MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) is a command line user interface, and although not commonly used today, it was the main operating system for the PC-compatible platform in the 1980s. After its launch in 1981 several versions of MSDOS were released up until Microsoft stopped developing it in 2000.
The following table displays the most common MSDOS commands. Although fairly comprehensive, the list is non-exhaustive and some of these commands are now defunct and/or may not work with your particular DOS version or Windows Command Line.
DOS Commands | Descriptions
| Command | Description |
| ANSI.SYS | Reassigns keys, alters display graphics, and cursor movement |
| APPEND | DOS looks at other directories when file editing/running commands |
| ARP | Displays, removes, adds arp info from network devices |
| ASSIGN | Assigns a drive letter to an alternate drive |
| ASSOC | Views file associations |
| AT | Schedules a time to execute programs or commands |
| ATMADM | Lists addresses and connections seen by Windows ATM call manager |
| ATTRIB | Displays/changes file attributes |
| BATCH | Recovery console command that executes commands in a file |
| BOOTCFG | Recovery console command that allows view/modify/rebuild boot.ini |
| BREAK | Enables/disables CTRL+C |
| CACLS | Views, modifies file ACL’s |
| CALL | Calls a batch file from another batch file |
| CD | Changes directories |
| CHCP | Supplements International keyboard/character set info |
| CHDIR | Changes directories |
| CHKDSK | Checks HDD running FAT for errors |
| CHKNTFS | Checks HDD running NTFS for errors |
| CHOICE | Specifies listing of multiple options within batch file |
| CLS | Clears screen |
| CMD | Opens command interpreter |
| COLOR | Changes foreground/background colour of the MSDOS window |
| COMMAND | Opens command interpreter |
| COMP | Compares files |
| COMPACT | Compresses/uncompresses files |
| CONTROL | Opens Control Panel icons from MSDOS prompt |
| CONVERT | Converts FAT to NTFS |
| COPY | Copies files to another location |
| CTTY | Changes computer’s input/output devices |
| DATE | Views or changes system date |
| DEBUG | Debug utility creates assembly programs/modifies hardware settings |
| DEFRAG | Rearranges HDD to help with loading programs |
| DEL | Deletes files |
| DELETE | Recovery console command that deletes a file |
| DELTREE | Deletes files and/or directories |
| DIR | Lists directory contents |
| DISABLE | Recovery console command to disable system services/drivers |
| DISKCOMP | Compare disks |
| DISKCOPY | Copies contents of one disk to another |
| DOSKEY | Views and executes commands that have previously run |
| DOSSHELL | Graphical user interface to assist MSDOS users |
| DRIVPARM | Enables overwrite of original device drivers |
| ECHO | Displays messages and enables/disables echo |
| EDIT | Views/edits files |
| EDLIN | Views/edits files |
| EMM386 | Loads extended Memory Manager |
| ENABLE | Recovery console command to enable/disable service, driver |
| ENDLOCAL | Stops localization of environment changes enabled by SETLOCAL |
| ERASE | Erases files |
| EXIT | Exits from command interpreter |
| EXPAND | Expands Windows files to original format |
| EXTRACT | Extracts files from Windows cabinets |
| FASTHELP | Displays MSDOS commands lists and info about them |
| FC | Compares files |
| FDISK | Utility to create partitions on HDD |
| FIND | Searches for text within a file |
| FINDSTR | Searches for text string within a file |
| FIXBOOT | Writes a new boot sector |
| FIXMBR | Writes new boot record to disk drive |
| FOR | Boolean used in batch files |
| FORMAT | Command to erase/prepare disk drive |
| FTP | Command to connect/operate on FTP server |
| FTYPE | Displays/modifies file types used in file ext associations |
| GOTO | Moves a batch file to a specific label/location |
| GRAFTABL | Shows ext characters in graphics mode |
| HELP | Displays a listing of commands and explanation |
| IF | Allows batch files to perform conditional processing |
| IFSHLP.SYS | 32 bit file manager |
| IPCONFIG | Network command to view network adapter settings/assigned values |
| KEYB | Changes keyboard layout |
| LABEL | Changes disk drive label |
| LH | Loads device driver into high memory |
| LISTSVC | Recovery console command that displays services/drivers |
| LOADFIX | Loads program above first 64k |
| LOADHIGH | Loads device driver into high memory |
| LOCK | Locks HDD |
| LOGON | Recovery console command to list installations/enable admin login |
| MAP | Displays device name of drive |
| MD | Command to create new directory |
| MEM | Displays system memory |
| MKDIR | Command to create new directory |
| MODE | Modifies port/display settings |
| MORE | Displays one page at a time |
| MOVE | Moves files from one directory to another |
| MSAV | Early Microsoft Virus scanner |
| MSD | Diagnostics utility |
| MSCDEX | Utility used to load and provide access to CDROM |
| NBTSTAT | Displays protocol statistics/current TCP/IP connections using NBT |
| NET | Updates, views, fixes network/network settings |
| NETSH | Configures dynamic/static network info from DOS |
| NETSTAT | Displays TCP/IP network protocol statistics/info |
| NLSFUNC | Loads country specific info |
| NSLOOKUP | Looks up IP address of a domain/host on a network |
| PATH | Views/modifies computer’s path location |
| PATHPING | Views/locates locations of network latency |
| PAUSE | Batch file command to stop the processing of a command |
| PCPARK | Parks HDD heads to enable safe shutdown – used on early versions |
| PING | Test/send info to another computer, network or network device |
| POPD | Changes to directory/network path stored by PUSHD command |
| POWER | Conserves power with computer portables |
| Prints data to printer port | |
| PROMPT | Views/changes MSDOS prompt |
| PUSHD | Stores directory/network path in memory for future reference |
| QBASIC | Opens QBasic |
| RD | Removes empty directory |
| REN | Renames file/directory |
| RENAME | Renames file/directory |
| RMDIR | Removes empty directory |
| ROUTE | Views and configures Windows network route tables |
| RUNAS | Enables user to remote execute a program on another computer |
| SCANDISK | Runs scandisk utility |
| SCANREG | Scans registry/recover registry from errors |
| SET | Changes one variable/string to another |
| SETLOCAL | Enables local environments to be altered without global affect |
| SETVER | Changes msdos version to trick older dos programs |
| SHARE | Installs support for file sharing/locking capabilities |
| SHIFT | Changes position of replaceable parameters in batch program |
| SHUTDOWN | Shutsdown computer from the DOS prompt |
| SMARTDRV | Creates disk cache in conventional memory/extended memory |
| SORT | Sorts input and displays output to screen |
| START | Starts separate window in Windows from MSDOS prompt |
| SUBST | Substitutes a folder on computer for another drive letter |
| SWITCHES | Removes/adds functions from MSDOS |
| SYS | Transfers system files to drive |
| TELNET | Telnet to another computer/device from prompt |
| TIME | Views/modifies system time |
| TITLE | Changes title of MSDOS window |
| TRACERT | Visually view network packets route across a network |
| TREE | Views visual tree of HDD |
| TYPE | Displays contents of a file |
| UNDELETE | Undeletes deleted file |
| UNFORMAT | Unformats HDD |
| UNLOCK | Unlocks HDD |
| VER | Displays version info |
| VERIFY | Enables/disables feature to see if files have been correctly written |
| VOL | Displays volume info about designated drive |
| XCOPY | Copies files, directories, and/or drives from one location to another |