How to Create a Folder or File from Windows Command Prompt

Quick Tips

• Create a Folder: Type ‘mkdir FolderName’ and press ‘Enter’ to create a new folder.
• Create a File: Type ‘type nul’ > ‘FileName.txt’ and press ‘Enter’ to create a new file.
• Create Multiple Folders: Use ‘mkdir Folder1 Folder2 Folder3’ to create multiple folders at once.

How to Create Folders From CMD in Windows

Create a Single Folder

Step 1: Press the Windows key on your keyboard, type Command Prompt, and click Open.

Step 2: Now, it is time to select the destination where you want to create a new folder. Type the below command and hit Enter.

Note: In place of YourDirectoryPath below, enter your specified destination path. For example, if you want to create a folder on the Desktop, type cd desktop and press Enter.

cd YourDirectoryPath

If you change your mind and want the directory to be changed, type the drive name with the colon (:) symbol (example- D:) and hit Enter. 

Step 3: Once you have reached the desired destination, type the below command and press Enter.

Note: Replace NameofYourDirectory with the folder’s name (for example- Games or Personal Files or Movies, etc.) 

mkdir NameofYourDirectory

That’s it. You have successfully created a single folder on your Windows computer using Command Prompt. If you are looking to create multiple folders or subfolders, continue reading.

Create Multiple Folders or Subfolders

We will demonstrate how to create three folders at the same time.

Step 1: Press the Windows key on your keyboard, type Command Prompt, and click Open.

Step 2: Now, it is time to select the destination where you want to create a new folder. Type the below command and hit Enter. 

Note: In place of YourDirectoryPath below, enter your specified destination path. For example, if you want to create a folder on the Desktop, type cd desktop and press Enter.

cd YourDirectoryPath

If you change your mind and want the directory to be changed, type the drive name with the colon (:) symbol (example- D:) and hit Enter. 

Step 3: Once you have reached the desired destination, type the below command and press Enter.

Note: Replace NameofYourDirectory with the name of the folder. For example, it can be Games, Document, and Movies. Ensure you keep a gap between the folder (directory) names. 

mkdir NameofYourDirectory1 NameofYourDirectory2 NameofYourDirectory3 

There you go. You have successfully created a folder using the Windows Command Prompt. Continue with the steps below to create a subdirectory using CMD.

Step 4: You know the name of the folders you created. First, you must choose the folder you want subfolders in, type the below command, and hit Enter.

cd NameofYourDirectory

Step 5: In the directory where you want to create subfolders, type the following command and press Enter.

Note: You can have multiple subfolders in a single folder. However, be sure to leave a gap between the folder name (directory).

md NameofSubDirectory1 NameofSubDirectory2 NameofSubDirectory3

There you have it. The subfolders are created under the folder you want. You can repeat the above steps to create multiple subfolders in multiple folders. 

Keep reading if you want to take it further and create a file in cmd.

How to Create a File Using CMD in Windows

Create an Empty File

Step 1: Press the Windows key on your keyboard, type Command Prompt, and click Open.

Step 2: Now, it is time to select the destination where you want to create a new folder. Type the below command and hit Enter. 

Note: In place of YourDirectoryPath below, enter your specified destination path. For example, if you want to create a folder on the Desktop, type cd desktop and press Enter.

cd YourDirectoryPath

Step 3: Now that you are in the destination directory, type the below command and press Enter.

Note: Replace the filename with the name you want, and ‘.FileExtensions’ should be set to the file extension, such as .txt, .docx, etc.

type nul > filename.FileExtensions

That’s about it. An empty file will be created with the set extension for you to check and work on later. If you want to make a file containing some text using cmd, continue reading.

Create a File Containing Some Text

Step 1: Press the Windows key on your keyboard, type Command Prompt, and click Open.

Step 2: Now, it is time to select the destination where you want to create a new folder. Type the below command and hit Enter. 

Note: In place of YourDirectoryPath below, enter your specified destination path. For example, if you want to create a folder on the Desktop, type cd desktop and press Enter.

cd YourDirectoryPath

Step 3: Now, in the destination directory, type the below command and press Enter.

Note: Replace the filename with the name you want, and ‘.FileExtensions’ should be set to the file extension, such as .txt, .docx, etc.

copy con filename.FileExtensions

Step 4: Type the text you want to put in the file. If you are entering multiple lines, use the Enter key. 

Example: This is a test writeup to test the method and create a file with content using Command Prompt.

Step 5: Press Ctrl + Z on your keyboard once you add text to the file and hit Enter.

With this, a new file will be created with the entered details, which you can access via File Explorer and edit further if required. If, for some reason, you are unable to execute the command, reach out to Microsoft Support and get the issue resolved.

If there is anything we have missed in the article, please refer to the FAQ section below. 

FAQs on Create and Delete a Folder Command Prompt

Now that you know how to create a folder or file using Windows Command Prompt, you can quickly automate tasks, manage remote systems, create files, or enhance your command-line proficiency.