DOS commands may be internal or external. Any DOS command may be implemented internally by the shell, or provided externally as in a program. If external, the program may be either a COM or EXE, with the exception of COMMAND.COM.
In each of the following, d: represents a drive
letter, path represents a full pathname, and
file represents a full filename, or a file mask including
* and ?.
For all commands, internal and external, the command line option /? should generate a help screen, and the program should immediately exit. The exit code is not defined, but we strongly suggest an exit code of zero.
A few traditional MS-DOS commands have been dropped from the Spec. Dropping from the Spec does not mean that such a program will be ignored if one ever comes along, but this does mean that we will not actively seek out to develop a new version. This is because they were considered as part of a legacy migration thing for MS-DOS, which the FreeDOS Project is not interested in carrying forward. Where a program has been dropped from the Spec, an annotation has been made to explain why.
append
Allows programs to open data files in the specified directories as
though they were local to the working directory.
[Dropped, because the program was considered to be a
"crutch" for legacy DOS-based applications as DOS moved to
support directories. Append was used primarily to support programs
that did not know about directories on a DOS system.]
append [[d:]path[;...]] [options]
Options:
;
When used by itself, the semicolon cancels the previously specified
appended directories.
/x[:on|:off]
Allows the shell (if supported) to search these directories as though
they were in the PATH. Default is /x:off. /x is the same as /x:on.
/path:{on|off}
Specifies if DOS is to search appended directories for a program's
data file, even if the program specifies a full path. Default is
/path:on.
/e
Add the list of appended directories to the PATH.
If no paths are named, display the current appended directories.
assign
Reassigns disk operations from one drive to another. For example,
to reassign disk operations for drive A: to drive B:.
assign [d:=d:] [...] assign /status
/status Displays the current assignments. If no drives are named, display the current assignments.
attrib
Change a file's attributes.
attrib [options] [[d:][path]file]
+r | -r Sets the read-only attribute. -r will clear it. +a | -a Sets the archive attribute. -a will clear it. +s | -s Sets the system attribute. -s will clear it. +h | -h Sets the hidden attribute. -h will clear it. /s Act on subdirectories, too. If no file is named, display the attributes for all files in the current directory.
break
Sets or clears the Break or Ctl-C check.
break [on|off]
on | off Turn on (or off) the Break check. If no arguments are named, display the current Break check status.
cd, chdir
Displays the name of the current directory, or changes to another
one.
cd [d:][path] chdir [d:][path]
chcp
Change the DOS code page.
chcp [nnn]
nnn The code page that is to be loaded. Use 437=US, 850=Multi (Latin I), 852=Slavic (Latin II), 860=Portuguese, 863=Canadian-French, 865=Nordic. If no code page is named, display the current code page.
chkdsk
Check the disk for errors.
chkdsk [d:] [options]
/f Fix errors on the disk when found. /v Display the name of every file as the disk is checked. If no drive is specified, check the current disk for errors.
cls
Clear the screen.
cls
choice
Suspend processing, and wait for the user to press a valid key.
choice [options] [text]
/C[:]choices Specifies allowable keys. Default is YN /N Do not display choices and ? at end of prompt. /S Treat choices as case sensitive. /T[:]c,nn Specify the default choice `c' after `nn' seconds of no response. text Prompt string to display (Default=none.)
command
Start a new command shell.
command [[d:]path] [device] [options]
d:path
The drive and path where the shell is to look for the transient part
of the program. This is usually only needed to set the COMSPEC.
device
An alternate device for all i/o.
/e:nnnnn
The environment size, in bytes, in the range 160-32768. This number
will be rounded up the nearest 16 bytes. The default is 256.
/p
Make the shell permanent, so the EXIT command does not exit the
shell.
/c {string}
Execute the command in {string}, then exit.
/msg
Load any error messages that might be stored on disk into memory.
comp
Compare two files.
comp [d:][path]file [d:][path]file [options]
/d Display differences in decimal format. Default is hex. /a Display differences using characters. /L Display the line number on which the difference occurred. /n=nnn Compares the first nnn lines of both files, even if the files are of difference size. /c Ignore case.
copy
Copy one or more files.
copy [/a|/b] [d:][path]file [[/a|/b] +[d:][path]file] [...] [dest] [/v]
d:path\file
The name of a file to copy. This is the source.
dest
The name of the files to copy to. This is the destination. If the
dest filename contains a *, then replace this part of
the filename with the same part as the source.
/a
Copy an ASCII file. If this precedes a filename in a list of files,
then from this file on, copy as ASCII files.
/b
Copy a binary file. This is the default. If this precedes a
filename in a list of files, then from this file on, copy as binary
files.
/v
Verify that the files are written correctly.
ctty
Change the terminal device for your DOS session.
ctty device
device The device to use. Valid devices are prn, lpt1, lpt2, lpt3, con, aux, com1, com2, com3, com4.
date
Display or change the date.
date [date]
date The new date for your system. Values for the day, month, and year must be specified, and values may be specified by periods, hyphens, or slashes. Either a 4-digit or 2-digit year may be used. If a 2-digit year is specified, the year must be in the range 00-99. If the year is xx:00-79, assume 20xx. If xx:80-99, assume 19xx. If no date is given, display the current date and prompt for a new date.
del, erase
Delete files.
del [d:][path]file [options] erase [d:][path]file [options]
d:path\file
A file to delete. A period may be used to specify all files in the
current directory, and is the same as *.*.
/p
Prompt before deleting the file.
deltree
Delete an entire directory tree, including subdirectories.
deltree [options] [d:]path
/Y Yes, delete without asking. d:\path The directory to delete, including subdirectories.
dir
Displays the contents of a directory.
dir [d:][path][file] [options]
d:path\file
A specific file to display.
/p
Display one page of the listing at a time.
/w
Display the listing in wide format.
/a[:attribs]
Display only the files and directories with the specified
attributes. Default is /a:hsdar. You may use the following for
attribs:
h | -h
Hidden files. -h for files that are not hidden.
s | -s
System files. -s for files that are not system files.
d | -d
Directories. -d for files.
a | -a
Files with the archive bit. -a for files without the archive bit.
r | -r
Read-only files. -r for files that are not read-only.
/o[:order]
Display the listing in the specified order. You may use the
following to specify the sort order:
a | -a
Sort alphabetically A-Z. -a to sort Z-A.
e | -e
Sort by extension A-Z. -a to sort by extension Z-A.
d | -d
Sort by date and time. -d to sort in reverse order.
s | -s
Sort by size, smallest-biggest. -s to sort biggest-smallest.
g | -g
Group directories first. -g to group directories last.
/s
List every occurrence in all subdirectories.
/b
Bare format. List one name per line.
/L
Display names in lowercase.
diskcomp
Compares the contents of two floppy disks, track by track
diskcomp [d: [d:]] [options]
d: The drive letter for a floppy disk. If only one drive letter is given, assume the working drive (if a floppy drive.) If no drive letters are given, assume both are the working drive (if a floppy). If both drives are the same, diskcomp will read one floppy at a time, and you may need to swap floppies. /1 Compare only the first sides of the disks, even if double-sided disks. /8 Compare only the first 8 sectors per track.
diskcopy
Copy the contents of a floppy disk to a second floppy.
diskcopy [d: [d:]] [options]
d: The drive letter for a floppy disk. If only one drive letter is given, assume the working drive (if a floppy drive.) If no drive letters are given, assume both are the working drive (if a floppy). If both drives are the same, diskcopy will read one floppy at a time, and you may need to swap floppies. /1 Copy the first side only, even if double-side. /V Verify that the data is copied correctly.
echo
Displays a message.
echo [message]
edit
Starts the DOS editor.
edit [[d:][path]file] [options]
/B Use a black-and-white (mono) display. /G Use faster update for a CGA screen. /H Display using the highest video/text resolution available. /NOHI Do not use high-brightness colors.
emm386
The expanded memory manager (EMM) for '386 systems (or better)
emm386 [on|off|auto] [w=on|w=off]
on | off Turn expanded memory support on or off. Default=on. auto Only support expanded memory when a program asks for it. w=on | w=off Enables or disables support for the Wietek coprocessor. Default=off.
exe2bin
Converts EXE programs to binary format. This is a software
developer's tool.
exe2bin [d:][path]file.exe [d:][path]file.bin
fastopen
Decreases the amount of time needed to load files and programs.
[Dropped, because disk cache should be (eventually) implemented in
the kernel, not by an external program. Also, Fastopen was originally
created to increase DOS application performance on systems with slow
drives, where today disk drives are much faster.]
fastopen d:[[=]nn] [d:[[=]nn]] .... [options]
Options:
d:
The drive on which to use fast-open.
nn
The number of files that can be tracked, in the range 10-999.
Default=48.
/X
Create the cache in expanded memory instead of conventional memory.
fc
Compare two files.
fc [options] [d:][path]file1 [d:][path]file2
/A Abbreviate the ASCII output. Instead of displaying all lines, fc will display the first and last lines that are different. /C Ignore the case of letters. /L Compare in ASCII mode. Displays all lines that differ. This is the default mode for files that are not EXE, COM, SYS, OBJ, LIB, or BIN. /LBn Sets the number of lines for the internal buffer. Default=100. If the files have more than this many differences, fc will quit. /N Display line numbers. /T Do not expand tabs to spaces. Default is to expand tabs to 8-space stops during comparison. /W Compress white space during comparison. /nnn Specifies the number of lines that must match after a miscompare for the files to be resynchronized. Default=2. /B Compare in binary mode. Does not attempt to resynchronize after a miscompare.
fdisk
Configures a hard disk.
fdisk
find
Displays lines in a text file that contain a string.
find [options] string [d:][path]file
/V Invert the search. Display lines that do NOT contain the string. /C Only display a count of the matching lines. /N Display line numbers. /I Ignore case during the comparison.
format
Format a hard drive or floppy disk.
format d: [options]
d:
The hard drive or floppy disk to format.
/V:label
Assign this label to the formatted disk.
/Q
Do a quick format. This clears the FAT and root directory, but does
not erase the disk.
/U
Do an unconditional format.
/F:size
Format the disk to a specific size. Valid values are:
160 | 160k | 160kb
Format to 160kb.
180 | 180k | 180kb
Format to 180kb.
320 | 320k | 320kb
Format to 320kb.
360 | 360k | 360kb
Format to 360kb.
720 | 720k | 720kb
Format to 720kb.
1200 | 1200k | 1200kb | 1.2 | 1.2m | 1.2mb
Format to 1.2MB.
1440 | 1440k | 1440kb | 1.44 | 1.44m | 1.44mb
Format to 1.44MB.
2880 | 2880k | 2880kb | 2.88 | 2.88m | 2.88mb
Format to 2.88MB.
/B
Reserve space to make a bootable disk.
/S
Make a system disk (copy files to make it bootable.)
/T:tracks
Specify the number of tracks on the disk.
/N:sectors
Specify the number of sectors.
/1
Format a single-sided disk.
/4
Format a 5-1/4 inch 360KB DSDD disk on a 1.2MB drive.
/8
Format a 5-1/4 inch disk with 8 SPT.
graftabl
Load the graphics table for a specific code page.
[Dropped, because most monitors can display extended characters
(128-255) without Graftabl. This command was originally introduced by
MS-DOS to support the extended character set on systems that were not
originally equipped to display them properly. While some users may
miss this command, we feel there are not enough systems that still
need Graftabl to justify its inclusion in the Spec.]
graftabl [nnn] [options]
Options:
nnn
The code page you want to load.
/STATUS
Display the code page that was loaded, or is being loaded.
graphics
Allow Prtscr to print graphics screens.
graphics [[d:][path]file] [type] [options]
d:path\file
The full pathname of the printer profile.
type
The printer type. Currently defined printer types are:
[this list has been amended to support only the printer types that
are in current use today]
epson
Any Epson-compatible dot-matrix printer (default).
hpdefault
Any HP-compatible PCL printer.
postscript
Any Postscript-compatible printer.
[this printer was not originally defined by the MS-DOS Graphics
command, but we are adding it because many users have Postscript
printers.]
/R
Print the image reversed (white on black). Default is black on
white.
/B
Print the background in color, if possible.
/PRINTBOX:STD | /PRINTBOX:LCD
Print using the standard aspect ratio, or using an LCD aspect ratio
(1:1).
/LCD
Same as /PRINTBOX:LCD
help
Provides on-line help.
help [topic]
join
Join a drive to a directory.
join d: d:path join d: /D
d: The drive letter you want to set up. d:path The full path which will be assigned to the drive. /D Delete this join definition.
keyb
Configure the keyboard for a specific language.
keyb [xx[,nnn[,[d:][path]file]]] [options]
xx The keyboard code. nnn The code page. d:path\file The full path to a keyboard definition file. Default=KEYBOARD.SYS /E Use an enhanced keyboard. /ID:nnn Specify the keyboard for countries that have more than one keyboard layout for the same language.
label
Assign a disk label to a drive.
label [d:] [label]
d: The drive to assign a label. If missing, use the current drive. label The label to assign to the drive. If missing, prompt for it.
loadhigh, lh
Load a program into high memory.
loadhigh [d:][path]file [options] lh [d:][path]file [options]
d:path\file The program to load into high memory. options These are the options to the program that you are loading.
mem
Display the amount of memory installed, and the amount available.
mem [options]
/PROGRAM | /P Display the programs that are loaded in memory. /DEBUG | /D Prints lots of debugging information. /CLASSIFY | /C Display the programs that are loaded in memory, and how much conventional, expanded, and extended memory each is using.
mirror
Mirror information about the disk in a way that unformat and
undelete can use to recover the disk.
mirror d: [/L] [/Td:entries] [/Td:entries] [...] mirror [/U] mirror [/PARTN]
d: The drive that you want to be able to recover later using undelete or unformat. /L Retain only the latest information. /Td:[entries] Track information using a log file on the specified disk, and the number of entries in the log file. /U Unload a previously loaded copy of the program. /PARTN Track information about the disk partitions.
mkdir, md
Creates a directory.
mkdir [d:]path md [d:]path
mode
Set or display the operating mode of system devices.
Display the mode or status:
mode [device] [/STATUS]
Set the mode:
mode LPTn: [options] mode COMn: [options] mode device codepage [options] mode adapter [options] mode CON: [options]
more
Displays a text file one screen at a time.
more < [d:][path]file command | more
d:path\file A text file that you want to display. command A command whose output you will pipe to the more program.
nlsfunc
Adds NLS (national language support) functionality.
nlsfunc [[d:][path]file]
d:path\file The full path to a file containing NLS information. If no file is given, nlsfunc will select its own default.
pause
Suspend execution of whatever you are doing, and wait for a
keystroke.
pause
print
Print a file in the background, while you run other DOS commands.
print [options] [[d:][path]file] [[d:][path]file] [...]
d:path\file The file that you want to print. /D:device Specify the name of the device to print to. If not given, Print will use the default LPT: device. /B:size Set the size of the buffer, in bytes, in the range 512-16384. The default is 512. /U:ticks The number of clock ticks, in the range 1-255, that Print is to wait for the printer to become available before printing the job. /M:ticks The maximum number of ticks for sending a single character to the printer. In the range 1-255. /S:ticks The number of clock ticks, in the range 1-255, for the background spooler process. Default=8. Larger numbers will speed up printing but slow down other DOS programs. /Q:nn The number of files that will be allowed in the print queue, in the range 1-32. Default=10. /T Remove all files in the print queue. Terminate the job that is currently being printed. /C Cancel jobs in the print queue. If this is used with a list of file names, remove only those files from the queue. If this is used alone, cancel all jobs but do not terminate the current job. /P Add a file to the print queue. If this precedes a list of files, print only those files. You may use /P and /C together on the same command line. If no options are given to Print, only files, assume /P. If no options and no files are provided, display the contents of the print queue.
recover
Recover data from a bad diskette or hard disk.
[Dropped, because there are a variety of shareware and freeware
disk recovery programs already avaialble, and it would be silly of us
to write another one just because MS-DOS included a Recover command.
If you need a disk recovery program, go download one, or purchase a
third-party recovery program such as Norton's Utilities.]
recover [d:][path]file
recover d:
Options:
d:path\file
The exact file that you want to recover, using file recovery. Use
this when you know exactly the name of the file that needs to be
recovered.
d:
The drive letter of a diskette or hard disk to recover. This
attempts recovery on all files.
rename, ren
Re-name a file or set of files.
rename [d:][path]file1 file2 ren [d:][path]file1 file2
d:path\file1 The source file, the original file that needs to be renamed. file2 The new name for file1. You may not include a path. You can use wildcards (* and ?) to specify a set of files. If you use wildcards in file1, you must use wildcards in the same position in file2.
rmdir, rd
Remove a directory.
rmdir [d:]path rd [d:]path
scandisk
Scan a drive for errors, and report/repair any that were found.
setver
Set the DOS version that is reported to programs.
[Dropped, because this was a legacy migration thing, to allow
programs that needed to run on a particular DOS version to be carried
forward. Since later versions of DOS are (always?) compatible with
earlier versions, a Setver command is not really needed.]
setver [d:][path] [file nn.xx]
setver [d:][path] [file [options]]
Options:
d:path
The path to the SETVER program data.
file
The name of a program that you want to add to the version table.
nn.xx
The DOS version number that will be reported to the program.
/DELETE
Remove this program from the version table.
/QUIET
Do not display any text while adding/deleting table entries.
If no options are given to SETVER, print the current version table.
If only 'file' is given, with no options, then print the DOS version
that will be reported to that program.
share
Share large files with other programs.
share [options]
/F:size Set the size, in bytes, for file sharing information. Default=2048. /L:nn Set the number of files that can be locked at once. Default=20.
sort
Sort a file, or sort its input.
sort [options] [d:][path]file command | sort [options] [d:][path]file
/R Sort in reverse order. /+n Begin sorting at column n in each line of text. Default=1.
subst
Substitute a path with a drive letter.
subst [d: [d:]path] subst d: /D
/D Delete this substituted drive.
sys
Make a floppy disk or hard disk bootable.
sys [[d:]path] d:
d:path The (optional) location of the system files. d: The drive to make bootable.
time
Set or display the system's idea of the time.
time
time [hh:mm[:ss[.ss]]{A|P}]
hh:mm:ss.ss The exact time to set for your system. 'hh' is the hour on a 12 or 24 hour clock. 'mm' is the minutes. 'ss.ss' is the seconds and decimal seconds. A | P Set the time to AM or PM if using a 12 hour clock. If no time is given, display the current time, and prompt for a new time.
tree
Display the structure of a directory tree.
tree [d:][path] [options]
d:path The drive and path to start from. If no path is given, start from the current directory. /F Display the names of files in each directory. /A Use ASCII characters to visually represent the directory structure.
type
Display the contents of a text file.
type [d:][path]file
undelete
Recover a deleted file. Information from MIRROR may be
useful.
undelete [[d:][path]file] [options]
d:path\file The name of the file to recover. If not specified, try to recover all files in the working directory. /LIST List all the files that might be recoverable but do not recover them. /ALL Recover all deleted files in the working directory. /DOS Recover only those files listed as deleted from DOS. /DT Recover only those files that are delete-tracked from the DOS MIRROR mirror program.
unformat
Attempt to unformat a disk. Information from MIRROR may
be useful.
unformat [d:] [options]
d: The drive to attempt recovery. /J Checks that data from MIRROR is present and matches the disk information. /U Attempts to unformat a disk without a MIRROR file. /L List every file and directory that might be recovered. /TEST Simulate a recovery, but do not attempt to recover the disk. /P Print the output on LPT1: /PARTN Attempt to recover the partition table.
ver
Display the version of the DOS kernel that you are using.
ver
verify
Turn file verification on or off. This tells DOS to check that
files are correctly written to disk.
verify [ON | OFF]
ON | OFF Turn file verification on or off. If no options are given, display the status of file verification.
vol
Display the volume label of a disk.
vol [d:]
d: The drive to display the volume label.
xcopy
Copies files and directories, including subdirectories.
copy {d: | [d:]path} [d:][path] [options]
{d: | d:path}
The source to copy from. This must be either a drive or a full
path.
d:path
The destination to copy to. If not present, assumes the working
directory.
/A
Only copy files with the Archive bit set.
/M
Only copy files with the Archive bit set, and turn off the A bit.
/D:date
Only copy files modified after 'date'.
/P
Prompt before copying a file.
/S
Copy subdirectories, except empty ones.
/E
Copy subdirectories, even if empty.
/V
Verify each file as it is written to disk.
/W
Wait before copying any files. Presents a prompt, which the user
must first acknowledge.
The following commands are considered replacements for proprietary-named commands. These commands do not have the same name as their MS-DOS counterpart due to possible legal conflicts.
These may be implemented either internally or externally to the shell, and need not necessarily be identical to their MS-DOS counterpart. The following should be taken as guidelines and not a thorough design specification:
Alias
Create an alias for a command.
alias [aliascommand [realcommand]]
aliascommand The new name for a command. For example, 'ls' might be an alias for the DIR command. realcommand The real command that is executed in place of realcommand, including options. If no options are given, display the list of currently defined aliases. If only the aliascommand is given, display its definition.
Backup And Restore
Commands to backup and restore a filesystem.
backup d:[path[files]] d:[path] restore d:[path] d:[path[files]]
d:path\files A list of files that need to be backed up. d:path The destination for the backup. This may be a path or a drive letter.
BASIC Language
Starts the BASIC language environment.
basic [[[d:]path]file]
d:path\file The name of the BASIC program to load. If no file is specified, just open the BASIC environment.
Debugger
Perform debugging on a file, and perhaps some assembly.
debug [[[d:]path]file]
d:path\file The name of a debugger script file. The debugger should allow the user to specify a file name to load by the script file.
Disk Defragmenter
Optimizes the hard disk space.
defrag [d:]
d: The letter of the drive you want to optimize. If you do not specify a drive, it uses the working drive.
Line Editor
Allows a user to perform Stream Editing, either at the
console or via a shell script.
edline [[[d:]path]file]
d:path\file The name of a line editor script file. The line editor should allow the user to specify a file name to load by the script file. Or, if the script file does not specify a file name, use stdin and write to stdout. If no script file is specified, take input from the console.
The following are exceptions, and must be provided for as internal commands in the shell:
call
Calls a batch file from within a batch file.
call [d:][path]file [options]
d:path\file The name of the batch file to call. options The options that are passed to the batch file being loaded.
exit
Exits the shell.
exit
for
Runs a command for a each in a list of files.
for %var IN (list) DO command [options]
var The name of an environment variable. You will use this variable in the 'options portion. list A list of files that will be acted upon. command A command to run against the list. options The options passed to the 'command'. In the 'options', you may reference the 'var' from above, preceding it with '%'.
goto
Branch to a label in a batch file.
goto label
label The name of a label in a batch file. The label must exist. All labels are defined by placing the label on a line by itself, preceding it with ':'. Spaces are not allowed in a label.
if
Perform a test in a batch file.
if [NOT] expr command [options]
NOT
Negates the expression. If the 'expr' is true, NOT makes it false.
expr
A test expression, which evaluates to a true or false value. Valid
expressions must include:
ERRORLEVEL nnn
Returns true if the error level is set to nnn.
s1==s2
Returns true if string 's1' equals string 's2'.
EXIST [d:][path]file
Returns true if d:path\file is a file.
command
The DOS command to execute if the test is true.
path
Set the search path for programs.
path [[d:]path[;[d:]path][...]] SET PATH=[d:]path[;[d:]path][...]
d:path A directory that contains programs, to add to the PATH setting. If no options are given to the PATH command, then display the current value of the PATH setting.
prompt
Sets the prompt for the command shell.
prompt [text] SET PROMPT=text
text
The text to use for the command shell prompt. The '$' is a special
character, and can be used to insert special text in the prompt:
$Q
an equal sign
$$
a dollar sign
$T
the current time
$D
the current date
$P
the working path (drive and directory)
$V
the version of DOS (or the shell, either is acceptable)
$N
the working drive letter
$G
a greater-than sign
$L
a less-than sign
$B
the pipe symbol
$_
a literal newline
$E
an escape character (can be used to start ANSI commands)
$H
a literal backspace character
If no options are given to PROMPT, display the current value of the
PROMPT setting.
rem
Ignores the current line. This is a comment.
set
Assign a value to an environment variable.
set var=value
var The name of an environment variable. value The value to assign to the variable.
shift
Shift the position of all command line arguments downward by one.
shift [n]
n The number of positions to shift the command line arguments. Default=1.
Apr 1999: Dropped the Setver program from the Spec.
Jan 1999: A few traditional MS-DOS commands have been dropped from the Spec. Dropping from the Spec does not mean that such a program will be ignored if one ever comes along, but this does mean that we will not actively seek out to develop a new version. This is because they were considered as part of a legacy migration thing for MS-DOS, which the FreeDOS Project is not interested in carrying forward. Where a program has been dropped from the Spec, an annotation has been made to explain why.
Sep 1998: First revision.
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