Net Send command

Microsoft Windows offers an easy method to send short messages to other computers, users, and even entire workgroups on the local network - it's a WinPopup message / Nets end message (in Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003). NET SEND command is a part of NET command.

Note: Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 no longer have net send command. You can try to use msg command instead of net send, but msg.exe is only available in professional and business editions. Our LanTalk LAN messenger is a better choice to replace net send or msg command, because it's flexible and much more powerful. LanTalk supports command line interface and fast message broadcasting.

By default, under Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003, there is no program like Winpopup. In other words, there is no GUI software to send messages over the network—only a command line tool named Netsend command. This command is often used by network administrators to notify users on the network about important news and events.

If you need an effective Windows application to send messages and network alerts between networked computers (users), take a look at our LanTalk NET or net send compatible messenger LanTalk XP.

In the NT-based Windows systems, two system components allow you to send and receive WinPopup messages: Netsend command and Messenger service.

Incoming messages from other Windows systems are displayed in a simple Message box, without any buttons except OK. This is the messenger service. This service does not store any messages in memory or in files and can't navigate over the received messages either. One message, one message box. When you close it, you lose it.

Note: You shouldn't install any special software or start up any special program to receive messages. This notification system is always active unless you have disabled the Messenger service. Messenger service has been automatically disabled in Windows XP service pack 2. You should enable it manually in this case. Click here to learn about messenger service and how to find and start it.

To send Winpopup messages ( net send messages ), you need to open a Command Prompt Window ( DOS-box ), and use the NET command with send parameter. To get some more help about available options of the NET command, type : NET ? , for more info on a option, type: NET ? :

To send WinPopup messages (net send messages), you need to open a Command Prompt Window (DOS-box), and use the NET command with send parameter. To get more help about available options of NET command, type : NET ?; for more info on an option, type: NET option ?:

To send a message, please type: net send name_of_user_or_computer the_text

Define the name of a user (who is logged on to the network) or a computer name (as defined in the Network neighborhood), followed by a short message text. As in Winpopup, the system will determine if the name of the target user or computer is valid or not and notify you if this user or computer is not accessible.

When sending a message to the whole Workgroup or Domain, it will be displayed on all computers in the Workgroup or Domain. Be careful with this feature! Many times this feature has caused some funny and sometimes not really funny things in big office networks.

As noted above, NT-based systems have Netsend command to send messages (msg command in Windows Vista and Windows 7) and Messenger service to receive them (Windows Vista and Windows 7 have their own service as part of the terminal server component). In the old Windows version (Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me), only the WinPopup application is available, and there are no command line tools.

We have a small and free utility that works in all Windows versions called Netsend command. You can use it for free if you cannot use net send command in your system.