ARCHIVED: What is a command prompt?
A command prompt is a non-graphical interface that allows you to interact with your operating system. At the command prompt, you enter commands by typing their names followed by options and arguments. Most modern computers use a graphical user interface (GUI), which allows users to more intuitively access programs and documents. However, some programs and commands are still only available only through a command prompt. To access the command prompt, follow the instructions appropriate to your operating system.
Windows
To access the command prompt in Windows, in Windows 7, click the
cmd
. In other versions,
from the menu, select and then
enter cmd
.
For information about commands you can use in the Windows command prompt, see ARCHIVED: What are some examples of common DOS commands?
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is built on a version of Unix called
Darwin. To access the Unix command prompt in Mac OS X, open
the Terminal application. It is located by default inside
the Utilities
folder, which in turn is inside the
Applications
folder.
For information about Unix commands, see Introduction to Unix commands.
Unix
When you log into a Unix computer, your shell begins to run and provides you with a command prompt. The command prompt's appearance varies depending on the shell you're using. For information to help you select a shell, see About Unix shell differences
For information about Unix commands, see Introduction to Unix commands.
Related documents
This is document amog in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-01-18 14:05:01.