Wmic is not recognised as an internal or external command

In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the “WMIC Is Not Recognized As An Internal Or External Command” error on your Windows PC. Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line utility is used by many users to get hold of some crucial information relating to their PC.

For example, you could find your PC’s serial number, model number, and BIOS version, view the RAM and storage capacity, and check out other related data. However, many users have voiced their concern that whenever they are trying to execute this command, they are instead being greeted with the “WMIC Is Not Recognized As An Internal Or External Command” error.

As far as the reason for this error is concerned, it could be attributed to issues with the Windows Management Instrumentation service or the incorrect/missing path of the WMIC environmental variable. So in this guide, we will be addressing them which in turn should help you fix the WMIC error. So without further ado, let’s get started. 

  • Fix Wmic is not recognized as an internal or external command operable program or batch file
    • FIX 1: Restart Windows Management Instrumentation Service
    • FIX 2: Correct the Path of WMIC

Fix Wmic is not recognized as an internal or external command operable program or batch file

Wmic is not recognised as an internal or external command

It is recommended that you try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and then see which one spells out success for you. So with that in mind, let’s get started.

FIX 1: Restart Windows Management Instrumentation Service

If the Windows Management Instrumentation Service is corrupted or not functioning along the expected lines, then its repercussions are bound to be faced by WMIC. Therefore, you. should consider restarting this service and then check out the results. Here’s how it could be done:

  1. To begin with, bring up Run via Windows+R shortcut and type in the below command
    services.msc
  2. Then double click on the Windows Management Instrumentation service to open it.
    Wmic is not recognised as an internal or external command
  3. Now click Stop change its Startup Type to Automatic, and hit Start. Then click Apply > OK.
  4. Check if it fixes the “WMIC Is Not Recognized As An Internal Or External Command” error.

FIX 2: Correct the Path of WMIC

If the WMIC path has been incorrectly set up or if it is altogether missing from your PC, then both of these issues could lead to the WMIC error. So proceed with the below steps to address this concern right away.

  1. Laucnh Run via Windows+R and type in the below command:
    sysdm.cpl
  2. Then go to the Advanced tab and click on Environmental Variable.
    Wmic is not recognised as an internal or external command
  3. Now select wmic under System Variable and click Edit [if it is missing, click on Add].
    Wmic is not recognised as an internal or external command
  4. Now make sure that the variable name and values are as follows [or add if it’s missing]:
    Variable Name: wmic
    Variable Value: C:\Windows\System32\wbem\WMIC.exe

    Wmic is not recognised as an internal or external command

  5. Finally hit OK to save the changes. This should fix the underlying issue.

That’s it. These were the two different methods to fix the “WMIC Is Not Recognized As An Internal Or External Command” error in Windows. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.


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A technical geek by birth, he always has a keen interest in the Android platform right since the birth of the HTC Dream. The open-source environment always seems to intrigue him with the plethora of options available at his fingertips. “MBA by profession, blogger by choice!”

How do you fix WMIC is not recognized as an internal or external command operable program or batch file?

Open Control Panel > System > Advanced System settings. ... .
Click Environment variables button and select the System Variables section..
Edit Path variable and add C:\Windows\System32\wbem\ to the beginning of the path followed by semicolon ( ";" ) character. ... .
Save the change made to PATH environment variable..

How do you fix is not recognized as an internal or external command?

You can resolve this issue in three ways: First, use the full path of the executable file to launch the program. Second, add the program path to Windows environment variables. Finally, move the files to the System32 folder.

How do I install WMIC?

How to: Install software remotely using wmic.
Step 1: Load up a command shell with appropriate access permissions. ... .
Step 2: Step into WMIC. ... .
Step 3: Call the installation (for a single machine) ... .
Step 4: Call the installation (for a list of machines).

How do I run a WMIC command?

Open a command prompt. Type WMIC to invoke the program, and hit enter. This will give you the WMIC command prompt, wmic:root\cli> From here, you can run WMI queries.