Master Windows Command Line: Essential CMD, Ping, Tracert, and More

CMD is the abbreviation for command prompt. To open it, press Win+R, type cmd and press Enter.

1. ping

Usage example:

ping www.g.cn  # most common usage, check internet connectivity</code>
<code>ping -l 2000 -t 192.168.1.1  # send continuous ping with 2000 bytes

Ping uses the ICMP protocol, not TCP/UDP ports.

2. tracert

Used to trace the route for network troubleshooting.

tracert 10.10.5.1</code>
<code>tracert www.baidu.com

3. ipconfig

Shows IP configuration of the local machine.

ipconfig</code>
<code>ipconfig /all

4. route

Manage the routing table.

# view routing table
route print

# add static route
route -p add 10.10.10.0 mask 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1

# delete static route
route delete 10.10.10.0

5. netstat

Displays active network connections and listening ports.

netstat -ano  # view port usage
netstat -ano | findstr 3390  # check specific port
tasklist | findstr "14164"  # find process name by PID
taskkill /f /t /im java.exe  # kill java process

6. telnet

Telnet client is disabled by default; enable it via Windows Features → Turn Windows features on or off → Telnet Client.

Example usage:

telnet 10.10.10.1 8080  # test if host port is open
telnet 192.168.1.2      # remote access if telnet service is enabled

7. Common DOS commands

Switch drive: d: or c:; list directory: dir; create folder: md folder; delete folder: rd folder; delete file:

del file

8. Common cmd shortcuts

Quickly launch utilities: notepad, calc, mspaint, write, winver, mstsc, gpedit.msc, regedit, services, control, Firewall.cpl, wuapp, logoff, shutdown -s -t 60 (shutdown after 60 seconds), shutdown -a (cancel shutdown).

9. Custom cmd shortcuts

By adding program paths to the system PATH variable, you can launch applications directly from cmd. Example steps:

Create a folder, e.g., E:\MyCmd.

Open System Properties → Advanced → Environment Variables, edit the Path variable, and append ;E:\MyCmd.

Place shortcuts (e.g., QQScLauncher.exe) into E:\MyCmd and rename them as desired.

Run the new commands from any cmd window.