Suspends the processing of a batch program and displays the following prompt:
Press any key to continue . . .
For examples of how to use this command, see Examples.
Syntax
pause
Parameters
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
/? |
Displays help at the command prompt. |
Remarks
- When you run the pause command, the following message
appears:
Press any key to continue . . .
- If you press CTRL+C to stop a batch program, the following
message appears:
Terminate batch job (Y/N)?
- You can insert the pause command before a section of the
batch file that you might not want to process. When pause
suspends processing of the batch program, you can press CTRL+C and
then press Y to stop the batch program.
Examples
To create a batch program that prompts the user to change disks in one of the drives, type:
@echo off :Begin copy a:*.* echo Put a new disk into drive A pause goto begin
In this example, all the files on the disk in drive A are copied to the current directory. After the message prompts you to put a new disk in drive A, the pause command suspends processing so that you can change disks and then press any key to resume processing. This batch program runs in an endless loop—the goto begin command sends the command interpreter to the Begin label of the batch file. To stop this batch program, press CTRL+C and then press Y.