Beginner's Guide to the 'Show' Command in Cisco User EXEC Mode

 

In Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System), when you're in user EXEC mode, you can run basic monitoring commands, but not configuration commands. The prompt typically looks like this:

Router>

Here are some common commands you can use in user EXEC mode:

Basic show Commands in User EXEC Mode

Command	Description
show version	Displays IOS version, router uptime, and hardware details.
show ip interface brief	Gives a summary of the IP status of all interfaces.
show interfaces	Displays detailed interface information.
show running-config	May not be available in user EXEC — typically requires privileged EXEC mode.
show arp	Displays ARP table (if supported).
show clock	Displays system time.
show history	Shows recently used commands.
show users	Displays users currently accessing the device.