How to Chat Over LAN With Command Prompt

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: June 8, 2021

Do you want to chat with your friends over a LAN? This wikiHow will teach you how to chat over LAN using Command Prompt. To do this, the computers need to be connected to the same network.

Steps

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Launch Command Prompt. You can find it by pressing the Windows key and typing "cmd." A search window will appear with the Command Prompt app as the first search result. Click that, and Command Prompt will open.
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Type the command to send a message.
- msg /SERVER:COMPUTERNAME * /TIME:60 "Hello! This message will close in 60 seconds"
- Replace "COMPUTERNAME" with the name of the PC you're trying to send the chat to (check your local network for the name of this computer if you don't know it).
- Replace the text that appears between the quotation marks with the message you want to send.
- Replace the value for "Time" to change how long the message will appear on their screen (60 means 60 seconds).
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Press ↵ Enter. The message should send to the other computer for the time specified.
- If that command isn't working and you're running a version older than Windows 10, try entering net send ip address "Is this message working?". Replace "ip address" with the local IP address of the computer you're trying to send the message to.^{[1]
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How do I do this in windows 10?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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The above method will work for Windows 10. Earlier versions of Windows has different coding.

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What does the message appear as on the other computer?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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It'll appear as a pop-up terminal window on the other computer that's on the same network.

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So, do I use [Hi!] or just say Hi!?

Community Answer

You type it without the [ ]. They commonly just represent a placeholder.

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