Essential Windows CMD Network Commands and How to Use Them

1. arp – Display/Modify ARP cache

The arp command shows or changes the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table that maps IP addresses to physical (MAC) addresses. Basic usage to view the table is: arp -a Key options: -a [inet_addr] [-N if_addr] [-v] – Show ARP entries; optional inet_addr limits output to a specific host, -N selects an interface, -v enables verbose mode. -d inet_addr [if_addr] – Delete the specified ARP entry; inet_addr may be a wildcard ( *) to delete all entries. -s inet_addr eth_addr [if_addr] – Add a static ARP entry, binding an IP address to a MAC address (six‑byte hex separated by hyphens).

Example: arp -s 157.55.85.212 00-aa-00-62-c6-09 This adds a permanent static mapping for the given IP.

2. getmac – Show MAC addresses

getmac

displays the MAC addresses of network adapters on the local or a remote system. getmac /? Important switches: /S system – Target a remote computer. /U [domain\]user – Run under a specific user context. /P [password] – Supply the password for the user (prompted if omitted). /FO format – Output format: TABLE, LIST or CSV. /NH – Omit column headers (valid for TABLE and CSV). /V – Verbose output.

Example commands:

GETMAC /?</code>
<code>GETMAC /FO csv</code>
<code>GETMAC /S server01 /U admin /P secret /FO list /V

3. hostname – Show the computer name

Running hostname simply prints the local machine’s host name.

hostname

4. ipconfig – Display TCP/IP configuration

The ipconfig utility provides IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and other TCP/IP settings for each adapter. Basic usage: ipconfig Common options: /all – Show full configuration, including DNS servers and DHCP details. /release – Release the IPv4 address of the specified adapter (or all adapters if omitted). /renew – Renew the IPv4 lease. /release6 and /renew6 – Same operations for IPv6. /flushdns – Clear the DNS resolver cache. /registerdns – Refresh DHCP leases and re‑register DNS names. /displaydns – Show the contents of the DNS cache. /showclassid / /setclassid – View or modify DHCP class IDs for IPv4. /showclassid6 / /setclassid6 – Same for IPv6.

Examples:

ipconfig /all</code>
<code>ipconfig /renew</code>
<code>ipconfig /release *</code>
<code>ipconfig /allcompartments

5. netstat – Display network connections and statistics

netstat

reports active TCP/UDP connections, listening ports, protocol statistics and routing information. netstat /? Frequently used switches: -a – Show all connections and listening ports. -b – Display the executable responsible for each connection (requires elevated rights). -e – Show Ethernet statistics. -f – Show fully qualified domain names for foreign addresses. -n – Show addresses and ports numerically. -o – Include the owning process ID (PID) for each connection. -p proto – Show connections for a specific protocol (TCP, UDP, TCPv6, UDPv6, etc.). -r – Display the routing table. -s – Show per‑protocol statistics. -t – Show TCP connection template information. -x – Show Network Direct connections. -y – Show TCP connection templates (cannot be combined with other options). interval – Re‑display statistics every interval seconds; press Ctrl+C to stop.

Example:

netstat -ano

6. ping – Test network reachability

The ping command sends ICMP echo requests to a host to verify connectivity and measure round‑trip time. ping baidu.com Key options: -t – Ping continuously until stopped (Ctrl+C). -a – Resolve the address to a host name. -n count – Number of echo requests to send. -l size – Size of the send buffer. -f – Set the “Don’t Fragment” flag (IPv4 only). -i TTL – Set the Time‑To‑Live. -w timeout – Timeout in milliseconds to wait for each reply. -R – Use routing header for reverse route testing (IPv6, deprecated). -S srcaddr – Specify source address (IPv6). -4 / -6 – Force IPv4 or IPv6.

Example:

ping -n 5 -l 1024 www.example.com

7. route – View and modify the routing table

The route utility manipulates the IP routing table. route PRINT -4 Important switches: -f – Clear all gateway entries before adding new routes. -p – Make a route persistent across reboots (used with ADD). -4 / -6 – Force IPv4 or IPv6. PRINT – Display the routing table.

ADD destination MASK netmask gateway [METRIC metric] [IF interface]

– Add a new route. DELETE destination – Remove a route.

CHANGE destination MASK netmask gateway [METRIC metric] [IF interface]

– Modify an existing route.

Examples:

route PRINT</code>
<code>route ADD 157.0.0.0 MASK 255.0.0.0 157.55.80.1 METRIC 3 IF 2</code>
<code>route DELETE 157.0.0.0

8. telnet – Test remote service ports

When the Telnet client is enabled, telnet host port can be used to check whether a specific TCP service (e.g., MySQL on port 3306) is reachable.

telnet 192.168.0.12 3306

9. tracert – Trace the route to a destination

tracert

shows the sequence of hops that packets take to reach a target host. tracert -d www.baidu.com Key options: -d – Do not resolve IP addresses to host names. -h maximum_hops – Set the maximum number of hops to search. -j host-list – Loose source routing (IPv4 only). -w timeout – Timeout in milliseconds for each reply. -R – Trace round‑trip path (IPv6 only). -S srcaddr – Source address for IPv6. -4 / -6 – Force IPv4 or IPv6.

Example:

tracert -d www.baidu.com