List of DOS commands

This article presents a list of commands used byMS-DOScompatibleoperating systems,especially as used onIBM PC compatibles.Many unrelated disk operating systems usethe DOS acronymand are not part of the scope of this list.

In MS-DOS, many standardsystem commandsare provided for common tasks such as listing files on a disk or moving files. Some commands are built into the command interpreter; others exist as external commands on disk. Over multiple generations, commands were added for additional functions. InMicrosoft Windows,a command prompt window that uses many of the same commands,cmd.exe,can still be used.

Command processing

The command interpreter for DOS runs when no application programs are running. When an application exits, if the transient portion of the command interpreter in memory was overwritten, DOS will reload it from disk. Some commands are internal—built into COMMAND.COM; others are external commands stored on disk. When the user types a line of text at the operating system command prompt, COMMAND.COM will parse the line and attempt to match a command name to a built-in command or to the name of an executable program file orbatch fileon disk. If no match is found, an error message is printed, and the command prompt is refreshed.

External commands were too large to keep in the command processor, or were less frequently used. Such utility programs would be stored on disk and loaded just like regular application programs but were distributed with the operating system. Copies of these utility command programs had to be on an accessible disk, either on the current drive or on the commandpathset in the command interpreter.

In the list below, commands that can accept more than one file name, or a filename including wildcards (* and?), are said to accept afilespec(file specification) parameter. Commands that can accept only a single file name are said to accept afilenameparameter. Additionally, command line switches, or other parameter strings, can be supplied on the command line. Spaces and symbols such as a "/" or a "-" may be used to allow the command processor to parse the command line into filenames, file specifications, and other options.

The command interpreter preserves the case of whatever parameters are passed to commands, but the command names themselves and file names are case-insensitive.

Many commands are the same across many DOS systems, but some differ in command syntax or name.

DOS commands

A partial list of the most common commands forMS-DOSandIBM PC DOSfollows below.

APPEND

Sets the path to be searched for data files or displays the current search path. The APPEND command is similar to the PATH command that tells DOS where to search for program files (files with a.COM,. EXE, or.BAT file name extension).

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.2 and later.

ASSIGN

Further information:Drive letter assignment

The command redirects requests for disk operations on one drive to a different drive. It can also display drive assignments or reset all drive letters to their original assignments.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3 through 5 and IBM PC DOS releases 2 through 5.

ATMDM

Lists connections and addresses seen by WindowsATMcall manager.

ATTRIB

Main article:ATTRIB

Attrib changes or views the attributes of one or more files. It defaults to display the attributes of all files in the current directory. The file attributes available include read-only, archive, system, and hidden attributes. The command has the capability to process whole folders and subfolders of files and also process all files.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3 and later.

BACKUP and RESTORE

These are commands tobackupand restore files from an external disk. These appeared in version 2, and continued toPC DOS5 and MS-DOS 6 (PC DOS 7 had a deversioned check). In DOS 6, these were replaced by commercial programs (CPBACKUP, MSBACKUP), which allowed files to be restored to different locations.

BASIC and BASICA

Main article:IBM BASIC

An implementation of theBASICprogramming language for PCs. Implementing BASIC in this way was very common in operating systems on 8- and 16-bit machines made in the 1980s.

IBMcomputers had BASIC 1.1 in ROM, and IBM's versions of BASIC used code in this ROM-BASIC, which allowed for extra memory in the code area. BASICA last appeared inIBM PC DOS5.02, and inOS/2(2.0 and later), the version had ROM-BASIC moved into the program code.

Microsoft releasedGW-BASICfor machines with no ROM-BASIC. Some OEM releases had basic and basica as loaders for GW-BASIC.EXE.

BASIC was dropped after MS-DOS 4, and PC DOS 5.02. OS/2 (which uses PC DOS 5), has it, while MS-DOS 5 does not.

BREAK

This command is used to instruct DOS to check whether theCtrlandBreakkeys have been pressed before carrying out a program request.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

CALL

See also:start (command)

Starts a batch file from within another batch file and returns when that one ends.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.3 and later.

CD and CHDIR

Main article:cd (command)

The CHDIR (or the alternative name CD) command either displays or changes the current workingdirectory.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

CHCP

The command either displays or changes the activecode pageused to displaycharacter glyphsin aconsole window.Similar functionality can be achieved withMODECON: CP SELECT=yyy.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.3 and later.

CHKDSK

Main article:CHKDSK

CHKDSK verifies a storagevolume(for example, ahard disk,disk partitionorfloppy disk) for file system integrity. The command has the ability to fix errors on a volume and recover information from defectivedisk sectorsof a volume.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

CHOICE

Main article:choice (command)

The CHOICE command is used in batch files to prompt the user to select one item from a set of single-characterchoices.Choice was introduced as an external command with MS-DOS 6.0;Novell DOS7and PC DOS 7.0. Earlier versions ofDR-DOSsupported this function with the built-inswitchcommand (for numeric choices) or by beginning a command with a question mark.This command was formerly called ync (yes-no-cancel).

CLS

Main article:CLS (command)

The CLS or CLRSCR command clears theterminal screen.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

COMMAND

Main article:COMMAND.COM

Start a new instance of the command interpreter.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

COMP

Main article:comp (command)

Show differences between any two files, or any two sets of files.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.3 through 5 and IBM PC DOS releases 1 through 5.

COPY

Main article:copy (command)

Makes copies of existing files.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

CTTY

Defines theterminaldevice (for example, COM1) to use for input and output.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

DATE

Displays thesystem dateand prompts the user to enter a new date. Complements theTIMEcommand.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

DBLBOOT

(Not a command: This is a batch file added to DOS 6.X Supplemental Disks to help create DoubleSpace boot floppies.)

DBLSPACE

Main article:DriveSpace

Adisk compressionutility supplied with MS-DOS version 6.0 (released in 1993) and version 6.2.

DEBUG

Main article:debug (command)

A very primitive assembler and disassembler.

DEFRAG

Main article:Microsoft Drive Optimizer

The command has the ability to analyze the file fragmentation on a disk drive or todefragmenta drive. This command is called DEFRAG in MS-DOS/PC DOS anddiskoptinDR-DOS.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 6 and later.

DEL and ERASE

Main article:del (command)

DEL (or the alternative form ERASE) is used to delete one or more files.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

DELTREE

Main article:DELTREE

Deletes a directory along with all of the files and subdirectories that it contains. Normally, it will ask for confirmation of the potentially dangerous action. Since the RD (RMDIR) command can not delete a directory if the directory is not empty (except in Windows NT & 10), the DELTREE command can be used to delete the whole directory.

Thedeltreecommand is included in certain versions ofMicrosoft WindowsandMS-DOSoperating systems.It is specifically available only in versions ofMS-DOS6.0 and higher,and inMicrosoft Windows 9x.In Windows NT, the functionality provided exists but is handled by the commandrdorrmdirwhich has slightly different syntax. This command is not present in Windows 7 and 8. In Windows 10, the command switch isRD /SorRMDIR /S.

DIR

Main article:dir (command)

The DIR command displays the contents of a directory. The contents comprise the disk's volume label and serial number; one directory or filename per line, including the filename extension, the file size in bytes, and the date and time the file was last modified; and the total number of files listed, their cumulative size, and the free space (in bytes) remaining on the disk. The command is one of the few commands that exist from the first versions of DOS.The command can display files in subdirectories. The resulting directory listing can be sorted by various criteria and filenames can be displayed in a chosen format.

DISKCOMP

Main article:diskcomp

A command for comparing the complete contents of afloppy diskto another one.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.2 and later and IBM PC DOS releases 1 and later.

DISKCOPY

Main article:diskcopy

A command for copying the complete contents of a diskette to another diskette.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

DOSKEY

Main article:DOSKEY

A command that addscommand history,macrofunctionality, and improved editing features to the command-line interpreter.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 5 and later.

DOSSIZE

Displays how much memory various DOS components occupy.

DRVSPACE

Main article:DriveSpace

Adisk compressionutility supplied with MS-DOS version 6.22.

ECHO

Main article:echo (command)

The ECHO command prints its own arguments back out to the DOS equivalent of thestandard output stream.(Hence the name, ECHO) Usually, this means directly to the screen, but the output ofechocan be redirected, like any other command, to files or devices. Often used inbatch filesto print text out to the user.

Another important use of the echo command is to toggle echoing of commands on and off in batch files. Traditionally batch files begin with the@echo offstatement. This says to the interpreter that echoing of commands should be off during the whole execution of the batch file, thus resulting in a "tidier" output (the@symbol declares that this particular command (echo off) should also be executed without echo.)

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

EDIT

Main article:MS-DOS Editor

EDIT is a full-screentext editor,included with MS-DOS versions 5 and 6,OS/2 and Windows NT to 4.0 The corresponding program in Windows 95 and later, and Windows 2000 and later is Edit v2.0. PC DOS 6 and later use theDOSEEditorand DR-DOS usededitorup to version 7.

EDLIN

Main article:Edlin

DOS line-editor. It can be used with a script file, like debug, this makes it of some use even today. The absence of a console editor in MS-DOS/PC DOS 1–4 created an after-market for third-party editors.

In DOS 5, an extra command "?" was added to give the user much-needed help.

DOS 6 was the last version to contain EDLIN; for MS-DOS 6, it's on the supplemental disks,while PC DOS 6 had it in the base install. Windows NT 32-bit, and OS/2 have Edlin.

EMM386

Main article:EMM386

The EMM386 command enables or disables EMM386 expanded-memory support on a computer with an80386or higher processor.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 5 and later.

ERASE

See:DEL and ERASE

EXE2BIN

Main article:exe2bin

Converts anexecutable(.exe) file into abinary filewith theextension,which is a memory image of the program.

The size of the residentcodeanddata sectionscombined in the input.exe file must be less than 64 KB. The file must also have nostack segment.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 through 5. It is available separately for version 6 on the Supplemental Disk.

EXIT

Main article:exit (command)

Exits the current command processor. If the exit is used at the primary command, it has no effect unless in a DOS window under Microsoft Windows, in which case the window is closed and the user returns to the desktop.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

EXPAND

The Microsoft File Expansion Utility is used to uncompress one or more compressedcabinet files(.CAB). The command dates back to 1990 and was supplied on floppy disc for MS-DOS versions 5 and later.

FAKEMOUS

FAKEMOUS is an IBM PS/2 mouse utility used withAccessDOS.It is included on the MS-DOS 6 Supplemental Disk. AccessDOS assists persons with disabilities.

FASTHELP

See also:help (command)

Provides information for MS-DOS commands.

FASTOPEN

Main article:FASTOPEN

A command that provides accelerated access to frequently-usedfiles and directories.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.3 and later.

FC

Main article:File Compare

Show differences between any two files, or any two sets of files.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later – primarily non-IBM releases.

FDISK

Main article:fdisk

The FDISK command manipulates hard diskpartition tables.The name derives from IBM's habit of calling hard drivesfixed disks.FDISK has the ability to display information about, create, and delete DOS partitions orlogical DOS drive.It can also install a standardmaster boot recordon the hard drive.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.2 and later and IBM PC DOS 2.0 releases and later.

FIND

Main article:Find (Windows)

The FIND command is afilterto find lines in the inputdata streamthat contain or don't contain a specifiedstringand send these to the output data stream. It may also be used as apipe.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

FINDSTR

The FINDSTR command is a GREP-orientedFIND-like utility. Among its uses is the logical-OR lacking in FIND.

FINDSTR"YES NO MAYBE"*.txt

would find allTXTfiles with one or more of the above-listed words YES, NO, MAYBE.

FOR

Main article:For loop

Iteration: repeats a command for each out of a specified set of files. The FOR loop can be used toparsea file or the output of a command.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

FORMAT

Main article:format (command)

Deletes theFATentries and theroot directoryof the drive/partition, and reformats it for MS-DOS. In most cases, this should only be used on floppy drives or otherremovable media.This command can potentially erase everything on a computer's drive.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

GOTO

Main article:Goto

TheGotocommand transfers execution to a specified label. Labels are specified at the beginning of a line, with a colon (:likethis).

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

Used inBatch files.

GRAFTABL

Main article:GRAFTABL

The GRAFTABL command enables the display of an extended character set in graphics mode.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3 through 5.

GRAPHICS

A TSR program to enable the sending of graphical screen dump to printer by pressing <Print Screen>.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.2 and later and IBM PC DOS releases 2 and later.

HELP

Main article:help (command)

Gives help about DOS commands.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 5 thru Windows XP. Full-screen command help is available in MS-DOS versions 6 and later.Beginning with Windows XP, the command processor "DOS" offers builtin-help for commands by using/?(e.g.COPY /?)

IF

Main article:Control flow

IF is a conditional statement, that allows branching of the program execution. It evaluates the specified condition, and only if it is true, then it executes the remainder of the command line. Otherwise, it skips the remainder of the line and continues with next command line.

Used inBatch files.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

INTERSVR and INTERLNK

In MS-DOS;filelinkin DR-DOS.

Network PCs using anull modemcable orLapLink cable.The server-side version of InterLnk, it also immobilizes the machine it's running on as it is an active app (As opposed to aterminate-and-stay-resident program) which must be running for any transfer to take place. DR-DOS'filelinkis executed on both the client and server.

New in PC DOS 5.02, MS-DOS 6.0.

JOIN

The JOIN command attaches a drive letter to a specified directory on another drive.The opposite can be achieved via theSUBSTcommand.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3 through 5. It is available separately for versions 6.2 and later on the Supplemental Disk.

KEYB

The KEYB command is used to select a keyboard layout.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.3 and later.

From DOS 3.0 through 3.21, there are instead per-country commands, namely KEYBFR, KEYBGR, KEYBIT, KEYBSP and KEYBUK.

LABEL

Main article:label (command)

Changes the label on a logical drive, such as a hard disk partition or a floppy disk.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.1 and later and IBM PC DOS releases 3 and later.

LINK4

Microsoft 8086 Object Linker

LOADFIX

Loads a program above the first 64K of memory, and runs the program. The command is available in MS-DOS versions 5 and later.It is included only in MS-DOS/PC DOS. DR-DOS usedmemmax,which opened or closed lower, upper, and video memory access, to block the lower 64K of memory.

LOADHIGH and LH

Main article:LOADHIGH

A command that loads a program into the upper memory area.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 5 and later.

It is calledhiloadin DR-DOS.

MD or MKDIR

Main article:mkdir

Makes a newdirectory.The parent of the directory specified will be created if it does not already exist.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

MEM

Displays memory usage. It is capable of displaying program size and status, memory in use, and internal drivers. It is an external command.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 4 and later and DR DOS releases 5.0 and later.

On earlier DOS versions the memory usage could be shown by runningCHKDSK.In DR DOS the parameter/Acould be used to only show the memory usage.

MEMMAKER

Starting with version 6,MS-DOS included the external program MemMaker which was used to free system memory (especiallyConventional memory) by automatically reconfiguring theAUTOEXEC.BATandCONFIG.SYSfiles. This was usually done by moving TSR programs anddevice driversto theupper memory.The whole process required two system restarts. Before the first restart the user was asked whether to enableEMS Memory,since use of expanded memory required a reserved 64KiB region in upper memory. The first restart inserted the SIZER.EXE program which gauged the memory needed by each TSR or Driver. MemMaker would then calculate the optimal Driver and TSR placement in upper memory and modify the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS accordingly, and reboot the second time.

MEMMAKER.EXE and SIZER.EXE were developed for Microsoft byHelix Software Companyand were eliminated starting inMS-DOS 7(Windows 95); however, they could be obtained from Microsoft's FTP server as part of the OLDDOS.EXE package, alongside other tools.

PC DOS uses another program called RamBoost to optimize memory, working either with PC DOS'sHIMEM/EMM386or a third-party memory manager. RamBoost was licensed to IBM byCentral Point Software.

MIRROR

The MIRROR command saves disk storage information that can be used to recover accidentally erased files.

The command is available in MS-DOS version 5. It is available separately for versions 6.2 and later on Supplemental Disk.

MODE

Configures system devices. Changes graphics modes, adjusts keyboard settings, preparescode pages,and sets up port redirection.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.2 and later and IBM PC DOS releases 1 and later.

MORE

Main article:more (command)

The MORE commandpaginatestext, so that one can view files containing more than one screen of text.Moremay also be used as afilter.While viewing MORE text, the return key displays the next line, the space bar displays the next page.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

MOVE

Main article:move (command)

Moves files or renames directories.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 6 and later.

DR-DOS used a separate command for renaming directories,rendir.

MSAV

Main article:MSAV

A command that scans the computer for known viruses.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 6 and later.

MSBACKUP

The MSBACKUP command is used to backup or restore one or more files from one disk to another.

TheNew York Timessaid thatMSBACKUP"is much better and faster than the old BACKUP command used in earlier versions of DOS, but it does lack some of the advanced features found in backup software packages that are sold separately.There is another offering, named MWBACKUP, that isGUI-oriented. It was introduced for Windows for Workgroups (3.11).

The MSBACKUP command is available in MS-DOS versions 6 and later.

MSCDEX

Main article:MSCDEX

MSCDEX is a driver executable which allowsDOSprograms to recognize, read, and controlCD-ROMs.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 6 and later.

MSD

Main article:Microsoft Diagnostics

The MSD command provides detailed technical information about the computer's hardware and software. MSD was new in MS-DOS 6;the PC DOS version of this command is QCONFIG.The command appeared first in Word2, and then in Windows 3.10.

MSHERC

The MSHERC.COM (also QBHERC.COM) was a TSR graphics driver supplied with Microsoft QuickC, QuickBASIC, and the C Compiler, to allow use of the Hercules adapter high-resolution graphics capability (720 x 348, 2 colors).

NLSFUNC

Loads extended Nationalization and Localization Support from COUNTRY.SYS, and changed the codepage of drivers and system modules resident in RAM.

In later versions of DR-DOS 6, NLSFUNC relocated itself into the HiMem area, thereby freeing a portion of the nearly invaluable lower 640KiB that constituted the” conventional” memory available to software.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.3 and later.

PATH

See also:PATH (variable)

Displays or sets a searchpathfor executable files.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

PAUSE

Suspends processing of a batch program and displays the messagePress any key to continue...,if not given other text to display.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

PING

Main article:ping (networking utility)

Allows the user to test the availability of a network connection to a specified host. Hostnames are usually resolved to IP addresses.

It is not included in many DOS versions; typically ones with network stacks will have it as a diagnostic tool.

POWER

The POWER command is used to turn power management on and off, report the status of power management, and set levels of power conservation. It is an external command implemented as POWER.EXE.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 6 and later.

PRINT

Main article:PRINT (command)

The PRINT command adds or removes files in theprint queue.This command was introduced in MS-DOS version 2.Before that there was no built-in support for background printing files. The user would usually use the copy command to copy files to LPT1.

PROMPT

See also:Prompt (computing)

ThePROMPTcommand allows the user to change the prompt in the command screen. The default prompt is$p(i.e.PROMPT $p), which displays the drive and current path as the prompt, but can be changed to anything.PROMPT $d,displays the current system date as the prompt. TypePROMPT /?in the cmd screen for help on this function.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later and IBM PC DOS releases 2.1 and later.

PS

A utility inspired by the UNIX/XENIXpscommand. It also provides a full-screen mode, similar to thetoputility on UNIX systems.

QBASIC

Main article:QBasic

Anintegrated development environmentandBASICinterpreter.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 5 and later.

RD or RMDIR

Main article:rmdir

Remove a directory (delete a directory); by default the directories must be empty of files for the command to succeed.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

Thedeltreecommand in some versions of MS-DOS and all versions ofWindows 9xremoves non-empty directories.

RECOVER

Main article:recover (command)

A primitivefilesystemerror recovery utility included in MS-DOS / IBM PC DOS.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 through 5.

REM

Remark (comment) command, normally used within abatch file,and for DR-DOS, PC/MS-DOS 6 and above, in CONFIG.SYS. This command is processed by the command processor. Thus, its output can be redirected to create a zero-byte file. REM is useful in logged sessions or screen-captures. One might add comments by way of labels, usually starting with double-colon (::). These are not processed by the command processor.

REN

Main article:ren (command)

The REN command renames a file. Unlike themovecommand, this command cannot be used to rename subdirectories, or rename files across drives. Mass renames can be accomplished by the use of the wildcards characters asterisk (*) and question mark (?).

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

REPLACE

Main article:replace (command)

A command that is used to replace one or more existingcomputer filesor add new files to a targetdirectory.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.2 and later.

RESTORE

See:BACKUP and RESTORE

SCANDISK

Main article:Microsoft ScanDisk

Disk diagnostic utility. Scandisk was a replacement for thechkdskutility, starting with MS-DOS version 6.2 and later.Its primary advantages overchkdskis that it is more reliable and has the ability to run a surface scan which finds and marks bad clusters on the disk. It also provided mouse point-and-clickTUI,allowing for interactive session to complement command-line batch run. chkdskhad surface scan and bad cluster detection functionality included, and was used again on Windows NT-based operating systems.

SELECT

The SELECT command formats a disk and installs country-specific information and keyboard codes. It was initially only available with IBM PC DOS. The version included with PC DOS 3.0 and 3.1 is hard-coded to transfer the operating system from A: to B:, while from PC DOS 3.2 onward you can specify the source and destination, and can be used to install DOS to the harddisk.

The version included with MS-DOS 4 and PC DOS 4 is no longer a simple command-line utility, but a full-fledged installer.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.3 and 4 and IBM PC DOS releases 3 through 4.

This command is no longer included in DOS Version 5 and later, where it has been replaced by SETUP.

SET

Setsenvironment variables.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

cmd.exein Windows NT 2000, 4DOS, 4OS2, 4NT, and a number of third-party solutions allow direct entry of environment variables from the command prompt. From at least Windows 2000, thesetcommand allows for the evaluation of strings into variables, thus providinginter aliaa means of performing integer arithmetic.

SETUP

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 5 and later. This command does a computer setup. With all computers running DOS versions 5 and later, it runs the computer setup, such as Windows 95 setup and Windows 98 setup.

SETVER

See also:ver (command)

SetVer is a TSR program designed to return a different value to the version of DOS that is running. This allows programs that look for a specific version of DOS to run under a different DOS.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 5 and later.

SHARE

Main article:share (command)

Installs support for file sharing and locking capabilities.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3 and later.

SHIFT

The SHIFT command increases number ofreplaceable parametersto more than the standard ten for use inbatch files. This is done by changing the position of replaceable parameters. It replaces each of the replacement parameters with the subsequent one (e.g.%0with%1,%1with%2,etc.).

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

SIZER

The external command SIZER.EXE is not intended to be started directly from the command prompt. Is used byMemMakerduring the memory-optimization process.

SMARTDRV

Main article:SmartDrive

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 6 and later.

SORT

Afilterto sort lines in the input data stream and send them to the output data stream. Similar to the Unix commandsort.Handles files up to 64k. This sort is always case insensitive.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

SUBST

Main article:SUBST

A utility to map a subdirectory to a drive letter.The opposite can be achieved via theJOINcommand.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.1 and later.

SYS

Main article:SYS (command)

A utility to make a volume bootable. Sys rewrites the Volume Boot Code (the first sector of the partition that SYS is acting on) so that the code, when executed, will look forIO.SYS.SYS also copies the core DOS system files, IO.SYS,MSDOS.SYS,andCOMMAND.COM,to the volume. SYS doesnotrewrite the Master Boot Record, contrary to widely held belief.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

TELNET

The Telnet Client is a tool for developers and administrators to help manage and test network connectivity.

TIME

Main article:TIME (command)

Display thesystem timeand waits for the user to enter a new time. Complements theDATEcommand.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

TITLE

Main article:title (command)

Enables a user to change the title of their MS-DOS window.

TREE

Main article:tree (command)

It is an external command, graphically displays the path of each directory and sub-directories on the specified drive.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.2 and later and IBM PC DOS releases 2 and later.

TRUENAME

Internal command that expands the name of a file, directory, or drive, and display its absolute pathname as the result. It will expand relative pathnames,SUBSTdrives, andJOINdirectories, to find the actual directory.

For example, in DOS 7.1, if the current directory isC:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM,then

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM>TRUENAME..\WIN.INI
C:\WINDOWS\WIN.INI

The argument does not need to refer to an existing file or directory: TRUENAME will output the absolute pathname as if it did. Also TRUENAME does not search in thePATH.
For example, in DOS 5, if the current directory isC:\TEMP,thenTRUENAME commandwill displayC:\TEMP\COMMAND.COM(which does not exist), notC:\DOS\COMMAND.COM(which does and is in thePATH).

This command displays theUNC pathnamesof mapped network or local CD drives. This command is an undocumented DOS command. The help switch "/?"defines it as a" Reserved command name ". It is available in MS-DOS version 5.00 and later, including the DOS 7 and 8 in Windows 95/98/ME. The C library functionrealpathperforms this function. The Microsoft Windows NT command processors do not support this command, including the versions of command for NT.

TYPE

Main article:TYPE (DOS command)

Displays a file. Themorecommand is frequently used in conjunction with this command, e.g.typelong-text-file| more.TYPE can be used to concatenate files (typefile1 file2>file3); however this won't work for large files—use copy command instead.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 1 and later.

UNDELETE

Main article:Undeletion

Restores file previously deleted withdel.By default all recoverable files in the working directory are restored; options are used to change this behavior. If the MS-DOSmirrorTSR program is used, then deletion tracking files are created and can be used byundelete.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 5 and later.

UNFORMAT

See also:format (command)

MS-DOS version 5 introduced the quick format option (Format /Q) which removes the disk's file table without deleting any of the data. The same version also introduced the UNFORMAT command to undo the effects of a quick format, restoring the file table and making all the files accessible again.

UNFORMAT only works if invoked before any further changes have overwritten the drive's contents.

VER

Main article:ver (command)

An internal DOS command, that reports the DOS version presently running, and since MS-DOS 5, whether DOS is loaded high.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

VERIFY

Enables or disables the feature to determine if files have been correctly written to disk (You can enable the verify command by typing "verify on" on Command Prompt and pressing enter. To display the current VERIFY setting, type VERIFY without a parameter. To turn off the feature, type "verify off" ). If no parameter is provided, the command will display the current setting.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

VOL

Main article:vol (command)

An internal command that displays the disk volume label and serial number.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.

VSAFE

Main article:MSAV

A TSR program that continuously monitors the computer for viruses.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 6 and later.

XCOPY

Main article:XCOPY

Copy entire directory trees. Xcopy is a version of the copy command that can move files and directories from one location to another.

XCOPY usage and attributes can be obtained by typingXCOPY /?in the DOS Command line.

The command is available in MS-DOS versions 3.2 and later.

See also

• Category:Windows commands
• COMMAND.COM
• cmd.exe– command-line interpreter in various Windows and OS/2 systems
• Command-line interface
• List of CONFIG.SYS directives
• Timeline of DOS operating systems

Further reading

• Cooper, Jim (2001).Special Edition Using MS-DOS 6.22, Third Edition.Que Publishing.ISBN978-0789725738.
• Wolverton, Van (1990).MS-DOS Commands: Microsoft Quick Reference, 4th Revised edition.Microsoft Press.ISBN978-1556152894.

External links

• Command-Line Reference:Microsoft TechNet Database "Command-Line Reference"
• The MS-DOS 6 Technical Reference on TechNetcontains the official Microsoft MS-DOS 6 command reference documentation.
• DR-DOS 7.03 online manualArchived2018-08-21 at theWayback Machine
• MDGx MS-DOS Undocumented + Hidden Secrets
• MS-DOS v1.25 and v2.0 source code

There are several guides to DOS commands available that are licensed under theGNU Free Documentation License:

• The FreeDOS Specat SourceForge is aplaintextspecification, written in 1999, for how DOS commands should work in FreeDOS
• MS-DOS commands
• Reference for windows commands with examples
• A Collection of Undocumented and Obscure Features in Various MS-DOS Versions