Last updated on Oct 17, 2024

How can you retrieve system information using the "wmic" command?

If you are a Windows administrator or a power user, you might want to know more about your system's hardware, software, and configuration. One of the most versatile and powerful tools you can use for this purpose is the "wmic" command. WMIC stands for Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line, and it allows you to access and manipulate various aspects of your system using a simple syntax. In this article, you will learn how to use the "wmic" command to retrieve system information in different categories and formats.

1 Basic syntax and usage

The "wmic" command has a general syntax of wmic [alias] [where] [verb] [format] , which allows you to query an object such as cpu, diskdrive, os, or process. You can also include an optional clause to filter the results based on criteria like name, size, or status. Additionally, you can specify the action you want to perform on the object and the output format, such as table, list, csv, or xml. To run the "wmic" command, you can open a command prompt or a PowerShell window and type it directly. Alternatively, you can create a batch file or script and execute it. Furthermore, you can use the /output switch to redirect the output to a file or a printer.

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Ezequiel Scholz

IT System Administrator | IT Support | Network Security Analyst | Linux Sysadmin | Cybersecurity Trainee
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Una utilidad que le he encontrado a nivel profesional a wmic es para la gestión y diagnóstico remoto de equipos en la red. En situaciones donde no se cuenta con herramientas avanzadas de monitoreo, wmic permite obtener información clave sobre el estado del sistema, como el rendimiento del CPU o el espacio en disco, de forma rápida y sin necesidad de instalar software adicional. Además, al poder exportar los resultados en formatos como CSV o XML, facilita la integración con otros sistemas de análisis o reportes como Grafana, Splunk, BI, Excel, etc.

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2 Common aliases and properties

The "wmic" command supports dozens of aliases that correspond to different system objects. To view the complete list of aliases, type wmic /? or wmic alias list brief . Some of the most common ones are 'bios', 'cpu', 'diskdrive', 'logicaldisk' and 'os'. Each alias has a set of properties that describe its attributes. To view the full list of properties for an alias, type wmic [alias] get /? or wmic [alias] list full . Alternatively, you can use the * wildcard to retrieve all the properties for an alias. For instance, the 'bios' alias provides information about the system's BIOS, such as manufacturer, version, serial number and release date. The 'cpu' alias gives details about the processor, such as name, speed, cores, cache and load. The 'diskdrive' alias shows information about disk drives like model, size, partitions and serial number. The 'logicaldisk' alias displays data about logical disks like drive letter, volume name, file system and free space. Lastly, the 'os' alias reveals details about the operating system like name, version, build number, install date and uptime.

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3 Examples of queries and outputs

The "wmic" command can be used to retrieve system information, and here are several examples of queries and their outputs. Note that the outputs are truncated for brevity. For instance, typing wmic os get name,version /format:table will get the name and version of the operating system in a table format. Similarly, typing wmic diskdrive get name,size /format:list will get the name and size of the disk drives in a list format. To get the name and memory usage of the processes that have "chrome" in their name in a csv format, type wmic process where "name like '%chrome%'" get name,workingsetsize /format:csv . Lastly, typing wmic bios get manufacturer,serialnumber /format:xml will get the manufacturer and serial number of the BIOS in an xml format. Reporting and documenting these results can help inform and reassure stakeholders, as well as provide valuable insights for improving security posture.

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Fernando Uranga San José

Consultor tecnológico en LKS Next
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Para obtener los programas instalados en Windows: /output:C:\tmp\InstalledPrograms.txt product get name, version Deja en C:\tmp\InstalledPrograms.txt la relación de todo lo instalado con su versión.

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4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Javier Pérez Santos

Full Stack Developer
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WMIC está en desuso a partir de Windows 10, versión 21H1, y a partir de la versión de canal semianual de 21H1 de Windows Server. Esta utilidad se sustituye por Windows PowerShell para WMI. Esta desuso solo se aplica a la utilidad WMIC. El propio Instrumental de administración de Windows (WMI) no se ve afectado.

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Manuel José M.

Técnico de Telecomunicaciones e Informática en Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir
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Este comando es un comando poco conocido pero que te sirve para: 1. Obtener información sobre la BIOS: a. Consola de Windows (CMD): WMIC BIOS get /all /format:LIST b. PowerShell: Get-WmiObject Win32_BIOS 2. Obtener información sobre la CPU: a. Consola de Windows (CMD): WMIC CPU get /all /format:LIST b. PowerShell: Get-WmiObject Win32_Processor 3. Obtener información sobre la RAM: a. PowerShell: Get-WmiObject Win32_PhysicalMemory 4. Obtener información sobre unidad CD/DVD: a. Consola de Windows (CMD): WMIC CDROM get /all /format:LIST 5. Obtener información sobre adaptadores de red: a. Consola de Windows (CMD): WMIC NICCONFIG get /all /format:LIST b. PowerShell: Get-WmiObject Win32_NetworkAdapter

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How can you retrieve system information using the "wmic" command?

1

2

3

4

1 Basic syntax and usage

2 Common aliases and properties

3 Examples of queries and outputs

4 Here’s what else to consider

Operating Systems

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How can you retrieve system information using the "wmic" command?

1

2

3

4

1 Basic syntax and usage

2 Common aliases and properties

3 Examples of queries and outputs

4 Here’s what else to consider

Operating Systems

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