THE TEN WINDOWS 10 NETWORK COMMANDSEVERYONE SHOULD KNOW
There are basic Windows 10 network commands, entered from the command prompt,
everyone should be able to use for troubleshooting network connection problems.
Living and working in an always-connected world means the quality and reliability of your network
connection is vital to practically everything you do on your computer or mobile device. Maintaining a
quality network connection, and troubleshooting a connection that fails, are basic skills that everyone
should, at the very least, be familiar with.
For Microsoft Windows 10 users, there are 10 basic network commands that you should know and
be prepared to use when the occasion calls for it. Some of these commands have equivalents in the
Windows 10 GUI, but for many, the command line structure is more effective and efficient.
In this how-to tutorial, we list 10 basic Windows 10 network commands users should be able to use for
troubleshooting network connection problems.
WINDOWS 10 NETWORK COMMANDS EVERYONE
SHOULD KNOW
The quickest way to get to the command prompt in Windows 10 is to use the Windows Key + R keyboard
combination to reach the Run dialog box. Type “cmd” and press Enter to load the command prompt.
1. Ping
Of all the Windows 10 network commands, Ping is probably the one almost everyone knows about
and has used before. The Ping command allows you to test the reachability of a device on a network.
Pinging a host should return four data packets, if the data packets are not returned you know there is a
problem with your network connection.
To run the basic command, at the prompt type:
ping [host]
Where [host] is the name or IP address of a common host server (google.com, kentech2.blogspot.com etc.).
Figure A shows you what happens when we ping the kentech2 server.
Figure A
Check out Microsoft Docs for a more advanced look at the Ping command and its variables and switches
2. IPConfig
To run the basic command, at the prompt type:
ipconfig
The general information includes IP Addresses for both IPv4 and IPv6, the Default Gateway, and the Subnet
Mask. Adding the parameter /all to the command will display DNS Server information and details concerning
IP Address leases.
Check out Microsoft Docs for a more advanced look at the IP Config command and its variables and switches.
3. Getmac
Every network capable device on the internet has a unique identifying number called its MAC address. The
number is assigned during manufacture and is established in the hardware of the device. Using the Getmac
command, a user can determine the MAC address of their various network devices. Some administrators will
use the unique MAC addresses of devices to limit what can and cannot connect to a network.
To run the basic command, at the prompt type:
getmac
Check out Microsoft Docs for a more advanced look at the Getmac command and its variables and switches.
4. HostName
The Windows 10 HostName network command will simply display the current name of your Windows 10
computer (Figure B). This is the name your computer uses to identify itself to the other devices and servers
on your local network. You can find this name in the System information screen in the GUI, but this command
is quicker.
Figure B
 |
| To run the basic command, at the prompt type: |
Hostname
Check out Microsoft Docs for a more advanced look at the HostName command and its variables
and switches.
5. NSLookUp
The NSLookUp Windows 10 network command displays information that you can use to diagnose Domain
Name System (DNS) infrastructure. Using NSLookUp without a parameter will show the DNS server your PC
is currently using to resolve domain names into IP addresses. As you can see in Figure C, I am using Google’s
DNS service because the server provided by my ISP is slow and prone to crashes.
Figure C
To run the basic command, at the prompt type:
nslookup
Check out Microsoft Docs for a more advanced look at the NSLookUp command and its variables
and switches.
6. Tracert
Another handy tool for troubleshooting network connections in Windows 10 is the Tracert command. This
command will trace the route a data packet takes before reaching its destination, displaying information on each
hop along the route. Each hop of the route will display the latency between your device and that particular hop
and the IP address of the hop, as shown in Figure D.
Figure D
To run the basic command, at the prompt type:
tracert [host]
Where [host] is the name or IP address of a common host server (google.com, kentech2.blogspot.com, etc.).
Check out Microsoft Docs for a more advanced look at the Tracert command and its variables and switches.
7. Netstat
The Netstat command displays active TCP connections, ports on which the computer is listening, Ethernet
statistics, the IP routing table, IPv4 statistics, and IPv6 statistics. When used without parameters, this command
displays active TCP connections. The information this command provides can be useful in pinpointing
problems in your network connections.
To run the basic command, at the prompt type:
netstat
Check out Microsoft Docs for a more advanced look at the Netstat command and its variables and switches.
8. Arp
The Windows 10 network command Arp displays entries in the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) cache,
which contains one or more tables that are used to store IP addresses and their resolved Ethernet physical
addresses. To get useful information from the Arp command you must provide a parameter. The most general
parameter is /a, which displays current Arp cache tables for all interfaces.
To run the basic command, at the prompt type:
arp /a
Check out Microsoft Docs for a more advanced look at the Arp command and its variables and switches.
9. PathPing
Generally speaking, the Windows 10 network command PathPing combines the ping command with the tracert
command, providing information about network latency and network loss at intermediate hops between a
source and destination. As you can see in Figure E, the PathPing command provides more detail than either
ping or tracert can provide, such as latency reports and statistics on packet loss.
Check out Microsoft Docs for a more advanced look at the PathPing command and its variables and switches.
10. SystemInfo
The last command on our list is the SystemInfo command, which displays a detailed list of configuration
information about your Windows 10 PC. The information listed by this command is too lengthy to mention in
full but includes the installed version of Windows 10, the host name, the Product ID, the type and number of
CPUs, RAM configuration, network card details and installed hotfixes.
To run the basic command, at the prompt type:
systeminfo
Check out Microsoft Docs for a more advanced look at the SystemInfo command and its variables and
switches.
Thanks for reading
CHEERS!
By ken
