Peel back the surface of Windows (and macOS) and you’ll find a command-line console underneath, a remnant of those operating systems’ original beginnings: as a user-friendly graphical wrapper built on top of a monochrome text-based interface.
If you’re as old as me, you probably remember having to launch applications and games on your computer by typing text commands instead of pointing and clicking. Of course, modern methods are much easier, but the old methods are still available, and they are actually still useful for multitasking, as shown in the list below.
First, Windows retains the command prompt utility as a reminder of its MS-DOS roots. Later PowerShell (Command Prompt with additional features) also added this feature, and in the latest version of Windows 11, Command Prompt and PowerShell are now included in a tool called Windows Terminal.
Windows Terminal supports all native command prompt character commands, and you can launch it from the Start menu. Very simple:
- search terminal.
- Right-click the program icon and select Execute as administrator to ensure you have access to all features.
Now that you have your Windows Terminal open, here are some commands that might be worth your time. To use them, enter the text shown and click Enter.
1. Turn off the computer after a certain period of time
Of course, it’s not difficult to shut down your computer through the Start menu, but Terminal gives you more options, such as a scheduled shutdown. The above command shuts down (“/s”) instead of rebooting after 600 seconds (“/t”). Just adjust the time as needed.
Another handy option is “shutdown -r -o” (without quotes), which restarts (“-r”) the computer and launches the “Advanced Boot Options” menu – very useful for troubleshooting. Just type “shutdown” alone to see what other flags you can use.
2. View the visualization of the folder
Enter “tree” and click Enter View a visual representation of the folders and subfolders on your system – Useful for seeing how Windows drives are organized. You can include drive and folder paths (such as “C:\Programs\”) to focus the list on a specific area of the drive, and use the “/f” flag to view the files and folders listed.
3. Solve network problems
The “ipconfig” command is often used to troubleshoot network problems. Using it alone, you will see the router’s current IP address, but add the “/flushdns” flag, and the connection between your computer and the website you visit will be reset (via the DNS server), which can The help site is not loading as it should.
You can also use “ipconfig /release” and then “ipconfig /renew” to obtain a new IP address for your computer, which may solve connection problems between the Windows device and the router or the device and the network.
4. Get more information about your system
The classic “systeminfo” command will tell you everything you could possibly want to know about your system and then some: it returns your Windows 11 version and CPU model, installed RAM and storage capacity, all currently detected active networks connection, and even the time it took your computer to boot up last time.
5. Check your Windows 11 drive for errors
The “chkdsk” command has long been a favorite among IT technicians, and you’ll see it in many troubleshooting guides. It essentially checks your system disk for errors and can fix some of the most basic ones. For example, chkdsk may help if you have problems accessing files and folders or starting your computer.
There are also a lot of flags you can use. The command itself just looks for errors, but add a space and “/r” at the end and the utility will try to fix those errors while recovering all possible data. Use “chkdsk /?” to see other options.
The Task List command gives you much the same information as Task Manager, showing you which applications are putting the most strain on your system. Using the process ID number (or PIDS) it displays, you can force-kill the application using “taskkill /pid”
7. Analyze the energy status of the computer
This is another classic command line prompt with the “/a” flag that will return all sleep states supported by your computer (such as hibernation and fast startup). You can also get a detailed battery report via “powercfg /batteryreport” – the report is saved in the default folder of the current user account.
Dig deeper, and there’s more: “powercfg /devicequery s1_supported,” for example, lists all devices connected to the system that can wake the system from standby. If you need to analyze different standby states, change “s1” – the code will be listed when you execute the original “powercfg /a” command.
8. Check Windows 11 System Integrity
Like many other command line prompts, this prompt is useful when troubleshooting. It checks the integrity of critical operating system files and applies fixes if necessary. If you notice errors and crashes in Windows 11, this is one of the first steps recommended by many troubleshooting guides.
9. Get advanced network information
Another simple word hides many useful diagnostic utilities: Use “netstat” alone and it will tell you about all the devices your computer is connected to, from printers to smart speakers (when you need it, use Ctrl+C )stop) .
Like many other commands, you can tweak this command in a variety of ways (use “netstat /?” to see the full list). For example, you can use “netstat -b” to see which applications are currently communicating with the network, which can help identify programs that are more active online than they should be.
