How To Run an External Command?

Running an external command on a computer typically involves using the command line interface (CLI) of the operating system.

1. Open the Command Line Interface:

Windows: Open the Command Prompt or PowerShell. You can do this by typing “cmd” or “PowerShell” in the Start menu search bar and pressing Enter.

macOS and Linux: Open the Terminal. You can find Terminal in macOS in the Utilities folder, or you can use Spotlight to search for it. In Linux, the Terminal can usually be accessed from the applications menu or by using a keyboard shortcut, often Ctrl+Alt+T.

2. Access the Directory Containing the Command

If the external command’s executable file is not in a directory included in your system’s PATH environment variable, you will need to navigate to the directory where the executable file is stored using the cd (change directory) command.

cd path/to/directory

If the command is in your PATH, you can run it from any directory without needing to change directories.

3. Run the Command

Simply type the name of the command and press Enter. If the command requires administrative privileges, you might need to run it as an administrator or use sudo on macOS and Linux.

sudo command-name

You can also pass parameters or options to most commands to modify their behavior. For example, to see the help information for a command.

4. Check for Output

After running the command, look at the output directly in the command line interface. The output will give you information about what the command did, whether it succeeded, or if there were any errors.

5. Close the CLI

Once you’re done, you can close the CLI window or exit by typing exit and pressing Enter.

An external command in computers is a type of program that you can run from a command line interface, but it’s not built into the operating system itself. These commands are stored as separate files, usually in specific folders that the operating system knows to look in when you type a command.

Unlike internal commands that are already loaded into the command processor, external commands need to be loaded from a disk when you call them. This means they can be updated or changed without affecting the core operating system. They’re used for a variety of tasks, such as managing files, checking the health of your system, or setting up network connections. External commands give users and system administrators more tools to manage and troubleshoot their computers effectively.