This is what you normally would do: You would open the Command Prompt and type the command and wait for the output; right-click in the window and select mark, select the content that you need. Create a new text file, paste the output result, and finally save the file. This process is about 7 steps!

Capturing commands output

There is an easier way to do this with a command line switch; it will reduce from 7 steps in to 2.

  1. Open Windows Command Prompt or cmd.
  2. Type the command you wish like this: and press Enter. The (>) symbol is what makes all possible, in conjunction with the destination file, to pour whatever is the outcome of the command to a file. You won’t see the output result in the command prompt window, but you’ll see its content when you open the file. If you need to append results to the contents of an existing text file use the following symbols » (ping bing.com»C:\filename.txt). Not only you can use txt file extension but you can also use the old Microsoft Office extensions, like doc or xls. Using CSV format will generate an excel type file and every entry will be organized in cells.

C:\”Folderlocation”> dir *.doc/b >C:\ your_output_file_name.csv

(*) represents any name and (.doc) the kind of file that you want a list from and (/b) uses bare format (no heading information or summary). All these should work in Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7; etc. That is all there is to it! All content on this site is provided with no warranties, express or implied. Use any information at your own risk. Always backup of your device and files before making any changes. Privacy policy info.