The pause command is used to temporarily stop the execution of a Script. This can be helpful for debugging or for giving the user time to review the output before the script continues.

Usage

C:\Users\username> pause

When this Command is ran, the output will pause with the text "Press any key to Continue. . .", waiting for the user to press any key to proceed. It’s particularly useful when working with scripts that you want to step through interactively.

Use in Batch Scripts

Customized Message

You can change the default message with the echo Commad.

@echo off
echo Please read this information and press any key to proceed.
pause >nul

• >nul prevents the default message from appearing, leaving only your custom message.

Error Handling

If you're debugging, adding pause after a crucial step lets you inspect the output before the script continues. For example:

echo Checking files...
dir
pause
echo All files have been listed.

Automation

In automated workflows, pressing a key manually isn't ideal. You can use environment variables or arguments to bypass pause when running a script in a non-interactive setup.

Instead of using pause, you can modify your Script so it detects when it’s running in an automated or a non-interactive mode. For example, you can use conditions or arguments to bypass the pause command.

@echo off
if "%1"=="auto" goto skipPause
echo This script requires manual input.
pause
:skipPause
echo Script continues...

• If you run the script normally (e.g., script.bat), it will pause.
• If you run it with the argument auto (e.g., script.bat auto), it will skip the pause.

Alternatives to use instead of pause

choice

Gives the user specific keys to press, like "Y" or "N".

timeout

Waits a set number of seconds and then proceeds without user input:

timeout /t 10

5. For Compatibility: Note that pause works across different versions of Windows, making it a reliable command for simple debugging or user interaction.