Msg command

Updated: 11/12/2023 by Computer Hope
msg command

The msg command lets you send messages to other users on a network.

Availability

Msg is an external command and is available for the following Microsoft operating systems.

Note

The msg command is only available in Pro or Business editions of the following Windows versions.

Msg syntax

Microsoft Windows 10 syntax

MSG {username | sessionname | sessionid | @filename | *} [/SERVER:servername] [/TIME:seconds] [/V] [/W] [message]
username Identifies the specified username.
sessionname The name of the session.
sessionid The ID of the session.
@filename Identifies a file containing a list of usernames,sessionnames, and sessionids to send the message.
* Sends a message to all sessions on a specified server.
/SERVER:servername Server to contact (default is current).
/TIME:seconds Time delay to wait for the receiver to acknowledge msg.
/V Display information about actions being performed.
/W Wait for a response from the user, useful with /V.
message Dictates the message you'd like to send. If none specified, prompts for it or reads from stdin.

Msg examples

msg hope Hi Computer Hope!

Send a message to the user "hope" with the message "Hi Computer Hope!"

Tip

The msg command lets you send messages to your username. For example, you could use the msg command in a batch file to send yourself a message when something is triggered or when the batch file is completed.

msg hope /V /W Can you see this?

Sends a message to the user "hope" saying, "Can you see this?" and waits until the user clicks the OK button (a response) and then returns to the command line.