Summary of DOS Commands in Ms-dos: A Practical Guide

DOS commands are commands included in MS-DOS that help interact with the operating system and other command-based software. Unlike in Windows, DOS commands are the main way users use the operating system. Windows and other modern operating systems use graphics-based systems designed to touch or click.

DOS commands in Windows: If you use Windows (like Windows 10, 8, 7, etc.), you don't need a DOS command because there is no MS-DOS. Windows commands are available in Command Prompt and are called Command Prompt commands or CMD commands, but they are not DOS commands.

Below is a complete list of nearly 100 MS-DOS commands, commonly referred to as DOS commands, available for MS-DOS 6.22:

Order

Describe

Append

The append command helps open files in another directory as if they were in the current directory.

Attrib

The attrib command helps change the properties of a file or a directory.

Break

The break command sets or stops CTRL + C key combination to check on DOS systems.

Call

The call command helps run a script or batch program from within another script or batch program. The call command is only valid for script or batch files. In other words, running a call in MS-Dos prompt doesn't work.

CD

The cd command stands for chdir.

Chcp

The command will display or configure the number of active code pages.

Chdir

The chdir command helps display the current drive letter or directory. Chdir can also be used to change drives and / or folders that users want to work with.

Chkdsk

The chkdsk command is often called a check disk, which helps check and fix hard drive errors.

Choice

The choice command is used in a script or batch program to provide a list of options and return the value of that choice to the program.

Cls

The cls command clears the screen of all previously entered commands and other documents.

Command

The command starts a new version of the command.com interpreter.

Copy

The copy command simply copies one or more files from one location to another.

Ctty

The ctty command helps change the default input and output device for the system.

Date

The date command helps display or change the current date.

Dblspace

The dblspace command helps create or configure DoubleSpace compressed drives.

Debug

The debug command starts Debug, a command-line application used to test and edit programs.

Defrag

The defrag command helps defragment the specified drive. Defrag is the command line version of Disk Defragmenter from Microsoft.

Del

The del command helps delete one or more files. The del command is similar to the erase command.

Deltree

The deltree command helps delete a directory and all files and subdirectories within it.

Dir

The dir command helps display the list of files and directories contained in the directory in which the user is working. The dir command also displays other important information such as the hard drive serial number, the total number of listed files, their total size, the total amount of free space left on the drive and much more.

Diskcomp

The diskcomp command helps compare the content of two floppy disks.

Diskcopy

The copycopy command helps copy the entire contents of a floppy disk to another floppy disk.

Doskey

The doskey command helps edit command lines, create macros, and call previously entered commands.

Dosshell

The dosshell command starts DOS Shell, a graphical file management tool for MS-DOS. The dosshell command is only available on MS-DOS 6.0 but most MS-DOS 6.22 installations are upgraded from previous versions, so the dosshell command can still be used.

Drvspace

The drvspace command helps create or configure DriveSpace compressed drives. DriveSpace, implemented by the drvspace command, is an updated version of DoubleSpace. DriveSpace is an updated version of DoubleSpace, implemented with the dblspace command.

Echo

The echo command helps display messages, typically from within a script or batch file. The echo command can also be used to enable and disable the feedback feature.

S?a

The edit command starts the MS-DOS Editor tool used to create and modify text files.

Edlin

The edlin command starts the Edlin tool used to create and modify text files from the command line. Edlin is only available on MS-DOS 5.0 so unless the MS-DOS 6.22 version is upgraded from 5.0, you will not be able to use the edlin command.

Emm386

The emm386 command helps give MS-DOS memory access over 640 KB.

Erase

The erase command helps delete one or more files. The erase command is the same as the del command.

Exit

The exit command helps end the command.com session that the user is working on.

Expand

The expand command helps extract files and folders contained in Microsoft Cabinet (CAB) files.

Fasthelp

The fasthelp command provides more detailed information about MS-DOS commands.

Fastopen

The fastopen command helps add the program's hard drive location to a special list stored in memory, potentially improving program launch time by eliminating the need for MS-DOS to determine Application location on the drive.

Fc

The fc command helps compare two files or a set of files and then show the difference between them.

Fdisk

The fdisk command helps create, manage and delete hard drive partitions.

Find

The find command helps search for a character string specified in one or more files.

For

The for command helps run the specified command for each file in the set of files. The for command is most commonly used in a batch file or script.

Format

The format command helps format a drive in the specified file system.

Goto

The goto command is used in a batch file or script to redirect the command process to a line labeled in the script.

Graphics

The graphics command helps download a program that can print graphics.

Help

The help command provides more detailed information about commands in Command Prompt or MS-DOS.

If

If statement helps execute conditional functions in a batch file.

Interlnk

The interlnk command helps connect two computers via serial or parallel connection to share files and printers.

Intersvr

The intersvr command helps start the server and copy the Interlnk files from one computer to another.

Keyb

The keyb command helps configure a keyboard for a specific language.

Label

The lable command helps manage volumn labels of drives.

Lh

The lh command stands for loadhigh command.

Loadfix

The loadfix command helps load the specified program in the first 64K memory and run the program.

Loadhigh

The loadhigh command helps load a program into memory and is often used in the file autoexec.bat.

Md

The md command stands for mkdir.

Mem

The mem command displays information about used and empty memory areas, programs that are being loaded into memory in the MS-DOS subsystem.

Memmaker

The memmaker command helps launch MemMaker, a memory optimization tool.

Mkdir

The mkdir command helps create a new directory.

Mode

Mode commands help configure system devices, typically COM and LPT ports.

More

The more command helps display the information contained in a text file. The more command can also be used to split the results page of Command Prompt commands or other MS-DOS commands.

Move

The move command helps move one or more files from one directory to another. The move command is also used to rename directories.

Msav

The msav command starts Microsoft Antivirus.

MsBackup

The msbackup command starts Microsoft Backup, a tool used to backup and restore one or more files.

Mscdex

The mscdex command helps provide CD-ROM access for MS-DOS.

Msd

The msd command starts Microsoft Diagnostics, a tool used to display information about the computer.

Nlsfunc

The nlsfunc command helps download specific information for a specific country or region.

Path

The path command helps display or set a specific path available for executable files.

Pause

The pause command is used in batch files or scripts to pause file processing. When using the pause command, a "Press any key to continue." message appears in the command window.

Power

Power command helps reduce power consumption of the computer by monitoring software and hardware devices.

Print

The print command helps print a text file specified for a specified print device.

Prompt

The prompt helps customize the appearance of documents in Command Prompt or MS-DOS.

Qbasic

Qbasic command starts QBasic, MS-DOS-based programming environment for BASIC programming language.

Rd

The rd command stands for rmdir.

Rem

The rem command helps write comments or comments in a batch file or script.

Lace

The ren command stands for rename command.

Rename

The rename command helps change the name of each specified file.

Replace

The replace command helps replace one or more files with one or more other files.

Restore

The restore command helps restore backup files using the backup command. The backup command is only available on MS-DOS 5.00 but the restore command has been defaulted to later versions of MS-DOS to provide a way to recover files that were backed up in earlier versions of MS-DOS.

Rmdir

The rmdir command helps delete an existing or completely empty directory.

Scandisk

The scandisk command helps start Microsoft ScanDisk, a disk repair program.

Set

The set command helps display, enable, or disable environment variables in MS-DOS or from Command Prompt.

Setver

The setver command helps set the MS-DOS version number that MS-DOS reports to a program.

Share

The share command helps install file locking and file sharing in MS-DOS.

Shift

The shift command helps change the position of alternative parameters in a batch file or script.

Smartdrv

Smartdrv command installs and configures SMARTDrive, a MS-DOS disk storage utility.

Sort

The sort command helps read data from a specified input, sort data, and return the results of that data type to the Command Prompt screen, file, or other output device.

Subst

The subst command helps link the internal path to a drive letter. The subst command is the same as the net use command in Windows except that an internal path is used instead of a shared network path. The subst command changes the assign command in the MS-DOS 6.0 version.

Sys

The sys command helps copy MS-DOS system files and command interpreters to a drive. The sys command is most often used to create a simple boot disk or hard drive.

Time

Time command helps display or change the current time.

Tree

The tree command helps display the graphic structure of a drive or the specified path.

Type

The type command helps display information contained in a text file.

Undelete

The undelete command used to undo deletion is done by the delete command MS-DOS.

Unformat

The unformat command used to undo formatting on a drive is done using the MS-DOS format command.

Ver

The ver command helps display the current MS-DOS version number.

Verify

The verify command helps enable or disable the ability of Command Prompt or MS-DOS, to verify the files are correctly written to the disk.

Vol

The vol command shows the volume label and serial number of a specified disk, assuming that this information exists.

• Summary of the common Run CMD commands
• Some of the most basic, easy to remember cmd commands on Windows
• 5 best command line emulation software for Windows 10