A beginner-friendly guide to the most useful terminal commands for Windows users.

If you are learning web development, programming, networking, or basic computer operations, terminal commands are very important. They help you work faster, manage files, navigate folders, run programs, check system information, and perform many tasks without using the mouse.

In Windows, you may commonly use:

• Command Prompt also called CMD
• PowerShell
• Windows Terminal, which can open CMD, PowerShell, Git Bash, WSL, and more

This article covers the most useful basic commands for Windows users.

Note: Some commands work in both CMD and PowerShell, but some are different. I will mention both where needed.

What is a Terminal?

A terminal is a text-based interface where you can type commands to control your computer.

Instead of opening folders, clicking buttons, or using menus, you can simply type a command and press Enter.

For example:

dir

This command shows files and folders in the current location.

CMD vs PowerShell

Before learning commands, it is important to understand the difference.

Command Prompt

Command Prompt is the older Windows command-line tool.

Example:

dir

PowerShell

PowerShell is more powerful and modern. It supports many advanced commands and scripting features.

Example:

Get-ChildItem

PowerShell also supports many short aliases. For example:

ls
dir
gci

All of these can show files and folders in PowerShell.

Basic Windows Terminal Commands

1. Show Files and Folders

CMD

dir

PowerShell

dir

or

Get-ChildItem

Use

This command displays all files and folders inside the current directory.

Example:

dir

Output may show files, folders, size, date, and time.

2. Show Hidden Files and Folders

CMD

dir /a

PowerShell

Get-ChildItem -Force

Use

This command shows hidden files and folders also.

Useful when you want to see files like:

.git
.env
.vscode

3. Change Directory

CMD and PowerShell

cd foldername

Example

cd Desktop

Use

This command moves you inside a folder.

4. Go Back to Previous Folder

CMD and PowerShell

cd ..

Use

This command moves one step back from the current folder.

Example:

C:\Users\Ahmad\Desktop\Project

After running:

cd ..

You will move to:

C:\Users\Ahmad\Desktop

5. Go to Root Directory

CMD and PowerShell

cd \

Use

This command moves you to the root directory of the current drive.

Example:

C:\

6. Show Current Location

CMD

cd

PowerShell

pwd

or

Get-Location

Use

This command shows your current folder path.

7. Create a New Folder

CMD and PowerShell

mkdir foldername

Example

mkdir my-project

Use

This command creates a new folder.

8. Create Multiple Folders

CMD and PowerShell

mkdir folder1 folder2 folder3

Example

mkdir html css js

Use

This creates multiple folders at once.

9. Create a New File

Creating a file is different in CMD and PowerShell.

PowerShell

ni filename.txt

or

New-Item filename.txt

CMD

type nul > filename.txt

Example

ni index.html

or

type nul > index.html

Use

This command creates a new empty file.

10. Create a File with Text

CMD

echo Hello World > file.txt

PowerShell

"Hello World" > file.txt

Use

This creates a file and adds text inside it.

Example:

echo Welcome to Windows Terminal > notes.txt

11. View File Content

CMD

type filename.txt

PowerShell

Get-Content filename.txt

or

cat filename.txt

Use

This command shows the content of a file directly in the terminal.

12. Rename a File or Folder

CMD

ren oldname.txt newname.txt

PowerShell

Rename-Item oldname.txt newname.txt

Example

ren index.txt index.html

Use

This command renames a file or folder.

13. Copy a File

CMD

copy file.txt backup.txt

PowerShell

Copy-Item file.txt backup.txt

Use

This command copies a file from one place to another.

Example:

copy index.html index-backup.html

14. Copy a Folder

CMD

xcopy foldername newfoldername /E /I

PowerShell

Copy-Item foldername newfoldername -Recurse

Use

This command copies a folder with its files and subfolders.

15. Move a File or Folder

CMD

move filename.txt foldername

PowerShell

Move-Item filename.txt foldername

Example

move index.html html

Use

This command moves a file or folder from one location to another.

16. Delete a File

CMD

del filename.txt

PowerShell

rm filename.txt

or

Remove-Item filename.txt

Example

rm notes.txt

Use

This command deletes a file.

Be careful while deleting files from the terminal because deleted files may not always go to the Recycle Bin.

17. Delete a Folder

CMD

rmdir foldername

PowerShell

Remove-Item foldername

Use

This deletes an empty folder.

18. Delete a Folder with Files

CMD

rmdir /s foldername

PowerShell

Remove-Item foldername -Recurse

Use

This deletes a folder and everything inside it.

Warning: Use this carefully. It can delete all files inside the folder.

19. Clear the Terminal

CMD and PowerShell

cls

PowerShell Shortcut

Ctrl + L

Use

This clears the terminal screen.

20. Show Command History

PowerShell

history

or

Get-History

CMD

doskey /history

Use

This shows previously used commands in the current terminal session.

21. Open Current Folder in File Explorer

CMD and PowerShell

start .

Use

This opens the current terminal location in File Explorer.

Very useful when you are working inside a project folder.

22. Open a File in Notepad

CMD and PowerShell

notepad filename.txt

Example

notepad notes.txt

Use

This opens a file in Notepad.

If the file does not exist, Notepad may ask if you want to create it.

23. Open VS Code from Terminal

CMD and PowerShell

code .

Use

This opens the current folder in Visual Studio Code.

Note: This works only if VS Code is installed and the code command is added to your system path.

24. Check IP Address

CMD and PowerShell

ipconfig

Use

This command shows network information such as:

• IP address
• Default gateway
• Subnet mask
• Network adapter details

Example:

ipconfig

25. Test Internet Connection

CMD and PowerShell

ping google.com

Use

This command checks whether your computer can connect to a website or server.

Example:

ping google.com

26. Show System Information

CMD and PowerShell

systeminfo

Use

This command displays details about your computer, such as:

• OS name
• OS version
• System manufacturer
• Processor details
• RAM information
• Boot time

27. Show Running Tasks

CMD and PowerShell

tasklist

Use

This shows all running processes on your computer.

28. Stop a Running Task

CMD and PowerShell

taskkill /IM appname.exe /F

Example

taskkill /IM notepad.exe /F

Use

This command forcefully closes a running program.

Be careful while using this command because it can close apps without saving your work.

29. Find Location of a Command

CMD and PowerShell

where commandname

Example

where node

Use

This shows where a command or program is installed.

Useful for checking tools like:

where node
where npm
where git
where python

30. Check Version of Installed Tools

Many developer tools support the --version command.

Examples

node --version

npm --version

git --version

python --version

Use

This checks the installed version of a tool.

Windows Terminal Commands Table View

Most Useful Commands for Beginners

If you are just starting, learn these commands first:

dir

Shows files and folders.

cd foldername

Moves inside a folder.

cd ..

Moves back one folder.

mkdir foldername

Creates a new folder.

ni filename.txt

Creates a new file in PowerShell.

cls

Clears the terminal.

del filename.txt

Deletes a file in CMD.

rm filename.txt

Deletes a file in PowerShell.

history

Shows command history in PowerShell.

start .

Opens the current folder in File Explorer.

Safety Tips While Using Terminal

Terminal commands are powerful, but you should use them carefully.

1. Check Your Current Folder First

Before deleting or moving files, check where you are:

CMD

cd

PowerShell

pwd

2. Be Careful with Delete Commands

Commands like these can permanently remove files or folders:

del filename.txt

rmdir /s foldername

Remove-Item foldername -Recurse

Always double-check the file or folder name.

3. Use Quotes for Folder Names with Spaces

If a folder or file name has spaces, use quotes.

Example:

cd "My Projects"

mkdir "New Folder"

del "my file.txt"

4. Use Tab for Auto-Complete

When typing a file or folder name, press Tab.

The terminal will auto-complete the name for you.

This helps avoid spelling mistakes.

Practice Example

Try these commands step by step:

mkdir terminal-practice

cd terminal-practice

For PowerShell:

ni notes.txt

For CMD:

type nul > notes.txt

Then write text into the file:

echo Hello Terminal > notes.txt

View the file:

type notes.txt

Go back:

cd ..

Delete the folder:

rmdir /s terminal-practice

Final Thoughts

Learning terminal commands is one of the best habits for developers and computer users.

At first, commands may look confusing, but with daily practice they become easy. Once you understand basic commands like dir, cd, mkdir, cls, del, and history, you can work faster and manage files more efficiently.

Start with simple commands, practice them daily, and slowly learn more advanced commands.

The terminal is not just for advanced users. It is a powerful tool for everyone who wants to work smarter on Windows.