for - Loop Command

Maintained on April 24, 2026

When writing batch files, you often encounter situations where you want to “run the same operation on multiple files” or “repeat a process a fixed number of times.”

The FOR command is what makes this kind of looping possible.

This article explains the FOR command from the basics through each option, with practical sample code.

Basic Syntax of the FOR Command

The basic syntax of the FOR command is as follows.

FOR %%variable IN (set) DO command

Element	Description
`%%variable`	A variable that receives each value in the loop (one letter, a–z or A–Z)
`(set)`	The values, wildcards, or file set to iterate over
`command`	The command to execute on each iteration

チェック

When running directly in Command Prompt, use %variable (one percent sign). Inside a batch file, use %%variable (two percent signs).

Basic Example

Here is a simple example that processes multiple values in sequence.

@echo off
setlocal

FOR %%i IN (apple orange grape) DO (
    echo %%i was selected
)

endlocal

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>sample.cmd

apple was selected

orange was selected

grape was selected

C:\users\user>

Each value in the set is stored in %%i one at a time, and the command after DO is executed.

Iterating Over Files

Using wildcards, you can iterate over files that match a condition.

@echo off
setlocal

FOR %%f IN (*.txt) DO (
    echo File: %%f
)

endlocal

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>list_txt.cmd

File: document.txt

File: memo.txt

File: readme.txt

C:\users\user>

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All .txt files in the current directory will be processed.

/L Option: Loop Over a Numeric Range

The /L option lets you loop while incrementing a number.

FOR /L %%variable IN (start, step, end) DO command

Parameter	Description
start	The starting value
step	The amount added each iteration
end	The ending value

Count from 1 to 5

@echo off
setlocal

FOR /L %%n IN (1, 1, 5) DO (
    echo Count: %%n
)

endlocal

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>count.cmd

Count: 1

Count: 2

Count: 3

Count: 4

Count: 5

C:\users\user>

Countdown in Steps of 2

A negative step value produces a countdown.

@echo off
setlocal

FOR /L %%n IN (10, -2, 0) DO (
    echo %%n
)

endlocal

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>countdown.cmd

C:\users\user>

/D Option: Iterate Over Directories

The /D option iterates over directories only, not files.

FOR /D %%variable IN (pattern) DO command

Example

@echo off
setlocal

echo Folders in the current directory:
FOR /D %%d IN (*) DO (
    echo   [DIR] %%d
)

endlocal

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>list_dirs.cmd

Folders in the current directory:

[DIR] Documents

[DIR] Downloads

[DIR] Pictures

C:\users\user>

/R Option: Recursive Loop Including Subdirectories

The /R option iterates through all subdirectories under a given root.

FOR /R [root path] %%variable IN (pattern) DO command

If the root path is omitted, the current directory is used.

Example: Search All .txt Files

@echo off
setlocal

echo Searching for all .txt files...
FOR /R %%f IN (*.txt) DO (
    echo Found: %%f
)

endlocal

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>find_all_txt.cmd

Searching for all .txt files…

Found: C:\Users\user\Documents\readme.txt

Found: C:\Users\user\Documents\memo\note.txt

Found: C:\Users\user\Documents\backup\old.txt

C:\users\user>

チェック

Using the /R option in a directory with many files may take a long time.

/F Option: Read File Contents or Command Output

The /F option is the most powerful. It reads each line of a text file or processes the output of a command.

FOR /F ["options"] %%variable IN (input) DO command

Process Each Line of a Text File

@echo off
setlocal

echo Displaying file contents line by line:
FOR /F %%line IN (data.txt) DO (
    echo %%line
)

endlocal

Available Sub-options

Option	Description
`delims=chars`	Delimiter characters (default: space and tab)
`tokens=n`	Which token(s) to extract
`skip=n`	Number of lines to skip at the start
`eol=char`	Treat lines starting with this character as comments
`usebackq`	Treat backtick as command, single-quote as string, double-quote for paths with spaces

Example: Process a CSV File

@echo off
setlocal

echo Processing name,age,city CSV:
FOR /F "tokens=1,2,3 delims=," %%a IN (users.csv) DO (
    echo Name: %%a / Age: %%b / City: %%c
)

endlocal

With users.csv containing:

Alice,25,New York
Bob,30,Los Angeles
Charlie,28,Chicago

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>read_csv.cmd

Processing name,age,city CSV:

Name: Alice / Age: 25 / City: New York

Name: Bob / Age: 30 / City: Los Angeles

Name: Charlie / Age: 28 / City: Chicago

C:\users\user>

Process Command Output

Wrap a command in backticks to iterate over its output.

@echo off
setlocal

echo Counting files in the current directory:
set count=0
FOR /F %%f IN ('dir /b /a-d') DO (
    set /a count+=1
)
echo File count: %count%

endlocal

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>process_output.cmd

Counting files in the current directory:

File count: 5

C:\users\user>

Variable Modifiers

FOR variables support modifiers to extract file information.

Modifier	Description
`%%~f`	Full path
`%%~d`	Drive letter only
`%%~p`	Path without drive
`%%~n`	Filename without extension
`%%~x`	Extension only
`%%~z`	File size in bytes
`%%~t`	File timestamp

Example

@echo off
setlocal

FOR %%f IN (*.txt) DO (
    echo File: %%f
    echo   Full path: %%~ff
    echo   Name: %%~nf
    echo   Extension: %%~xf
    echo   Size: %%~zf bytes
    echo.
)

endlocal

Practical Examples

Bulk Rename Files

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

set prefix=backup_
set count=1

FOR %%f IN (*.txt) DO (
    set newname=%prefix%!count!%%~xf
    echo Renaming %%f to !newname!
    ren "%%f" "!newname!"
    set /a count+=1
)

echo Done.
endlocal

Delete Old Log Files

@echo off
setlocal

echo Deleting log files older than 7 days...
FOR /F "delims=" %%f IN ('forfiles /p "C:\logs" /s /m *.log /d -7 /c "cmd /c echo @path" 2^>nul') DO (
    echo Deleting: %%f
    del "%%f"
)

echo Done.
endlocal

Summary

The FOR command is a powerful tool for looping in batch files.

Key points:

Basic syntax: FOR %%variable IN (set) DO command
/L option: Loop over a numeric range (start, step, end)
/D option: Iterate over directories only
/R option: Recursive loop including subdirectories
/F option: Read file contents or process command output

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#Command Prompt #Batch File #FOR #Loop #Command

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for - Loop Command

Basic Syntax of the FOR Command

Basic Example

Iterating Over Files

/L Option: Loop Over a Numeric Range

Count from 1 to 5

Countdown in Steps of 2

/D Option: Iterate Over Directories

Example

/R Option: Recursive Loop Including Subdirectories

Example: Search All .txt Files

/F Option: Read File Contents or Command Output

Process Each Line of a Text File

Available Sub-options

Example: Process a CSV File

Process Command Output

Variable Modifiers

Example

Practical Examples

Bulk Rename Files

Delete Old Log Files

Summary

Practice Quiz

Related Commands