How to clear cmd in windows

Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe) lets us quickly open applications, execute tasks, troubleshoot some Windows issues, etc. by typing command lines. After working with the command prompt for a while in a single session, the command prompt window can become cluttered, so it is important to know how to clear the screen.

In this article, we will learn quick ways to Clear Command Prompt in Windows

Clear Command Prompt with CLS Command

This method is the most genuine and easiest method to clear the Command prompt you just need to type "cls" on the command prompt and your screen will be clear. Please follow the steps below:

Open the Windows Search Bar, type Command Prompt, and click on Open

Enter multiple standard commands into the blank cmd screen.

Next type CLS and press Enter button. This will clear all the previously entered commands from the CMD screen in Windows.

Keyboard Shortcut to Clear Command Prompt Screen

There are no keyboard shortcuts to clear the screen in command Prompt, but you cal press ESC to clear the input line and Cntrl + C to move the cursor to the new blank line.

But If you really want to clear CMD with a keyboard shortcut then you have to use the AutoHotkey and write the following script that sends cls<Enter> to the open command prompt window.
 

; -------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Keyboard Shortcut Cntr + L should clear CMD screen
; -------------------------------------------------------------------------
#IfWinActive ahk_class ConsoleWindowClass
^L::
Send cls{Enter}
return

#IfWinActive

Working of Script

• First, the script will check if one is within a console application
• And if CTRL+L is pressed
• Write cls to the console and then hit ENTER

How to View CMD Commands History?

Open the command prompt and type doskey /history command line, and hit Enter. This will display all the commands you previously entered in the same sequence.

Alternatively, you can also press Press F7 to see all previously entered commands.

How to Save Command Prompt History?

Sometimes you may need to save your history of command you typed in a Command Prompt window for the future. For this just need to type command doskey /history > filename.txt and press Enter.

For example:

doskey /history > D:pythoncommands.txt

Next, you can save the Commands history in a TXT, HTML, CSV, RTF file.

Alternatively, you can also run the doskey /history command, and then copy & paste command history to another application and save it.

Conclusion

There is one method to clear the command prompt screen in Windows and i.e. run cls command, but if you are bounded to use keyword shortcut to clear the cmd screen then you have to write a custom script using AutoHotKey as explained above in the article.

Hope this article be helpful for you.

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The command prompt is a keyboard-based feature that is integrated into the Windows OS. The software has a long list of applications, such as changing network profiles or writing batch files to alter the way other programs run. The command prompt window can get cluttered after operating with the command prompt for a while in a single session so it is important to know how to clear the screen. So, in this guide, you will learn how to clear Command Prompt screen in Windows 10 in different ways using command and keyboard shortcut keys.

Meanwhile, there are still some Windows users that do not know how to clear the command prompt screen in Windows 10. Sometimes, you enter multiple command lines for troubleshooting or any other purpose and you enter a command or command you do not intend to in a Command Prompt. That’s why you need to know how to clear the command prompt (cmd).

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What’s Command Prompt?

Command Prompt is an application for the parser of command lines available on most Windows operating systems. This is used to execute Commands entered. Most of those commands automate tasks through scripts and batch files, perform advanced administrative functions, and troubleshoot or solve certain types of Windows problems.

Meanwhile, Command Prompt is formally referred to as the Windows Command Processor, but it is often referred to as the command shell or prompt cmd, or sometimes its filename cmd.exe as well. To know about 10 Useful Windows Networking Commands click here.

How to Clear CMD Screen in Windows 10

So, here you will learn different ways to clear the CMD screen using a keyboard shortcut key and also using a single command line to completely clear the entire command prompt screen in Windows 10.

Method #1. Clear CMD Screen using Keyboard Shortcut Key (Esc)

If you have entered a command that you do not intend in the CMD screen. to remove the command from the command prompt screen, press the Esc key on your keyboard.

Note: Using the Esc key won’t work if you have entered multiple command lines. It will work when the command isn’t entered.

For the purpose of this guide, I entered the command “SYSTEMINFO“. To clear the entered command, I will simply press the Esc key which is located on the top left-hand corner.

As you can see in the screenshot below the command prompt screen is cleared now.

Method #2. Clear CMD Screen in Windows using CLS Command 

Upon opening Command Prompt in Windows 10, and entering several command lines on the keyboard, you can type the command line CLS in the Command Prompt window, and press Enter. It will wipe out Windows 10’s CMD screen. All previous commands typed in the Command Prompt window are removed.

The CLS command clears everything from the Command Prompt screen and gives you a clean screen.

Method #3. Close and Reopen Command Prompt

You can also close the Command Prompt window and open it again, the Command Prompt screen in Windows 10 will be cleared as well. Meanwhile, simply type exit or press Alt + F4 to close the command prompt screen immediately in Windows 10 and reopen it.

How to View Command Prompt Command History

To view Command Prompt history after you type a series of command lines in the Command Prompt window and simply type doskey /history command line and press enter.

This command shows all of the commands that you typed in the same sequence that you entered.

Or on the Command Prompt home screen, press the F7 key to access the menu which has all of your previously executed commands listed in chronological order.

Wrapping Up

That’s it. This is how you can clear Command Prompt screen in Windows 10. You can use the methods described in this guide to clear the command prompt in Windows 10. Use the Esc key to clear a single command before entering it. While using the CLS command can clear the whole command prompt screen. At last, to view the CMD history type doskey /history and press enter, or simply press F7 while the command prompt is open.

Read More:

• 21 CMD Commands All Windows Users Should Know