timeout

Windows CMD · Terminal · reference only

What it does

Waits the given number of seconds, or until a key is pressed. It is the usual way to pause a .bat script.

Syntax

timeout /t segundos [/nobreak]

Options and parameters

• /t segundos

  Seconds to wait; up to 99999 are accepted.

• /t -1

  Waits indefinitely until a key is pressed.

• /nobreak

  Ignores key presses; it can only be interrupted with Ctrl+C.

• > nul

  Hides the countdown message.

Usage examples

• timeout /t 10

  Waits 10 seconds or until a key is pressed.

• timeout /t 5 /nobreak

  Waits 5 seconds without a key press interrupting it.

• timeout /t -1

  Waits until a key is pressed.

• timeout /t 3 > nul

  Waits 3 seconds without showing the countdown.

Notes and common mistakes

• Not to be confused with Linux's timeout command, which limits another program's running time.
• In consoles without input, such as some scheduled tasks, it can fail with an input redirection error.

Related commands

• call
• clip
• cls
• cmd
• color
• echo