How To Clear Cmd In Cisco?

While a dedicated cls or clear command to wipe the screen's visual output does not exist in standard Cisco IOS, there are several methods to achieve this effect. The approach depends on whether you are using a real device via a terminal emulator or a simulated environment like Cisco Packet Tracer.

Method 1: Using your terminal emulator's functionality

The most common and effective way to clear the screen is by using features in the terminal emulator you are using to access the Cisco device (e.g., PuTTY, SecureCRT, Tera Term). The Cisco device itself is only sending text, and your emulator controls how that text is displayed.

• PuTTY: Right-click the title bar of the PuTTY window, and select Reset Terminal > Clear scrollback.
• SecureCRT: Press Ctrl + L.
• Tera Term: Go to Edit > Clear screen.

Method 2: Rapidly press the Enter key

This "caveman" approach simply scrolls all the previous output off the screen and out of the viewable buffer. It is a universal method that works regardless of your terminal emulator.

• Steps: Press the Enter key repeatedly until the desired output is no longer visible.

Method 3: For Cisco Packet Tracer

For Cisco's simulation software, there are a few options if you need to clear a PC's command prompt (the equivalent of a terminal).

• GUI Method: Click the Extensions menu at the top, select Clear Terminal Agents, and choose the device you want to clear.
• Restart the device: Turn the virtual PC off and on again.
• Restart Packet Tracer: The ultimate solution is to save your work, exit Packet Tracer, and reopen it.

Method 4: Create a custom alias (advanced)

For power users, you can create a custom menu and an alias to simulate a cls command in Cisco IOS. This is an advanced technique that is more complex than the other methods.

• Create the menu:``` (config)# menu CLEARSCREEN (config-menu)# command 1 (config-menu-menu-1)# clear-screen (config-menu-menu-1)# menu-exit (config-menu)# default 1 (config-menu)# end

• Create the alias:``` (config)# alias exec cls menu CLEARSCREEN

• To use it: Simply type cls at the prompt.

Understanding the difference: clearing output vs. clearing configuration

It is crucial to distinguish between clearing the terminal screen and deleting the configuration. The clear command in Cisco IOS typically refers to deleting saved configurations, statistics, or logs—it does not clear the screen.

In summary: Clearing the screen is a function of the terminal software, not the Cisco device itself. For most practical purposes, using your terminal emulator's clear function or simply pressing Enter repeatedly is the most direct solution.