DIR: Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.
The command: "DIR" is on Windows 11, 10, .. available
"DIR" Excerpt from Microsoft Windows Help
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.3693]
(c) Copyright 1985-2023 Microsoft Corp.
C:\\WINDOWS>
Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.
DIR [drive:][path][filename] [/A[[:]attributes]] [/B] [/C] [/D] [/L] [/N]
[/O[[:]sortorder]] [/P] [/Q] [/S] [/T[[:]timefield]] [/W] [/X] [/4]
[drive:][path][filename]
Specifies drive, directory, and/or files to list.
/A Displays files with specified attributes.
attributes D Directories R Read-only files
H Hidden files A Files ready for archiving
S System files - Prefix meaning not
/B Uses bare format (no heading information or summary).
/C Display the thousand separator in file sizes. This is the
default. Use /-C to disable display of separator.
/D Same as wide but files are list sorted by column.
/L Uses lowercase.
/N New long list format where filenames are on the far right.
/O List by files in sorted order.
sortorder N By name (alphabetic) S By size (smallest first)
E By extension (alphabetic) D By date/time (oldest first)
G Group directories first - Prefix to reverse order
/P Pauses after each screenful of information.
/Q Display the owner of the file.
/S Displays files in specified directory and all subdirectories.
/T Controls which time field displayed or used for sorting
timefield C Creation
A Last Access
W Last Written
/W Uses wide list format.
/X This displays the short names generated for non-8dot3 file
names. The format is that of /N with the short name inserted
before the long name. If no short name is present, blanks are
displayed in its place.
/4 Displays four-digit years
Switches may be preset in the DIRCMD environment variable. Override
preset switches by prefixing any switch with - (hyphen)--for example, /-W.
The examples for the command "DIR"
The
`DIR` command in Windows Command Prompt is used to display information about files and directories. Here are some examples with comments:
Example 1: Show contents of current directory:
YOU
Description: This command displays the contents of the current directory, including files and subdirectories.
Example 2: Show contents of a specific directory:
DIR C:\Path\Destination directory
Description: The contents of the directory
"C:\Path\Target directory" are displayed here.
Example 3: Show content with details:
YOU /A /W
Description: This command displays the contents of the current directory, including details such as file size and modification date.
`/A` also shows hidden files, and
`/W` shows the information in a wider column view.
Example 4: Display content with subdirectories (recursively):
YOU /S
Description: Here the contents of the current directory including all subdirectories are displayed recursively.
Example 5: Show only file names, no details:
YOU /B
Description: This command only displays the file names in the current directory, without details such as size and date. Useful in scripts or if you're just interested in the filenames.
Example 6: Show content sorted by date:
YOU /OD
Description: The contents of the current directory are displayed here, sorted by date.
Example 7: Show only directories:
YOU /AD
Description: This command only displays the directories in the current directory, not the files.
Example 8: Save content to a text file:
DIR > directory list.txt
Description: This command saves the contents of the current directory to a text file named
"directorylist.txt".
Example 9: Show help:
YOU /?
Description: This command displays help and information about the available options for the
`DIR` command.
The
`DIR` command provides a variety of options to customize the content displayed. You can access the help using
`DIR /?` for more details. Note that some options, such as
`/S` or
`/A`, can significantly affect the output.
Important information, tips for the "DIR" command
There are a few important points to note when using the
`DIR` command in the Windows Command Prompt:
1.
Wildcards: You can use wildcards (
and ?) to display files or directories in a specific pattern. For example, `DIR .txt` displays all text files in the current directory.
DIR *.txt
2.
Directory structure: If you use
`/S`, the command will display the contents of all subdirectories recursively.
YOU /S
3.
Show hidden files: You can use
`/A` to show hidden files.
`/A:H` only shows hidden files.
YOU /A:H
4.
Show Details: `/W` displays files and directories in a wider column view, while
`/O` changes the sort order. For example,
`DIR /O:D` shows the files sorted by date.
YOU /W
YOU /O:D
5.
Show filenames only: `/B` displays only the filenames, without any additional information.
YOU /B
6.
File Attributes: `/A` can also be used to select files based on attributes (e.g.,
`/A:-R` only displays files that are not read-only).
DIR /A:-R
7.
Redirect output to a file: You can redirect the output of
`DIR` to a file for storage or further processing.
DIR > directory list.txt
8.
Show Help: `DIR /?` displays help and information about the available options for the
`DIR` command.
Note that the
`DIR` command allows viewing files and directories in a directory. If you want to perform more specific operations such as copying, deleting, or moving, you could use additional commands such as
`COPY`,
`DEL`, or
`MOVE`.
