Command Prompt - Personalize

How to Personalize the Command Prompt Window


   Information
Regular users of Window's Command Line Interpreter are familiar with modifications to suit their individual tastes, but casual users may become frustrated with the rigidity of the command line interpreter program and shy away from this useful tool.

This tutorial will show you how to change the options, fonts, layout, and color properties of the command prompt to customize them how you like.


Example: This is how my Command Window looks now when open. You will see a screenshot at the end of each part showing the settings used to place it here.

example.png


LETS GET STARTED:

1. To open the Run dialog: Press the Windows key+R.

2. Type cmd, and press OK.
Run-Cmd.png
3. The command window will open.C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe

4. Right click on the title bar to open the context menu, and click on Defaults.

   Note
The reason you are using Defaults; It sets the default choices you make for the regular and Elevated Command Prompt windows. Using Properties only saves your personalization for that session.

Pick-Defaults.png

5. Now set the options, fonts, layout, and/or colors properties below to what you like.



Part One

To Change Command Prompt Options


1. Cursor Size; Cursor size can be adjusted to Small, Medium or Large by clicking on the radio button to the left of the size. This can help if you are having problems seeing the blinking cursor.

2. Command History; Buffer Size can be adjusted from 1 to 999.
Whatever amount you set, saves that amount of previous commands. 50 is the default.
2a. Example when you tap F7 this is the keyboard key to access the buffer. Select with the arrow keys then press Enter to run that command.
F7-key.png
Number of Buffers: You may have a need to have more than one Prompt window open at a time. This controls how many can be opened. It also has a range of 1 to 999, be aware though, the higher the number, the more RAM you will use.

Discard Old duplicates: Allows Windows to discard old duplicate commands.

3. Edit Options: QuickEdit Mode allows the use of your mouse to highlight areas of the prompt window, press Enter or the Return key and your highlight is copied to Notepad; Right click in Notepad and click on paste.

Insert Mode: Allows you to place the cursor anywhere within a command and add to a command after it instead of overwriting it.

AutoComplete: Type the first letter of a file then press the TAB key to see all the files that begin with that letter.

The wildcards, double asterisk *x* , and question mark x? are also allowed. Use the * * to represent any number of characters and the ? for a single character.
Options-Tab.png



Part Two

To Change Command Prompt Fonts


1. You have three choices of fonts. You can change their size and make them bold.
Font-Tab.png



Part Three

To Change Command Prompt Layout


   Note
All the values on this Tab will accept up to a four digit value. i.e. 9999

   Tip
A helpful tip suggested by Layback Bear; Thank you Layback Bear!:

I have found a little trick that might be helpful:

*If you set*
The screen Width Buffer Size and the Windows Width size the same it will eliminate the need for the scroll bar at the bottom. It come in very handy so you don't have to scroll back and forth to see every thing.

1. Screen Buffer Size; The higher the width value the less your command will go to a new line.
1a. The higher the Height value will increase how many lines you can scroll back to.

2. Window Size; The higher the Width value the wider the window.
2a. The higher the Height value the taller the window.

3. Window Position; The lower the Left value the more left the window is positioned.
3a. The lower the Top value the more the window rises on your desktop.

4. Let system position window; Since you're doing this to personalize the command prompt, leave this box un-checked.
Layout-Tab.png



Part Four

To Change Command Prompt Colors


1. Select the proper radio button to change the preset colors for text and background, click on the color of your choice in the color bar to select it.

2. The Popup Text and Background are the colors you'll see when you tap F7 to see the buffer in command history. I set this opposite to the normal screen to help me show the difference between the two.

3. If you know the color values of the colors you like, then you can input them manually.
Colors-Tab.png
That's all,
Steve


 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is good! Makes the command prompt look a lot better than black and white :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
The Dominator?
OS
Windows Seven Ultimate
CPU
AMD Piledriver FX 8320 @ 3.5GHz
Motherboard
ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0
Memory
Crucial Ballistix 8GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS GeForce GTX 970 Strix Edition @ 1.114 GHz
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 23EA63V 23" IPS 1080p Monitor
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120 GB
1x WD GreenPower 500GB 7200RPM
1 External HDD 1TB
PSU
Corsair CX500
Case
Zalman Z9 Plus
Cooling
CPU - Corsair Hydro H80i, Case - 3x Aerocool Shark Edition
Keyboard
Xenta Backlit Keyboard (Not very good!)
Mouse
Logitech G400
Internet Speed
Download: 7 mb/s Upload: 0.76 mb/s
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Overclockers UK Desk Pad 89 x 45 cm
1200x730x600mm Desk
Using Virtual Audio Cable to split stereo sound into Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones and Logitech X-530 speakers.
Nice tutorial, I had no idea you could customize that as well. Thanks.:)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self Built
OS
Win 10 Pro x64
CPU
Intel I5-2500K @3.3GHz
Motherboard
Asrock P67 Extreme4
Memory
16GB G.Skill Ripjaws X (4x4GB)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GeForce 750 Ti SC 2GB
Sound Card
ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound
Monitor(s) Displays
auria eq2367
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD
1TB WD Blue
1TB Hitachi
PSU
SeaSonic X 650W 80 Plus Gold
Case
Corsair Obsidian 750D
Cooling
Corsair H60, Three 140mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech Wireless Keyboard K520
Mouse
Logitech Wireless Mouse M310
Internet Speed
Wave Broadband ~ 100 dn 5 up
Antivirus
Windows Defender, Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Edge, IE11, Chrome
Other Info
Laptop specs: HP g7-1365dx /
CPU: AMD A6-3420M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics /
RAM: Crucial 8Gb (2x4Gb) /
SSD: Crucial M4-CT128M4SSD2 ATA Device/ FW 000F /
GFX: AMD Radeon HD 6520G /
OS: Windows 10 Pro x64

Attachments

  • img3.jpg
    img3.jpg
    254.5 KB · Views: 1,705
  • image2.jpg
    image2.jpg
    194.5 KB · Views: 13,727
  • img1.jpg
    img1.jpg
    241.9 KB · Views: 13,793

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self Built
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
CPU
AMD Phenom Quad core 9950 black edition
Motherboard
Gigabyte
Memory
16Gb
Graphics Card(s)
2x XFX Radeon 5850
Sound Card
PCI Express X-Fi Titanium / Logitech G35
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP 2410i
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
2x 500Gb Seagate
1x 300Gb Seagate
1x 1Tb Seagate
2x 1Tb Hitatchi
PSU
Jean Tech Storm 700W
Case
Cooler Master COSMOS S
Cooling
Akasa Evo Blue Pro
Keyboard
Logitech G15
Mouse
Mad Catz M.M.O. 7
Internet Speed
12mb
That's pretty cool too.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
Wow Shawn now I have a 24" command screen I can read it - awesome:thumbsup:
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Own build (new) Desk1 / Asus ROG Win 7 / Desk2 1st build
OS
Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
CPU
Desk1 i5 3750K / Laptop i7 GTX 860M / Desk2 i5 2500
Motherboard
Desk1 Asus P877-V / Desk2 Gigabyte H67 UD3H / Laptop ?
Memory
Desk1 8GB (1866) / Desk2 16GB (1333) / Laptop 8Gb DDR3
Graphics Card(s)
Desk 1& 2NVidia GTX 650 & Laptops on board Intel
Sound Card
Desk 1 & 2 -XONAR DG Realtek High Def audio Laptop
Monitor(s) Displays
Desk 1 Benq HD 2450 / Desk2 Philips 24" / Laptop 17.5"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 D1 & D2 & Laptop 1
Hard Drives
Desk1 Samsung 120GB 830 SSD
Asus ROG 256GB 850 Pro SSD
Desk2 Samsung 840 256 SSD
Toshiba 120GB EVO
PSU
Desk 1 Corsair HX 1050/ Laptop ? / Desk 2 Corsair HX 650
Case
Desk 1 Cooler HAF XM ? Toshiba laptop / Desk2 Coolermaster
Cooling
Fans on all Desk1 -2 Desk2 - all Coolermasters 5 Laptop ?
Keyboard
Desk 1 MS Sidewinder X6 Desk 2 MS Sidewinder X 4
Mouse
Desk 1&2 - Gigabyte MS 900 gamer - laptop - Logitec wireless
Internet Speed
ADSL2+
Other Info
One other Desktop (tester) and spare Toshba laptop both with SSD's
Running Kaspersky 2016 ISS on all machines config'd identically
Logitec audio stereo systems on each machine (x3)
Canon MG5250MFC
Router/modem TP-Link running WPA2SK
Tutorial has been updated by Steve (aka: Anak). :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hitting F7 (even with two CMD windows open) doesn't seem to pull up a buffer of previous commands. I do use clink for an improved unix style of auto completion (for ex: typing task then hitting tab and having taskeng.exe taskhost.exe taskhostex.exe taskkill.exe ........) but looking at the documentation I don't see anything about removing or changing the buffer access. I did a google search but it's hard to hone in on the exact problem despite how accurately I can describe it in a search query.


win8.1 x64
clink x64
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell - Alienware Aurora R3
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
CPU
Intel Core i5-2.5K (4x) CPU @3.3GHz, Sandy Bridge, 1155 LGA
Motherboard
Alienware 046MHW A00
Memory
Corsair XMS3 4GB DDR3 @798.1MHz, 1:6, 9-10-10-25 clocks, 2T
Graphics Card(s)
XFX Radeon HD 6870 Black Edition V2 1GB
Sound Card
AMD HD (6870 GPU) or Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtream Audio (7.1)
Monitor(s) Displays
Bad-Ass Acer AL1717 VGA (3x)
Screen Resolution
3840 x 1024 (1280*3 x 1024)
Hard Drives
Western Digital 1TB/64MB HDD @7200 RPM, SATA-II
Seagate Barracuda LP 2TB/32MB HDD @5900 RPM, SATA-II
PSU
IDK it's a Spaceship bro..
Case
Color-Changing Alienware Spaceship w/ Active Mood Display™
Cooling
Liquid Cooling
Keyboard
No flipping idea.. Has PS/2 mouse input like a boss
Mouse
MS-WMM 4K or Dell PS/2 w/ grime-collecting hamster ball insd
Internet Speed
1.80 MB/s DL & 0.50 MB/s UL
Antivirus
Bitdefender Free
Browser
VM or Sandboxie Opera Chrome Firefox w/EFF HTTPS Everywhere
Other Info
Flashing lights and laser beams... Oh and the color-changing Alienware mood display package
I've added a tip from one of our members, see: Part Three: To Change Command Prompt Layout


For HairyPaulSack: Clink may be the reason why you're not seeing the buffer list as it's overriding the buffer with its own list, can you disable Clink to test? Meanwhile, I'll look into it.

For Brink: Can you check the auto notification for this tutorial? I wasn't notified that Hairy posted.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Gateway DX4831-01e (Mid-Tower Desktop)
OS
Originally Win 7 Hm Prem x64 Ver 6.1.7600 Build 7601-SP1 | Upgraded to Windows 10 December 14, 2019
CPU
Intel i3 530 2.93GHz, 2933MHz 2 Cores 4 Logical Processors
Motherboard
Gateway H57M01 133 megahertz
Memory
6GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics Card(s)
32MB Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD IGChip
Sound Card
Realtek High Definition Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Gateway HX2000 20inch TFT active matrix TN
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900 x 59 hertz
Hard Drives
WDC WD10EADS-00M2B0 [HDD] (1000.20 GB) -- drive 0,
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH41N [CD-ROM dr]
Four card readers, and Four USB 2.0
PSU
300watts.
Case
Mid-Tower Desktop
Cooling
Stock from Gateway
Keyboard
Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, see Other Info
Mouse
Orig. Gateway wore out now using Insignia USB wired optical
Internet Speed
Vz FIOS 10ms png 57.64Mbps down 65.53Mbps up Speedtest.org
Antivirus
Zamana Anti-logger with Anti-malware, MSE, Windows Firewall,
Browser
IE11.0.9600.19399-Upd ver11.0.135, Firefox 68.0.1 x64
Other Info
System Specs by Belarc.

BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. P01-A0 11/17/2009

Replaced the MS 'Natural' Standard PS/2 Enhanced 101-102 Keyboard with a new Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 on August 1st 2014.

Canon Pixma MG3222 Printer.

Updated to IE11 on 12102015 | Fios Quantum Router g1100

Additional AV: SpywareBlaster, manual Mbam, SAS

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Yes I am subscribed Shawn it picked up on your post and notified me; Just a thought, I might of missed Hairy's because of inactivity in the tutorial thread as per this in the notification emails:

There may also be other replies, but you will not receive any more notifications until you visit the forum again.

All the best,
Seven Forums Team
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Gateway DX4831-01e (Mid-Tower Desktop)
OS
Originally Win 7 Hm Prem x64 Ver 6.1.7600 Build 7601-SP1 | Upgraded to Windows 10 December 14, 2019
CPU
Intel i3 530 2.93GHz, 2933MHz 2 Cores 4 Logical Processors
Motherboard
Gateway H57M01 133 megahertz
Memory
6GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics Card(s)
32MB Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD IGChip
Sound Card
Realtek High Definition Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Gateway HX2000 20inch TFT active matrix TN
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900 x 59 hertz
Hard Drives
WDC WD10EADS-00M2B0 [HDD] (1000.20 GB) -- drive 0,
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH41N [CD-ROM dr]
Four card readers, and Four USB 2.0
PSU
300watts.
Case
Mid-Tower Desktop
Cooling
Stock from Gateway
Keyboard
Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, see Other Info
Mouse
Orig. Gateway wore out now using Insignia USB wired optical
Internet Speed
Vz FIOS 10ms png 57.64Mbps down 65.53Mbps up Speedtest.org
Antivirus
Zamana Anti-logger with Anti-malware, MSE, Windows Firewall,
Browser
IE11.0.9600.19399-Upd ver11.0.135, Firefox 68.0.1 x64
Other Info
System Specs by Belarc.

BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. P01-A0 11/17/2009

Replaced the MS 'Natural' Standard PS/2 Enhanced 101-102 Keyboard with a new Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 on August 1st 2014.

Canon Pixma MG3222 Printer.

Updated to IE11 on 12102015 | Fios Quantum Router g1100

Additional AV: SpywareBlaster, manual Mbam, SAS
Ah, yeah that would be why then.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Okay, that settles that Shawn, thanks; Now,

Hitting F7 (even with two CMD windows open) doesn't seem to pull up a buffer of previous commands. I do use clink for an improved unix style of auto completion (for ex: typing task then hitting tab and having taskeng.exe taskhost.exe taskhostex.exe taskkill.exe ........) but looking at the documentation I don't see anything about removing or changing the buffer access. I did a google search but it's hard to hone in on the exact problem despite how accurately I can describe it in a search query.

win8.1 x64
clink x64

For HairyPaulSack: Clink may be the reason why you're not seeing the buffer list as it's overriding the buffer with its own list, can you disable Clink to test? Meanwhile, I'll look into it.
I haven't gone too far and documentation here, and here suggests that Clink does take over the Windows CMD prompt once it injects its .dll and hooks the Windows CMD functions. The Windows CMD prompt becomes a symbiont of Clink.

One thing I noticed is, have you tried invoking any of the history cmds to see a list? And, If you customized the prompt Clink may not work correctly.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Gateway DX4831-01e (Mid-Tower Desktop)
OS
Originally Win 7 Hm Prem x64 Ver 6.1.7600 Build 7601-SP1 | Upgraded to Windows 10 December 14, 2019
CPU
Intel i3 530 2.93GHz, 2933MHz 2 Cores 4 Logical Processors
Motherboard
Gateway H57M01 133 megahertz
Memory
6GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics Card(s)
32MB Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD IGChip
Sound Card
Realtek High Definition Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Gateway HX2000 20inch TFT active matrix TN
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900 x 59 hertz
Hard Drives
WDC WD10EADS-00M2B0 [HDD] (1000.20 GB) -- drive 0,
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH41N [CD-ROM dr]
Four card readers, and Four USB 2.0
PSU
300watts.
Case
Mid-Tower Desktop
Cooling
Stock from Gateway
Keyboard
Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, see Other Info
Mouse
Orig. Gateway wore out now using Insignia USB wired optical
Internet Speed
Vz FIOS 10ms png 57.64Mbps down 65.53Mbps up Speedtest.org
Antivirus
Zamana Anti-logger with Anti-malware, MSE, Windows Firewall,
Browser
IE11.0.9600.19399-Upd ver11.0.135, Firefox 68.0.1 x64
Other Info
System Specs by Belarc.

BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. P01-A0 11/17/2009

Replaced the MS 'Natural' Standard PS/2 Enhanced 101-102 Keyboard with a new Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 on August 1st 2014.

Canon Pixma MG3222 Printer.

Updated to IE11 on 12102015 | Fios Quantum Router g1100

Additional AV: SpywareBlaster, manual Mbam, SAS
Back
Top