Windows Command Prompt: How do I increase my buffer?

Question

I want to be able to scroll up further to see the result of a command. For example, if I type dir in a directory with a lot of listings, like C:\windows, the output will be very long. When I try to scroll up, I'll probably go from z to s and never get to the r's. Too many files/directories in the folder.

How can I increase the buffer, so that I can read a longer output history?

Answer 1

You have three options.

1. Either you augment the buffer size of your cmd.exe window, like stated in another answer (drop down menu (CTRL+SPACE) > Properties > Increase buffer size

2. Either you redirect the output of your command to a file that you'll then be able to edit with any other tool you like (notepad, or even a CLI editor like "edit") :

   dir > directory.txt

3. Or you may consider command-line alternatives under Windows (I've never understood how the cmd.exe hadn't been rewritten by Microsoft in order to have something with less limitations and more ease of use).

   You can check for example "Console", an open source project, with multi-tabs and a few intersting options, including a larger buffer.

   There are other alternatives but none that i'm aware of that would be free.

Answer 2

Right click on the title / Layout / screen buffer size will let you increase the screen buffer size.

As far as pausing goes, as Serodis suggested, instead of /p most cmd/DOS (not equal, I know, but this goes for both) work with |more suffix.

Answer 3

You can go to drop-down->properties->increase buffer size. I figured this out by googling more.

Answer 4

dir /p

Is the normal operation to part-out the results so you can scroll through slowly.