A CMD file is a script file that contains one or more commands in plain text format that are executed in order to perform various tasks. It is similar to a .BAT file, which is also commonly used to store a batch of executable commands.

CMD file open in Microsoft Notepad CMD files were introduced in the early 1990s with the release of Windows NT and can still be run by later Windows operating systems. The scripts are often created to perform repetitive tasks that require multiple steps, such as opening and converting a file in a program, creating a backup of a file, or setting the computer to sleep at a certain time. You can run the commands stored in a CMD file in Windows by double-clicking the file or executing it in the Command Prompt (CMD.EXE) utility. You cannot run CMD files in COMMAND.COM, like you may do with BAT files, so that you do not incorrectly execute commands in the wrong Windows environment. To run a CMD file in Command Prompt you must first navigate to the location of the CMD file, then press "Enter." For example: C:\Path_to\The_folder\Example.cmd Since CMD files store commands in plain text format, they can be opened and edited with a text editor, such as Notepad or Wordpad. You can also create your own CMD scripts with a text editor by adding one or more commands on separate lines and saving the file as a CMD file. Make sure the filename has a .cmd file extension instead of a .txt file extension.