When you start using Windows 11, you may hear about command line tools but feel unsure how to use them, especially for monitoring and maintaining your system. Command line tools are powerful, built-in utilities that let you view, analyze, and manage your PC\u2019s performance, resources, and health. Even if you\u2019re a beginner, these tools can help you keep your computer running smoothly and efficiently. Here\u2019s a beginner-friendly guide to the top 10 ways you can monitor your Windows system using the command line, with clear explanations and examples.<\/p>\n
What Is the Command Prompt and Why Use It?<\/p>\n
The Command Prompt (also called CMD) is a text-based interface where you can type commands to control Windows. It\u2019s handy for tasks that are hard to do with the mouse, like checking your system\u2019s performance. To open Command Prompt in Windows 11, press the Windows key, type \u201ccmd,\u201d and press Enter.<\/p>\n
1. How Can You Check System Information with systeminfo?<\/p>\n
The systeminfo command gives you a summary of your computer\u2019s hardware and Windows details. This is a quick way to check your system\u2019s specs.<\/p>\n
How to use:
\n1. Open Command Prompt.
\n2. Type: systeminfo
\n3. Press Enter.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll see details like your Windows version, memory, processor, and network info.<\/p>\n
2. How Do You Monitor Network Activity with netstat?<\/p>\n
If you want to see which programs are using your network, use netstat. This is helpful to detect suspicious activity or troubleshoot network issues.<\/p>\n
How to use:
\n1. Open Command Prompt.
\n2. Type: netstat -ano
\n3. Press Enter.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll get a list of active connections and the process IDs associated with them.<\/p>\n
3. How Can You View Running Processes with tasklist?<\/p>\n
To see which apps and background processes are running:<\/p>\n
1. Open Command Prompt.
\n2. Type: tasklist
\n3. Press Enter.<\/p>\n
This will display a list of all active processes and their memory usage.<\/p>\n
4. How Do You Check Disk Usage with chkdsk?<\/p>\n
The chkdsk command helps you monitor and fix disk issues. It checks your hard drive for errors and reports back.<\/p>\n
How to use:
\n1. Open Command Prompt.
\n2. Type: chkdsk C: (replace C: with your drive letter)
\n3. Press Enter.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll see a report of disk usage and any errors found.<\/p>\n
5. How Can You Monitor Resource Usage with perfmon?<\/p>\n
Performance Monitor (perfmon) is a command that opens a graphical tool for real-time system monitoring.<\/p>\n
How to use:
\n1. Open Command Prompt.
\n2. Type: perfmon
\n3. Press Enter.<\/p>\n
This opens the Performance Monitor window. You can add counters to track CPU, memory, and disk activity.<\/p>\n
6. How Do You Check System Uptime with systeminfo?<\/p>\n
Knowing how long your PC has been running is easy:<\/p>\n
1. Open Command Prompt.
\n2. Type: systeminfo | find “System Boot Time”
\n3. Press Enter.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll see when your system last started.<\/p>\n
7. How Can You Monitor Services with sc query?<\/p>\n
Windows runs many background services. To view their status:<\/p>\n
1. Open Command Prompt.
\n2. Type: sc query
\n3. Press Enter.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll see the status of all Windows services, which is helpful for troubleshooting.<\/p>\n
8. How Do You Check Memory Usage with wmic?<\/p>\n
You can quickly check your RAM:<\/p>\n
1. Open Command Prompt.
\n2. Type: wmic OS get FreePhysicalMemory,TotalVisibleMemorySize \/Format:List
\n3. Press Enter.<\/p>\n
This tells you how much memory is free and the total available.<\/p>\n
9. How Can You View Event Logs with wevtutil?<\/p>\n
Windows logs important events, like errors and warnings. To see the logs:<\/p>\n
1. Open Command Prompt.
\n2. Type: wevtutil qe System \/c:5 \/f:text
\n3. Press Enter.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll get the last 5 system log events, which can help with troubleshooting.<\/p>\n
10. How Do You Monitor Battery Health with powercfg?<\/p>\n
For laptops, checking battery health is important. The powercfg tool can generate a detailed battery report.<\/p>\n
How to use:
\n1. Open Command Prompt.
\n2. Type: powercfg \/batteryreport
\n3. Press Enter.
\n4. The report is saved as an HTML file. It will show you the location where it\u2019s saved (usually your user folder).<\/p>\n
Open this file in a web browser to view your battery\u2019s health and usage stats.<\/p>\n
How Can Glary Utilities<\/a> Help Beginners With System Monitoring?<\/p>\n While command line tools are powerful, they can feel overwhelming. Glary Utilities offers a beginner-friendly, all-in-one solution for monitoring and maintaining your Windows 11 system. With a clear interface, it provides real-time performance monitoring, disk analysis, process management, and more\u2014without the need to remember complex commands. Features like one-click maintenance, registry repair, and disk cleanup make it easy to keep your system optimized.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re just starting out, try using Glary Utilities<\/a> alongside the command line tools. This way, you can learn what\u2019s happening inside your system with just a few clicks, and grow more comfortable with advanced tools over time.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/p>\n Command line tools in Windows 11 are powerful allies for system monitoring and maintenance, even for beginners. By trying out these 10 tools, you\u2019ll gain confidence in managing your PC\u2019s health and performance. Remember, Glary Utilities<\/a> can simplify many of these tasks if you prefer a user-friendly interface. Start exploring today and keep your Windows system running at its best!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When you start using Windows 11, you may hear about command line tools but feel unsure how to use them, especially for monitoring and maintaining your system. Command line tools are powerful, built-in utilities that let you view, analyze, and manage your PC\u2019s performance, resources, and health. Even if you\u2019re a beginner, these tools can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-system-tools"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glarysoft.com\/how-to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glarysoft.com\/how-to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glarysoft.com\/how-to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glarysoft.com\/how-to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glarysoft.com\/how-to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.glarysoft.com\/how-to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6467\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glarysoft.com\/how-to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glarysoft.com\/how-to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glarysoft.com\/how-to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}