This post mainly introduces two ways to take control of another computer with CMD. You can use PsExec to control a remote computer with commands, or you can use Command Prompt to evoke Windows Remote Desktop to remotely control another computer.
Can I take control of someone else's computer using CMD? If it is possible, how do I perform it?"
- Question from Spiceworks
CMD, an abbreviation of Command Prompt, is a command-line interpreter that runs on almost all Windows OSes to carry out commands that have been entered. The majority of those commands use scripts and batch files to automate tasks, perform advanced administrative functions, and resolve specific Windows issues.
How to take control of another computer with CMD on Windows 10 and 11? Here we sort out two ways. You can use PsExec to control a remote computer with commands, or you can use Command Prompt to evoke Windows Remote Desktop to remotely control another computer.
Using PsExec with CMD to remote control another computer is relatively complicated. The steps are divided into four parts, of which the first three parts are setup steps:
Part 1. Turn on file and printer sharing
The File and Printer Sharing should be turned on both the local and remote host.
Step 1. Navigate here: Start > Settings > Network & Internet. Find and click Network and Sharing Center.
Step 2. Click the Change advanced sharing settings.
Step 3. Select Turn on file and printer sharing and save changes.
Part 2. Enable administrative share ($admin) on the remote host
The remote computer should also have its administrative share ($admin) enabled and set up correctly.
Step 1. On the remote host, press Win + R, then type in “lusrmgr.msc” and click OK.
Step 2. Click Users. Find and right-click Administrator and then choose Properties.
Step 3. Uncheck the Account is disabled and click OK.
Part 3. Get the details of the remote host
The IP address and user name of the remote host are also needed for the remote control.
Step 1. On the remote host, search for Command Prompt in the Search box, and then click Run as administrator.
Step 2. Type in “ipconfig” and press Enter. Now you can see a group of IP addresses, of which the IPv4 address is the one you need.
Step 3. Then type in “query user” to get the username.
Note: You’ll also need the IP address and User name of the remote host in Method 2.
Part 4. Use PsExec with CMD to remotely control another computer
After you have finished the setup process, now you can start to use PsExec.
Step 1. Download PsExec on the computer that will be running the remote commands.
Step 2. Right-click on the ZIP file downloaded and select Extract All.
Step 3. Open the folder where the extracted file is located. Enter “cmd” in the search box and then press Enter.
Step 4. Then the Command Prompt in that folder will open. You can now run commands through PsExec.
Step 5. The next thing you need to know is to understand the syntax of PsExec to run effective commands. You need to enter the PsExec commands with the following form:
psexec [\\computer[,computer2[,...] | @file\]][-u username [-p password][-n s][-r servicename][-h][-l][-s|-e][-x][-i [session]][-c executable [-f|-v]][-w directory][-d][-][-a n,n,...] cmd [arguments]
We’ll use an example to help you comprehend this better. To perform the ipconfig command on a remote system with an IP address of 192.168.122.66, a username of Administrator, and a password of 123456Ww, open a PsExec CMD console and type:
$ psexec \\192.168.122.66 -u Administrator -p 123456Ww ipconfig
How to remotely access another computer using CMD? You can use Command Prompt to evoke Windows Remote Desktop to remotely control another computer. But before this, please make sure you’ve set up Windows Remote Desktop properly.
Step 1. Open Command Prompt, then type in “mstsc” and press Enter to evoke the Windows Remote Desktop.
Step 2. Enter the Computer and User name of the remote computer to control it remotely.
Note: You can also add additional terms at the end of the command to take you straight to the login screen of Remote Desktop Connection. Type in the following command:
mstsc /console /v:COMPUTERNAME
The COMPUTERNAME here means the actual computer name of the remote computer; for example, the remote computer I’m trying to log in to is Vivian PC.
Taking control of another computer with CMD sometimes can be very troublesome. If you want an easier way to take control of another computer, you can use AnyViewer, free remote access software for multiple Windows versions, including Windows 10 and 11. Once you’ve downloaded it, there will be a desktop shortcut. You can start to remotely access another computer right away with just an easy click. Click the button to download it and let’s see how to use it.
Step 1. Install and launch AnyViewer on both computers. Go to Log in, and then click Sign up. (If you already have signed up on its official website, you can log in directly.)
Step 2. Fill in the signup information to create an AnyViewer account, and then you can see you successfully logged in to AnyViewer. Your device will automatically be assigned to the account and listed on My devices list.
Step 3. Log in to the same AnyViewer account on another device; on your local device, go to Device, click the remote computer, and then you can achieve a direct connection by clicking One-click control.
How to take control of another computer with CMD on Windows 10 and 11? You have two options. First, you can use PsExec with CMD to remote control another computer; second, you can use Command Prompt to evoke Windows Remote Desktop to remotely control another computer. However, both ways require a complicated setup process, which is not very user-friendly for computer novices.
Therefore, we give you a third option. You can use AnyViewer, the easy and free remote access software. You can open it quickly by clicking the desktop shortcut. Then with a few easy setup steps, you can start to take control of another computer.
