If you scratch the surface of Windows (and macOS), you’ll find a command-line console underneath, a remnant of how these operating systems originated: as user-friendly graphical shells built on monochrome, text-based interfaces.
If you’re my age, you may remember having to launch applications and games on your computer by typing text commands, rather than pointing and clicking. Of course, modern methods are much easier, but the old ways are still around—and they’re actually still useful for multitasking, as the list below shows.
Initially, Windows kept the Command Prompt as a reminder of its MS-DOS roots. It was later joined by PowerShell (Command Prompt with extras), and in the latest Windows 11 builds, Command Prompt and PowerShell are now combined into one tool. It’s called Windows Terminal..
Windows Terminal supports all native Command Prompt commands, and you can launch it from the Start menu. It’s simple:
- Search for Hall.
- Right click on the program icon and choose Run as administrator To ensure that all features are available to you.
Now that you have the Terminal open in Windows, here are some commands that might be worth a try. To use them, type the text shown and then press Enters.
1. Turn off your computer after a certain period of time.
Shutting down your computer via the Start menu isn’t difficult, of course, but Terminal gives you a few other options, such as timed shutdowns. The above command shuts down (“/s”) instead of restarting, after a period of time (“/t”) of 600 seconds. Just adjust the timing as needed.
Another useful option is “shutdown -r -o” (without the quotes), which restarts (“-r”) your computer and opens the Advanced Startup Options menu—very useful for troubleshooting. Just type “shutdown” by itself to see the other flags you can use.
2. See a visualization of your folders
Type “tree” and press Enters To see a visual representation of the folders and subfolders on your system—very useful for seeing how your Windows drive is organized. You can include a drive and folder path (such as “C:Programs”) to focus the list on a specific area of the drive, and use the “/f” flag to see files listed in addition to folders.
3. Troubleshoot network issues
The ipconfig command is often used to troubleshoot networking issues. Use it alone, and you’ll see your router’s current IP address, but add the /flushdns flag, and the connections between your computer and the websites you visit will be reset (via DNS server), which can help if websites aren’t loading properly.
You can also use “ipconfig /release” and then “ipconfig /renew” to get a new IP address for your computer – which may solve connection problems between your Windows machine and your router or your device and the Internet.
4. Get more information about your system
The classic “systeminfo” command will tell you everything you could want to know about your system and more: it returns the Windows 11 version and CPU model, the amount of RAM and storage installed, all currently detected active network connections, and even how long it took your PC to boot up last.
5. Check your Windows 11 drive for errors
The chkdsk command has been a favorite of IT technicians for a long time, and you’ll find it popping up in many troubleshooting guides. It basically checks your system disk for errors and can fix some basic errors. For example, if you’re having trouble accessing files and folders, or booting your computer, the chkdsk command might be able to help you out.
There are several flags you can use with it as well. The command itself looks for errors, but add a space and a “/r” at the end, and the utility will attempt to fix those errors while recovering all the data it can. Use “chkdsk /?” for other options.
The “tasklist” command gives you pretty much the same information as the “Task Manager”, showing you which applications are putting the most stress on your system. Using the process ID (or PID) numbers it displays, you can then forcibly kill applications with “taskkill /pid” /f” — which can be useful for annoying programs.
7. Analyze the power states of your computer
This is another classic command prompt, which, using the “/a” flag, will restore all the sleep states that your computer supports (such as hibernation and fast startup). You can also get a detailed battery report via “powercfg /batteryreport” — which is saved in the default folder of the current user account.
Dig deeper and you’ll find more: “powercfg /devicequery s1_supported” lists all devices connected to your system that can bring it out of standby, for example. Change “s1” if you need to analyze a different standby state — the codes will be listed when you run the original “powercfg /a” command.
8. Check Windows 11 system integrity
Like many other command line prompts, this one is really useful when it comes to troubleshooting. It checks the integrity of key operating system files and applies fixes when necessary. If you’re noticing errors and crashes throughout Windows 11, this is one of the first steps many troubleshooting guides recommend.
9. Get advanced information about networks
Another simple word that hides a host of useful diagnostic tools: use “netstat” alone and it will tell you all the devices connected to your computer, from printers to smart speakers (use Ctrl+C when you want to stop them).
As with many other commands, you can modify the command in countless ways (use “netstat /?” for a full list). You can, for example, use “netstat -b” to see which applications are currently communicating with the web, which can help identify programs that are more active online than they should be.
