Windows 10 FAQ

Windows 10 Commands

1. How do I type in commands rather than use Explorer?

Windows 10 includes the powerful PowerShell which makes use of the features of the .NET framework APIs to provide powerful commands to manipulate everything from disks, files, folders, user and group accounts, services, and so on. Commands usually start with Get-, Set-, Add-, Remove-, Move- and so on. Additional applications can extend the Powershell with their own commands such as Active Directory, Hyper-V, ServerManager, Exchange, SQL, Sharepoint, Lync and so on. See PowerShell Docs for more information. Windows 10 comes with Powershell v5. If you want to run an older version, enter Powershell.exe -version number e.g. 3.0 or 4.0 (you need .NET Framework 2.0 for v2.0).

You can access it via Windows+X then enter PowerShell or Ctrl+R and enter powershell.exe.
If you run PowerShell_ISE.exe instead, you can use its build in text editor for developing scripts.

The current directory is displayed followed by a flashing underline cursor. To exit this window, type exit or click on the X on top right of the window.

2. What commands are available to use with Windows 10?

Powershell has a large number of commands available. Here are a few common ones:

3. Where can I add more commands to my Windows 10 system?

You can add tools from the Sysinternals tools to manage files and folders, processes, security, networking and system information.

4. How do I change the colours for Powershell window?

Open a PowerShell window, select the top left of the window for a pop up menu to appear and select Properties. Select Screen text and select a colour (green is a popular colour), then select Screen Background and select another colour.

5. How do I change the prompt text?

By default, the command prompt is PS and the current path followed by an arrow e.g. PS C:\Windows>. The prompt is set in the user's powershell profile, e.g. PSedit $PROFILE and create a prompt function with the customization output strings. See Norlunn blog for exmples.

function global:prompt
{
     Write-Output "Powershell "
     Return "> "
}

6. Where can I find other command line tools?

If you want an old BASIC interpreter try VBScript, GWBasic (for full screen support use DOSBox), QBasic or the more recent Xojo (Real Basic).
For more advanced scripting languages try Perl or Python.
For a full search utility try unix's Grep for Windows.
For counting words, lines and sentences try WC for Windows.
For displaying the end part of file, try Tail for Windows.
Microsoft's Sysinternals tools.

7. Can I still run the old Command Prompt?

Windows 10 still has the old command prompt. You can access it via Start, Windows, Accessories, Command Prompt, Windows+X then Command Prompt or Ctrl+R and enter cmd.exe.
To enable Command Prompt rather than Powershell from taskbar, go to Settings, Personalisation, Taskbar and disable 'Replace Command Prompt with Windows Powershell' option.

Many of the commands are similar to the ones from the old MS-DOS days. Commands can be run from the current directory or those listed in the command path. The command path can be viewed by typing Path and can be edited via the System Control Panel, Advanced, Environmental Variables. Most commands are available in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. To view the parameters of the command you can type either Help <command> or <command> /? (slash, question mark). Commands can be combined using the pipe (|) character e.g. Type file | More.

8. Can I run a Bash shell on Windows?

Yes, you can enable Linux Subsystem for Windows or download Cygwin for Windows, which includes bash shell, tools and languages you find on Linux systems.
Cygwin also includes XLaunch which allows you to run X Windows compatible programs e.g. xedit, xterm, xcalc, xeyes etc.
Another alternative is XMing.

If you have the latest update for Windows 10 installed, you can enable the Bash shell for Windows SubSystem for Linux:

a) Open Control Panel.
b) Open Programs and Features.
c) Select Turn Windows Features on or off.
d) Enable 'Windows Subsystem for Linux'.
e) Open Settings, Update and Security and enable 'Developer mode'.
f) Open Windows Store,then search for Linux.
g) Select the Linux to install e.g. Kali, Debian, SUSE (all free).
h) Click Get to download the linux distribution e.g. 75 MB for Debian.
i) Click Launch to install it (or see 'Debian' in the Windows start menu).
j) Enter a UNIX username and password.
k) Bash shell is now available.

9. Can I try the new Windows Terminal?

Yes, it is currently in preview, but you can download it via Microsoft Store. It will allow to run the PowerShell, Command Prompt and Azure Command Shell from one Terminal window.

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