Windows cmd color text

Last Updated :
24 Jun, 2024

Customizing the appearance of your Command Prompt can make your coding or command execution sessions more enjoyable and easier on the eyes. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of changing colours in Command Prompt, from altering text colour to adjusting the background for better clarity and personal preference. Whether you want to modify the entire colour scheme or just tweak a few settings, these steps will help you personalize your Command Prompt environment effectively. Get ready to transform the standard black-and-white backdrop into a more vibrant and user-friendly interface.

First, it’s important to know for reference how a default Command Prompt terminal looks like, it looks something like this:

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Here, we are going to change the color text and also the background color of cmd. Assume 2 variable x & y which are associated with specific colors.

color xy

‘x‘ represents the color of the Terminal’s background, whereas,

‘y‘ represents the color of the font on the Command Prompt Terminal.

Following the HEX values of the colors supported by Command Prompt:

    0 = Black       8 = Gray
    1 = Blue        9 = Light Blue
    2 = Green       A = Light Green
    3 = Aqua        B = Light Aqua
    4 = Red         C = Light Red
    5 = Purple      D = Light Purple
    6 = Yellow      E = Light Yellow
    7 = White       F = Bright White

Example 1:

Suppose we want a white background, so after referring to the color table above we will type, ‘f’ in place of ‘x’. Similarly, if we want a light purple colored font, we will type ‘d’ in place of ‘y’. (x & y are the variables we had assumed earlier).

color fd

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Example 2:

‘0’ specifies the black color attribute, and since its typed at the place of ‘x’ i.e. it will be applied to background. ‘a’ specifies the light green color attribute, and since its typed at the place of ‘y’ i.e light green attribute will be applied to the font color.

color 0a

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Note: To get all the related information on using color command in Command Prompt you can use the following command

color /?

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In conclusion, customizing the colors in Command Prompt not only enhances the visual appeal but can also improve usability by making the text easier to read. By adjusting the color settings, you can create a Command Prompt environment that aligns with your preferences and working style. Whether you’re setting a different background color or changing the text color for better contrast, these simple modifications can significantly enrich your experience with Windows Command Prompt.

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Overview

The COLOR command in Windows Command Prompt (CMD) is used to set the default foreground (text) and background colors of the console window. This command can enhance readability or personalize the look of the command-line interface. It is often used in scripts to denote different process stages or alert statuses visually.

Syntax

To use the COLOR command, the syntax is:

COLOR [attribute]

The attribute is a two-digit hexadecimal code where the first digit represents the background color and the second digit represents the text color.

If no attribute is provided, the command resets the color to what was set when CMD was opened.

Options/Flags

The COLOR command supports hexadecimal characters, each representing a different color:

• 0 Black
• 1 Blue
• 2 Green
• 3 Aqua
• 4 Red
• 5 Purple
• 6 Yellow
• 7 White
• 8 Gray
• 9 Light Blue
• A Light Green
• B Light Aqua
• C Light Red
• D Light Purple
• E Light Yellow
• F Bright White

Leading zero is necessary if the color attribute should change only one color (foreground or background).

Default:
If the COLOR command is run without arguments, it will revert to the default colors of the CMD window.

Examples

• Set text color to Light Red with Black background

  COLOR 4C
  

• Reset to default color settings

  COLOR
  

• Set background to Green and text color to Light Aqua

  COLOR 2B
  

Common Issues

• Invalid color codes: Users must ensure the syntax contains only two valid hexadecimal characters. If invalid codes are used, CMD will ignore the command.
• Visibility issues: Some color combinations (e.g., blue text on a blue background) can lead to unreadable text. Always choose contrasting colors.

Integration

Script Usage

In batch files, COLOR can be used to signal different sections of the script or signify success/warning/error states:

@echo off
COLOR 2E
echo Starting processing...
REM Processing steps here
COLOR 4E
echo WARNING: Low memory detected.
REM More processing steps here
COLOR A2
echo Process completed successfully.

Combined with ECHO

Used with ECHO, COLOR can highlight specific messages:

COLOR C
echo IMPORTANT: System will restart in 5 minutes!

• MODE: Adjusts properties of the console, including display settings.
• TITLE: Sets the Command Prompt window title which can be visually informative along with color coding.

For more commands related to CMD customization, see Microsoft’s official CMD documentation.

This guide covers how to use the COLOR command to customize the appearance of your CMD session dynamically and visually communicates the condition or status within scripts or during routine CMD interactions.

• SS64
• CMD
• How-to

1. Batch Script or File

2. Change the Text Color of CMD Using Batch Script

3. Change the Text Color of CMD Every 1 Second

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This article will first discuss the basic concept of a Batch script or Batch file. After introducing the Batch script, we will discuss the method for changing the text color of CMD every second using the Batch script.

Batch Script or File

A Batch script is a file containing different commands executed in a sequence. A Batch file or script stores different commands executed using the command line interpreter.

For example, the following is a Batch file hello.bat:

@ECHO OFF
ECHO Hello World

The above Batch script contains two lines.

The first command, @ECHO OFF, is used to hide all the commands, which are executed, from displaying on the command prompt itself. The ECHO Hello World command displays Hello World.

The output of the above batch script is as follows:

We can execute the .bat file on the command line by typing the file name followed by the Enter key, as shown in the above figure. We can also run the batch file by double-clicking the file.

Batch File Extensions

A Batch script can be written in any typing or text editor with different file extensions, including .bat, .cmd, and .btm.

• The .bat file extension is used for Batch scripts in DOS or Windows operating systems.
• The .cmd file extension is used for Windows NT or OS/2.
• The btm file extension is used in 4DOS or 4NT.

Change the Text Color of CMD Using Batch Script

In the Batch script, we can use a different color for text on cmd. The color command can be used to change the text color.

For example, color [number] is a color command followed by the color number in hexadecimal. This hexadecimal number is like an alias to a specific color.

Consider the following script:

@echo off
color 06
echo Hello World

Output:

The above script contains a color 06 command, the hexadecimal number used as a code for the yellow color. Therefore, the said color command changes the text color of the command-line interface to yellow.

Following is the list of different available colors with their codes:

Change the Text Color of CMD Every 1 Second

We can use the color and timeout commands to change the text color of the cmd every unit of time. Consider the following script:

@echo off
set colors=0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
for %%n in (%colors%) do (
	echo Hello World
    color %%n
    timeout 1 > null
)

The above script contains an array named colors initialized with a sequence of codes for different colors, followed by a for loop which iterates on the colors array and selects a color code in a variable n. In the body of the for loop, the script displays the Hello World on screen and sleeps for 1 second using the timeout command.

The color command changes the text color in each iteration of the loop with different colors available in the colors array.

The above script will change the text color of the output after each for iteration. The outputs for some iterations of the loop are as follows:

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