Simulated Windows terminal (CMD / PowerShell)
Learn the Windows console without fear: real commands on a virtual filesystem, multiple terminals sharing the drive and 6 guided lessons with automatic checking.
Settings
What this terminal is and where it ends
- It is a teaching simulator: there is an in-memory virtual filesystem. Nothing you type touches your computer, your network or any real data.
- Tabs share the same virtual C: drive (like real windows on a machine). MSG delivers messages only between tabs open here.
- Network commands (ipconfig, ping, nslookup, netstat, tracert) show sample values so you learn to read them, not your real connection.
- Lesson progress and command history are stored only in your browser (localStorage).
- Mind the real-world difference: no permissions, antivirus or real disks here. On a real PC, DEL and RD delete for real.
Built by
Miguel Ángel Colorado Marin (MACM)
Built by
Miguel Ángel Colorado Marin (MACM)
Full-Stack Developer · Guadalajara, España
I develop web apps, digital tools and full projects — from design to deployment.
The Windows console is the skill that separates “computer users” from people in control — and the scariest to practice: on a real PC a misplaced DEL or RD deletes things for real. This simulated terminal removes the risk while keeping the learning: there is an in-memory virtual filesystem (your user folder, Documentos, Escritorio, System32...) where over 45 commands actually work — navigating with cd and its absolute/relative paths, creating with mkdir, copying and moving with copy, move and even robocopy, searching inside files with findstr, wildcards in del, redirecting with echo > and >>, environment variables with set and %name%, reading the tree with tree —, the error messages you would see on a real Windows, network tools (simulated ipconfig, ping, nslookup, netstat, tracert), and PowerShell aliases (Get-ChildItem, Get-Content, Get-Location) to move from cmd without trauma. And what makes it a mini-Windows: you can open multiple terminals in tabs sharing the same C: drive —like real windows on a machine—, send messages between them with MSG and spawn a new one with START CMD. The 6 guided lessons walk you through with self-assessed missions: a completed step advances; if you get stuck, there is a hint. Built for students, for teachers projecting it in class (with large font and fullscreen), and for anyone who wants to stop fearing the black window.
Features
- ✓Realistic CMD terminal with an in-memory virtual filesystem
- ✓Multiple terminal tabs sharing the same C: drive that talk to each other with MSG
- ✓Over 60 commands: dir, cd, mkdir, copy, move, del, type, echo, tree, findstr, xcopy, fc, where, getmac, arp, sc query, reg query, robocopy, ipconfig, ping, nslookup, netstat, tracert...
- ✓6 guided lessons with self-assessment: navigation, create, organize, system and network, PowerShell and multiple terminals
- ✓PowerShell aliases (Get-ChildItem, Get-Content, Get-Process, Select-String) plus other shell aliases (ls, pwd, cat)
- ✓Two-pane view to see two terminals at once and savable environments: disk, tabs and history export to a JSON file to share with the class
- ✓Tab completion, arrow history, large font and fullscreen for projecting in class
How do I practice the Windows console?
- 1
Pick free terminal or a lesson
In free mode you experiment with help; lessons auto-check your steps.
- 2
Navigate with CD and DIR
cd Documentos enters, cd .. goes back, dir shows what each folder holds.
- 3
Create, copy and delete
md, echo >, copy and del behave like a real Windows, on simulated files.
- 4
Open several terminals and connect them
start cmd spawns a new tab that shares the C: drive; msg 2 text sends a message to terminal 2.
- 5
Finish with PowerShell
Get-ChildItem, Get-Content and Get-Location prepare you for the modern console.
Frequently asked questions
Can this terminal damage my computer?
No. It is a simulator: the filesystem lives in your browser's memory and vanishes on reload. Destructive commands (del, rd /s) only affect the virtual system. Nothing touches your disk, your real network or your OS.
Which commands can I practice?
Over 45: navigation (cd, dir /w), files (type, echo >, copy, move, ren, del, rd, md, more), search (findstr), variables (set and %variable%), whole folders (robocopy), system (whoami, hostname, systeminfo, tasklist, taskkill, ver), network (simulated ipconfig, ping, nslookup, netstat, tracert), history (doskey /history) and PowerShell aliases (Get-ChildItem, Get-Content, Get-Location) plus other shell aliases (ls, pwd, cat). Type help to see them all.
How do multiple terminals work at once?
The + button or start cmd opens a new tab. All tabs share the same virtual C: drive, so what you create in one shows up with dir in the other, just like real windows. Plus msg 2 hello delivers a message to terminal 2, which shows a notification if it is not the active tab.
Can I save my environment and share it with the class?
Yes: the Environments button saves the whole C: drive, the tabs, the history and the lessons under a name in your browser. You can export it to a .json file and share it: your students import it and practice from exactly the same state, with the folders and files you prepared. The two-pane view also lets you see two terminals at once, for example one writing and another checking with dir.
Is it good prep for a computer science test or vocational training?
Yes: the 6 lessons cover what introductory modules ask (navigation, file management, basic network, PowerShell and working with several terminals) and progress is stored in your browser so a teacher can check what you completed.
Related tools
Embed Simulated Windows Terminal on your site
Add Simulated Windows Terminal to any web page with a simple iframe. Free, with attribution to miguelacm.es.
<iframe
src="https://miguelacm.es/embed/windows-terminal"
width="100%"
height="700"
frameborder="0"
title="Simulated Windows Terminal — miguelacm.es"
></iframe>