Windows Command Line Cheat Sheet

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Command Prompt, also known as cmd.exe or cmd (after its executable file name), is the command-line interpreter on Windows NT, Windows CE, OS/2 and eComStation operating systems.It is the counterpart of COMMAND.COM in DOS and Windows 9x systems (where it is also called “MS-DOS Prompt”), and analogous to the Unix shells used on Unix-like systems. Windows 10 For Dummies Cheat Sheet. Windows 10 Touch Commands. Windows 10 works well on touchscreens, whether they’re built into tablets, laptops, or even desktop monitors. When faced with a touchscreen device, these commands will help you maneuver through Windows 10.

Windows 10 is the best operating system that's come along from Microsoft in a long time. It's a shape-shifter that changes its interface depending upon whether you're using a traditional computer or a touch-based one. It undoes the damage wrought by Windows 8, including eliminating the awkward Charms bar and bringing back the long-mourned Start menu. A lot more has changed as well, with a new default browser called Edge, the integration of the Cortana digital assistant, links to Microsoft’s cloud-based OneDrive cloud storage service and plenty more.Share this story: IT pros, we hope you’ll pass this guide on to your users to show them the Windows 10 ropes. Also see our.Whether you've upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 8 or an earlier version of Windows, or if you've got it on a new PC, this cheat sheet will get you up to speed on it.

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I'll cover everything you need to know, and I've also provided quick-reference charts listing useful keyboard shortcuts, touchscreen gestures and touchpad gestures. Further reading: Keep in mind that there have been six major updates to Windows 10 since its initial release in July 2015.

This story is based on the, so the features that are described here and the screenshots you see may differ from what you see on-screen if you have an older version of Windows 10.Note: If you want to get the most out of Windows 10, you'll have to use a Microsoft ID as your user account. Without a Microsoft ID, you won't be able to use a number of Windows 10 apps or sync settings among multiple devices. So when you set up Windows 10 for the first time, sign in with an existing Microsoft ID or create a new one.Before we get started, a few words about some terminology you'll need to know. Microsoft has sowed enormous confusion with a set of lightweight apps that were originally designed for the Windows 8 touch-oriented Start screen interface. It first called them Metro apps, and then through the years changed their names to Modern apps, Windows Store apps, and then Universal Windows apps. Now it's settled simply on Windows apps, although at times the company also calls them Universal Windows apps, to get across the point that they will run on all versions of Windows 10, including for mobile phones. In this article, we'll refer to them as Windows apps.What about apps designed for the desktop?

Windows Command Line Cheat Sheet

Microsoft now calls them Windows desktop applications. In this article we'll call them desktop applications, for simplicity's sake. The new Start menuThe loudest complaint that desktop users had about Windows 8 was the death of the Start menu.

In Windows 10 it's back with a vengeance. When you use Windows 10 on a desktop or laptop, you boot directly into the desktop. Click the Start button at the lower left of the desktop to bring up the Start menu — command central for traditional PC users.

(Those who use Windows 10 on a tablet will instead see a Start screen;.) Preston Gralla / IDGThe Start menu is command central for Windows 10. (Click image to enlarge it.)The menu is divided into two sections. Down its left side you'll find the following:All Apps: Up at the top left of the screen is a “hamburger menu” (three parallel horizontal lines) that when clicked is a toggle for turning on or off a list of all Windows apps and desktop applications, in alphabetical order. (By default, the list is turned on.) Click any to run it.At the very top of the All Apps list is a list of the apps and applications you use most frequently.

Right-click any and you’ll see a list of the files you’ve recently opened in it. Click the file to open the application or app, with the file loaded into it.In some instances you’ll see a folder with a down arrow next to it rather than an icon — that means there are several options there, for example, to run the Dropbox app or visit the Dropbox website. Click the folder to show all the options, then click the option you want to run. (Also note that in some instances, there will be a folder, but when you click it, you only get one option, to run the app or application.) Preston Gralla / IDGThe jump list for Acrobat Reader shows the PDFs you’ve recently opened. (Click image to enlarge it.)Account: Down toward the bottom left of the screen is a set of stacked icons, starting with an icon for your user account. Click it to sign out of Windows, lock your PC or change your account settings.

When you choose to change your account settings, you'll be sent to a screen that lets you change your account picture, your password, and a variety of other settings.Documents, Pictures, Settings, Power: These icons at the bottom left of the Start menu are no mystery: Documents opens the Documents folder using File Explorer; Pictures opens the Pictures folder using File Explorer; Settings brings you to the Windows Settings app (more on that later); and Power lets you put your PC to sleep, shut it down or restart it. Click any icon to run it.The right side of the Start menu has tiles for Windows apps and desktop applications.

They're grouped into two Microsoft-created categories — Life at a glance and Play and explore — and then, if you have more apps than fit in those two, they're grouped into unnamed categories below that. New tiles will be added to the unnamed groups as you install new apps and desktop applications. (Note that if you’re using an enterprise edition of Windows 10, your IT department may have configured other groupings, such as productivity applications or support tools, to appear on the right side of the Start menu.) Click any tile to run the app associated with it.Some tiles are 'live' — that is, real-time information gets piped into them.

Windows Command Line Cheat Sheet Pdf

Windows Command Line Cheat Sheet

So the Mail tile, for example, shows your latest email, the Weather shows the weather and so on. Only Windows apps have live tiles. Desktop applications, such as Microsoft Office, don't. Each group of tiles is three columns wide, with most tiles taking up one column by default.The Start menu is highly customizable. To change its height, hover your cursor over its top edge until a two-headed arrow appears, then drag it up or down to expand or shrink it. On some Windows 10 installations you can do the same thing at the right edge of the menu to expand it to the right or shrink it back again, although this doesn't work for everybody.To rename a group of tiles, click the group name and type in a new name for it.

You can also move tiles around the Start menu by dragging them from one group to another, or, to create a new group, drag tiles to a blank area on the menu. You can name any unnamed group by clicking on the blank area above it and typing in a name.You can also widen the groups in the Start menu so that tiles take up four columns rather than three. To do it, from the Start menu select Settings Personalization Start and in the 'Show more tiles' setting, move the slider to On.

The tiles will now take up four columns, but to take advantage of the extra space you’ll have to manually drag tiles to the fourth column. You can personalize many other aspects of the Start menu from this Settings page, inclu.