Last Updated :
12 Apr, 2025
If you’ve been working in the Windows Command Prompt and your screen is cluttered with text, knowing how to clear the Windows Command Prompt screen can make your workspace much tidier and easier to manage. This simple task can help you focus on the commands you’re working on without distraction.
In this guide, we’ll show you different methods to clear the screen in CMD using various techniques, making your work in the Windows Command Prompt more efficient.
Methods to Clear Command Prompt Screen
In the below section, we are going to discuss different approaches to clearing the command prompt (CMD) screen. So keep reading the section and find the best method.
Method 1: Clear CMD Screen Using the cls command
The easiest way to clear the Command Prompt screen is by using the «cls» command in the following manner.
- Press «Win + R«. It will open the «Run» dialogue box.
- Type «cmd» and press Enter to open the Command Prompt.
- Type «cls» and press Enter. This command will instantly clear the screen, giving you a clear workspace. It’s a quick and effective method.
Note: Windows PowerShell can also be used instead of cmd as well.
Example: We are downloading the Python library using cmd and then will clear the screen.
Output:
Method 2: Clear the Command Prompt Screen using the Shortcut Key
Some systems allow keyboard shortcuts for clearing the Command Prompt screen. By pressing «Ctrl+L«, we can clear our screen. This shortcut is a time-saver.
Example:
Method 3: Use Closing and Reopening to Clear Command Prompt
While this approach is not very efficient as compared to the other two, it can be used in cases when other methods are not available or during system default or error. All one can do is close the current cmd screen and reopen it to get a clear screen.
Example:
Method 4: Clear the Command Prompt (CMD) Screen Using Reboot
To clear the Command Prompt (CMD) screen using a system reboot, you can’t directly do it because rebooting the system closes all running programs, including the Command Prompt window. It’s like turning off your computer and turning it back on, which resets everything. Make sure you have saved all your ongoing work before this. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you might approach this:
- Open Command Prompt.
- Type `shutdown /r /t 0` and press Enter.
- Confirm the restart if prompted.
- Wait for the system to reboot. Upon restart, the Command Prompt screen will be cleared.
Example:
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How to View Command Prompt Command History?
Additionally, you can also view your command prompt history using the F7 shortcut key. All the previously used commands can be found by pressing the «F7» key. Pressing it will give a list of recently used commands, making it easier to reuse them in your current session.
How to Save Command Prompt History?
Also, you can save the command history in the form of a text file in cmd in the following manner:
- Open the Command Prompt.
- Type the command: «doskey /history > history.txt» and press Enter. This will export your command history to a file named «history.txt.»
- Search for this file in your system and you may find all your cmd history commands there.
Example:
Output: The txt file will look like this.
Other Shortcut keys for the Command Prompt Screen
- Ctrl + C: Stop the currently running process and move the cursor to a new blank line
- F7: To View Command Prompt Command History
- Ctrl +Backspace: To remove one word to the left of the cursor
- ESC: To clear current input command text.
To sum up, it’s very important to keep our cmd screen clean and organized as it makes the system more efficient and also provides ease of use for users, thus, we should know about all these methods. As mentioned, we can use any method given above according to our convenience and need.
Conclusion
Clearing the Command Prompt screen is a straightforward process that can significantly improve your workflow by providing a clean slate for new commands. Whether you prefer using a quick shortcut or typing out a command, the methods outlined in this guide will help you efficiently clear the CMD screen whenever needed. With these tips, you can keep your Command Prompt environment organized and easy to navigate.
In the Microsoft Windows command prompt (cmd) you can use cls command to clear screen of cmd. This equal to clear Command on Unix Like Operating Systems.
cls
Keyboard Shortcut to cls Command
Well, I do not think there is a keyboard shortcut to cls command(clear cmd) in windows, at least not by default. But that as for my knowledge (I even search in the Google).
Anyway, If any one of you know the shortcut just drop me an email message @ [email protected], SO I can update this tutorial.
The clear command in Linux is used to clear the terminal’s screen.
You can also use the clear command in a Windows PowerShell where it is an alias of the Clear-Host command, that does pretty match the same – removes all text from the current display, including commands and output that might have accumulated.
But if you try to execute the clear command in a Windows command-line prompt (CMD), expecting it to clear the screen, you will get an error as follows:
‘clear’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
Below you will find how to clear the command prompt in Windows.
To clear the screen in the Windows command-line prompt (CMD), use the cls command:
C:\> cls
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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
#IfWinActiveWorking 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:\python\commands.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.
Enter the CLS command to clear everything, or press Esc to erase what you were typing
What to Know
- Type cls as a new command, and press Enter. This clears the entire screen.
- Another way to erase the CMD screen is to reopen the program. Or, you can enter Start to launch a new instance.
- Press the Esc key to wipe the line of text you’re actively typing. This will not affect the rest of the screen.
This article explains how to clear the screen in Windows’ Command Prompt application. You can use a short command to erase what’s on the screen, or just reopen the program. We also have a bonus section at the end for clearing a line, character, or word.
How to Clear the Screen in Command Prompt
Unlike many things on your computer, there aren’t several ways to wipe everything from Command Prompt. Instead, there’s one basic command that will rid the screen of its history.
Enter the Clear Screen Command
When you’re ready to erase everything in Command Prompt so you can start fresh, type the following command and press Enter:
cls
This command must be executed by itself for it to work. If you see an error message that says what you wrote isn’t recognized as a command, delete any text before and after CLS. Keep reading to learn how to do that.
Reopen Command Prompt
The only other way to clear all the text from Command Prompt is to just close it. If, for some reason, you can’t issue the CLS command, shut down the program by typing exit or pressing the X at the top. Then, open Command Prompt again.
If you enter the command start, it will open a new instance of Command Prompt without closing the first one. This is useful if you want a clean screen to enter some new commands, but you don’t want to lose all the progress you’ve already made.
Bonus: Clear Text on the Command Prompt Screen
Maybe you don’t necessarily need to clear the entire Command Prompt screen, but just the current line or some text in it. Here are a few helpful key presses to keep in mind:
- Esc: Clear the current line of text. It removes the text and moves your cursor back to the start of the prompt.
- Backspace: Delete one character to the left of your cursor.
- Ctrl+Backspace: Delete one word to the left of your cursor.
- Ctrl+C: Stop the line you’re typing or the command you’re running and move to a new prompt on the following line.
- Arrow keys: Move left and right within the active line to erase or edit your command.
FAQ
-
Your command history clears every time you close the Command Prompt. Close the window manually or use the Alt+F4 keyboard shortcut.
-
Use the help command: Enter help to see a list of available commands. To get more information about a particular command, type help command name.
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