To clear the Windows Command Prompt (CMD) screen, the standard and simplest method is to type the command:
cls
and then press Enter. This will clear the entire command prompt window, removing all previous output and leaving you with a clean screen
. Additional useful tips for clearing in CMD:
- Pressing the Esc key clears only the current input line, not the whole screen
- Pressing Ctrl + C cancels the current command and moves the cursor to a new blank line but does not clear the screen
- There is no built-in keyboard shortcut to clear the entire CMD screen instantly; however, you can create a custom shortcut using tools like AutoHotkey if desired
If you want to clear the screen in PowerShell (a different but related shell), you can use the command:
clear
which works similarly to cls in CMD
. In summary, the primary way to clear the CMD screen is by typing cls and
pressing Enter. This is quick and effective without needing to close and
reopen the window
