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I know that we can autocomplete paths in cmd prompt. I just wanted to know if we can autocomplete commands in cmd prompt like we do in bash.
Can we make it search through a list of builtin commands and all executable(exe,bat,cmd etc..) files in the %PATH% when tab is pressed?
Or is there a shell-like software that is having this feature?

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    Only in the current directory ...
    – Rook
    Commented Feb 28, 2010 at 18:37

2 Answers 2

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PromptPal

Highly configurable, and provides full Windows-style editing, command completion, command history, syntax help, a tabbed interface and much more.

Syntax Help: As soon as a command is recognized, PromptPal displays helpful information about its parameters, switches and effects in a resizeable toolbar.

Add You Own Commands: If you have command line utilities that aren't recognized by PromptPal, that's no problem - it's easy to add them to PromptPal's collection.

$29.99 - 30 days trial

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PowerShell

The new command shell and extensible automation engine from Microsoft does autocomplete commands.

It's native in windows 7 and Server 2008 R2.

Win + R > powershell > Enter

To install it on other windows: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968929
And for more ressources about it: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/scriptcenter/dd742419.aspx

Cygwin

A Linux-like environment for Windows. It consists of two parts:
  • A DLL (cygwin1.dll) which acts as a Linux API emulation layer providing substantial Linux API functionality.
  • A collection of tools which provide Linux look and feel.

And so, a bash shell that does autocomplete

There's also PowerCmd, It's a sort of GUI and not a shell replacement, so all the batch commands will be strictly the same. It extends visually the autocomplete feature (but as far as I know, only with commands in the active directory). And it's a shareware: $29.95

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  • Are you sure that powershell autocompletes commands.. I just tried it it didnt work for me... Can we make it work in xp? Thanx..
    – asdfg
    Commented Feb 28, 2010 at 18:57
  • @nsharish yes it does, and yes you can install it on xp, look at my updated answer
    – fluxtendu
    Commented Feb 28, 2010 at 19:04
  • Works for me here, I typed in 'disk' and hit tab and it cycled through a bunch of stuff that matched.
    – Unfundednut
    Commented Feb 28, 2010 at 19:07
  • powershell doesn't accepts the same commands as the command prompt I think.
    – Jader Dias
    Commented Feb 28, 2010 at 19:15
  • Yes.. Its working fine for powershell builtin cmdlets.. Only after the word is typed upto the hyphen.. I am not used to powershell cmdlets yet.. Thanx for a useful answer
    – asdfg
    Commented Feb 28, 2010 at 19:30
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You can use RegEdit to enable autocomplete on paths and files. Create a file called AutoCompleteChar.reg containing the following lines. Then invoke "regedit AutoCompleteChar.reg" to change autocomplete for paths and files to the tab (9) character. Works on Windows 10.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Command Processor]
"CompletionChar"=dword:00000009
"PathCompletionChar"=dword:00000009
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