This lists similar commands between Windows and Unix command lines.
To get help on a Windows command, use the /? option,
for example date /?.
| Windows command | Unix command | Notes |
|---|---|---|
arp |
arp |
|
at |
at, batch, cron |
|
assoc |
file |
|
attrib |
chown, chmod |
Sets ownership on files and directories |
cd |
cd |
|
cd |
pwd |
cd alone prints the current directory. |
chkdsk |
fsck |
Checks filesystem and repairs filesystem corruption on hard drives. |
cls |
clear |
Clear the terminal screen |
copy |
cp |
|
date |
date |
|
del |
rm |
|
deltree |
rm -r |
Recursively deletes entire directory tree |
dir |
ls |
"dir" also works on some versions of Unix. |
doskey /h, F7 key |
history |
|
edit |
vi, emacs, etc. |
edit brings up a simple text editor in Windows.
|
exit |
exit, Control-D |
|
explorer |
nautilus, etc. |
The command explorer brings up the file browser on
Windows.
|
fc |
diff |
|
find |
grep |
|
ftp |
ftp |
|
help |
man |
"help" by itself prints all the commands |
hostname |
hostname |
|
ipconfig /all |
ifconfig -a |
The /all option lets you get the MAC address of the Windows PC |
mkdir |
mkdir |
|
mem |
top |
Shows system status |
more |
more / less |
|
move |
mv |
|
net statistics |
uptime |
|
nslookup |
nslookup |
|
ping |
ping |
|
regedit |
edit /etc/* |
The Unix equivalent of the Windows registry are the files under
/etc and /usr/local/etc.
|
rmdir |
rmdir |
|
rmdir /s |
rm -r |
Windows has a y/n prompt. To get the prompt with Unix, use rm -i.
|
set |
env |
|
shutdown |
shutdown |
Without an option, the Windows version produces a help message |
shutdown -r |
shutdown -r |
|
shutdown -s |
shutdown -h |
Also need -f option to Windows if logged in remotely |
sort |
sort |
|
systeminfo |
uname -a |
|
tasklist |
ps |
"tasklist" is not available on some versions of Windows. See also this article on getting a list of processes in Windows using Perl |
title |
? |
In Unix, changing the title of the terminal window is possible but complicated. One start is to search the internet for "change title xterm". |
tracert |
traceroute |
|
tree |
find / ls -R |
Use tree | find "string" |
type |
cat |
|
xcopy |
cp -R |
Recursively copy a directory tree |
Links open in a separate window. The links on the Unix commands go to an online version of the FreeBSD manual page.