely erased beyond recovery. Whatever your
tutorial How to get system info, view, and kill processes in CMD

How to get system info, view, and kill processes in CMD

You can easily view information about your computer using Windows graphical tools like Task Manager or System Information. However, some users prefer terminal environments like the Command Prompt or PowerShell for almost everything. If you're curious about how to get system info in CMD (Command Prompt) or want to learn how to view and manage running processes from Windows’ CMD, keep reading. I'll show
tutorial How to use disk management commands (diskpart, chkdsk, defrag) in Windows

How to use disk management commands (diskpart, chkdsk, defrag) in Windows

One of the easiest ways to manage your disks in Windows is by using the Disk Management tool. However, if you prefer command-line interfaces, you can perform several disk management tasks using Command Prompt or PowerShell. In this guide, I’ll show you how to use Diskpart and its commands to create, format, delete, hide, and unhide partitions. I’ll also show you how to use
article What is ping? How do you use ping commands in Windows?

What is ping? How do you use ping commands in Windows?

You don’t need to be a networking guru to have come across the term ping while working with computers, setting up networking devices such as wireless routers, dealing with online applications, or playing games online. If you’re wondering what ping means and what the ping command does, read on. In this guide, I’ll explain how ping works, what you can use it for, and
tutorial How to start Windows 11's Safe Mode with Command Prompt

How to start Windows 11's Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Being able to work in Safe Mode is essential when you have no other option for troubleshooting Windows 11 issues or boot failures. As Safe Mode loads only the most basic components required for the operating system to start, it can help you a lot in finding and resolving problems on your computer. Moreover, if you suspect some graphical user interface issues affect the
tutorial How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode with Command Prompt

How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode with Command Prompt

One way to troubleshoot Windows 10 problems or fix boot failures is to start the system in Safe Mode. Safe Mode only loads the essential components, which helps you isolate and solve the issues. However, some problems are so severe that they interfere with the graphical user interface, making Safe Mode with Command Prompt a better option, as it doesn’t run the Explorer shell.
tutorial How to change a drive’s letter in Windows

How to change a drive’s letter in Windows

Windows assigns drive letters for all the hard disk drives, solid-state drives, optical media units, removable drives, and memory cards connected to your computer. Because the operating system does that on its own, you might be tempted to think that these drive letters cannot be changed. However, that is not true because Windows lets you change the drive letter of any drive as long
tutorial How to check the Windows installation date

How to check the Windows installation date

Do you need to know when you installed Windows on your computer? You may require this information for work or you may want it just to brag about how stable your operating system is after all these years of abuse. Or perhaps you just don’t want your Windows to run for more than six months without reinstalling it. Whatever the reason, here’s how to
tutorial How to export a folder tree to a file (including Excel)

How to export a folder tree to a file (including Excel)

Did you ever need to export the entire directory tree from a particular folder? Did you need to get a text or Excel document that lists all the files and folders inside a specific folder from your computer in a hierarchical structure? I needed this when trying to create a document that was supposed to be a summary of all the Word documents and
tutorial How to list all the users on a Windows computer (7 ways)

How to list all the users on a Windows computer (7 ways)

Sometimes, you may need to extract a list of all the user accounts on a Windows computer. What if you want to see all the hidden user accounts that exist alongside your user account? Can you use graphical tools in Windows to learn all that? Can you list all users with Windows’ CMD? Moreover, which Windows PowerShell CLI command can be used to list
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