Playing around with Windows command prompt for the first time

Very first time playing around with it, so far having fun.  However, when I tried to practice deleting a new folder I just created, something went wrong. 

So basically, in the command prompt, I go to my C: drive, then I go to users, then my name/my computer, and then downloads.  Within downloads, I created a new folder, as practice.  So, I created it successfully.  Then, I tried to practice moving a file there, again, success.  Within there, I tried to practice renaming the newly moved file, again, success.  Then, I wanted to practice deleting the newly made folder.  So, I moved the file out of there first.  Then, when I tried to delete the new folder, it said that it contained a file.  I couldn't figure out why from the command prompt, so I called up File Explorer.  It turned out, the file was not moved out of the new folder, instead, it got renamed. And its new name, was downloads.  But when I went back to see my command prompt history, I am pretty sure I did not rename that file "downloads".  Does this mean something is wrong with my command prompt?  Thanks.

Edited by JohKe, 17 December 2025 - 10:57 PM.

To add:  Also, I think that as I played around with that file, I somehow ruined it.  You see, the file was a picture of me.  However, now that it got moved to the new folder, and got renamed, now I can only open it in Firefox browser, whereas before I could just click on it and it showed an image.  What did I do?  And also, when I tried to use the command prompt to move it out of the new folder, it kept saying it cannot find the file, I used the .txt extension and the .jpg extension, neither worked.  What happened?

Another thing:  While I wait for answers here, I keep playing with it.  So I went up one level, to the "downloads" level.  Then I enter "dir" in the prompt to see what's inside.  In the list, I see the new folder I created, and preceding it, there is a mark "dir", which I believe means it's a folder.  Then I saw two more things preceded with this "dir" mark.  But when I went to my File explorer, I only saw one folder.  Why?  Where are these two other folders?  Thanks.

Edited by JohKe, 17 December 2025 - 10:59 PM.

In order for anyone you help you, you need to share the exact commands you entered.  Then you can be accurately informed on what you did wrong.

In order for anyone you help you, you need to share the exact commands you entered.  Then you can be accurately informed on what you did wrong.

What he said. Also, FYI: You can copy and paste the contents of the command prompt screen. Select the text, then click the control icon at the top left corner of the window frame, mouse over Edit, then click Copy.

Above is correct.    Use File Explorer to try and find what you did.  Follow the same path you used to get to USERS.

A collection of using Command Prompt from howtogeek.com : https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=using+Windows+Command+Prompt+howtogeek.com

If know name of file Left side of File Explorer Click on C:\ then Rightside top right search for file by entering the name and extension.

Note : If you did not give the file a Extension (example help.txt or mypic.jpg ) it will not show properly as well File Explorer turn on in View:  Show File Extensions if not already on.

Collection of stuff using windows file explorer howtogeek.com

https://www.google.com/search?q=using+windows+file+explorer+howtogeek.com&client=firefox-b-d&hs=lFf9&oq=using+Windows+File+Exploer+howtogeek.com

In order for anyone you help you, you need to share the exact commands you entered.  Then you can be accurately informed on what you did wrong.

 

In order for anyone you help you, you need to share the exact commands you entered.  Then you can be accurately informed on what you did wrong.

 

What he said. Also, FYI: You can copy and paste the contents of the command prompt screen. Select the text, then click the control icon at the top left corner of the window frame, mouse over Edit, then click Copy.

 

Hi all.  So I copied a large portion of my command prompt history and then right-click the uppermost top left little button (I have also maximized my command prompt window, to make sure nothing was hidden), and it just said, change tab color, rename tab, duplicate tab, split tab, move tab, export text, find, close, close tab.  There was no button for either paste or to take a screen shot.  Thanks.

Above is correct.    Use File Explorer to try and find what you did.  Follow the same path you used to get to USERS.

A collection of using Command Prompt from howtogeek.com : https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=using+Windows+Command+Prompt+howtogeek.com

 

If know name of file Left side of File Explorer Click on C:\ then Rightside top right search for file by entering the name and extension.

 

Note : If you did not give the file a Extension (example help.txt or mypic.jpg ) it will not show properly as well File Explorer turn on in View:  Show File Extensions if not already on.

 

Collection of stuff using windows file explorer howtogeek.com

https://www.google.com/search?q=using+windows+file+explorer+howtogeek.com&client=firefox-b-d&hs=lFf9&oq=using+Windows+File+Exploer+howtogeek.com

Thanks Pk, I will need some time to process the info you have provided here.  Please give me some time, thanks.

@Shplad's directions for copying the text from your Command Prompt is not quite right for Windows 11.

You can copy the contents of the entire text buffer to a text file, by right-clicking on the Tab name (Command Prompt) in the top-left, and selecting "Export text" - this will, by default create a "Command Prompt.txt" file containing all the text contents of your session.

You can then open this file, select the text you want to post, and paste it here.

@Shplad's directions for copying the text from your Command Prompt is not quite right for Windows 11.

You can copy the contents of the entire text buffer to a text file, by right-clicking on the Tab name (Command Prompt) in the top-left, and selecting "Export text" - this will, by default create a "Command Prompt.txt" file containing all the text contents of your session.

You can then open this file, select the text you want to post, and paste it here.

Thank you.  So here it is, hope it's not too long, and not too short, either.

This looks like fun!  Here goes...

> c:\Users\jessi\Downloads>move waitress.txt c:\users\jessi\downloads\william

There you go.

Edited by BeigeBochs, 19 December 2025 - 09:34 PM.

I remember back in my early days with MS-DOS that for a time the only way I knew of for renaming a file was the move command.  It actually made me quite happy to learn there was a ren command for renaming files, especially since ren took far less time to execute than move on my 25MHz 486SX!

I learned the hard way what the format command did. More than once. To this day, I still get nervous when I start typing the format command. Oh, and codepage. Ouch.

 

This looks like fun!  Here goes...

 

> c:\Users\jessi\Downloads>move waitress.txt c:\users\jessi\downloads\william

> The system cannot find the file specified.

This command failed, because there is no waitress.txt

 

> c:\Users\jessi\Downloads>move waitress.jpg c;\users\jessi\downloands\william

> The syntax of the command is incorrect.

This command failed because of a typo: a semi-colon which should've been a colon.

 

> c:\Users\jessi\Downloads>move waitress.tex c:\users\jessi\downloads\william

> The system cannot find the file specified.

There's no such file as waitress.tex.

 

> c:\Users\jessi\Downloads>move waitress.jpg c:\users\jessi\downloads\william

>         1 file(s) moved.

There you go.

 

> C:\Users\jessi\Downloads\william>move waitress.jpg downloads

>         1 file(s) moved.

This command means to move the waitress.jpg file into a downloads folder within william... usually.  Thing is, however, the move command can also be used to rename files, and if the destination folder you specify doesn't exist, the move command instead interprets this as a rename command and so renames the file instead of moving it (yet says the file was moved anyway).  Since there was no downloads folder within william, move renamed your file instead of moving it.

 

> C:\Users\jessi\Downloads\william>move downloads downloads

>         1 file(s) moved.

Again, no downloads folder within william, so it means the same thing as "ren downloads downloads".

 

In a folder list of william, we see a file called downloads with no extension.  Not comprehending this, you attempted to operate on the file as if it had an extension like .jpg and kept specifying downloads.jpg or some variant.  Since the file doesn't have an extension anymore, you just specify "downloads" and not "downloads.jpg" or whatever.

 

Probably the biggest thing you aren't aware of is the full meaning of the double-dot.  It means "the folder containing the folder I'm in", and it's not just useful for navigating folders as you were doing.  It can also be used to guide a file out of the william folder you're in and into the folder containing william.  You're trying to move your file out of william back into the Downloads.  Since Downloads is the folder containing william, you can use the double-dot as the destination for the file.  Though first, you may want to ren the file back to what it was now that you should know how.

 

Thanks for the detailed answer!  And thanks to everybody in this thread for helping me.

I just think that this, "move can also be used to rename a file" is very confusing, it's bad to the point of almost being a bug. I think that we should let  Microsoft know, so they can fix it.  When I say "move", I mean that, I want to move to file.  If I wanted to rename a file, I would have said ren.

Another thing, I see that I have ruined my waitress file (originally waitress.jpg).  Before I used to be able to just click on it and would see a picture, now when I click, it says the pic, but it's in a browser I think.  Is there any way to un-ruin it?  Thanks

You're using Quote too much and wasting space on the forum page.  We don't need to see all that to inform us of whom you're addressing.

Never mind reporting a bug about move to Microsoft.  Move has been able to rename files since MS-DOS 5 (1991), maybe longer.  And the mv command used in Unix, BSD, GNU/Linux, etc. is the primary way of renaming files in the command line shells of those operating systems.  I know it's confusing, but once you're accustomed to the command line, it's no longer an issue.

The reason you can't open your picture file by double-clicking it any longer is because its extension (.jpg) was removed when you renamed it, and Windows uses a file's extension to determine what program to open a file with.  You can use the ren command (or move ) to get it back the way it was.

Thank you sir and yes I will take what you said about not quoting too much, to heart.

I will try and rename it, see if I can get it back.  Will post the result here later.