The Choice Command

choice displays a prompt and waits for a single keypress from a restricted set of options, then sets errorlevel to the 1-based position of the key pressed, so choice /c YNC waiting for Y, N, or C sets errorlevel to 1, 2, or 3 respectively. This is more robust than set /p for menu selection because choice validates the keypress against the allowed set automatically, rejecting anything else without needing manual validation logic in the script. The default option set, if /c is omitted, is just Y and N, mirroring the classic yes/no confirmation prompt.

The /t switch adds a timeout in seconds combined with /d to specify a default choice if the user does not respond in time, useful for unattended scripts that should proceed automatically rather than hang forever waiting for input: choice /c YN /t 10 /d Y waits 10 seconds then auto-selects Y. By default choice is case-insensitive, but /cs makes it case-sensitive, distinguishing an uppercase Y from a lowercase y as different valid keys. The /m switch supplies a custom message text shown alongside the option list, and /n hides the auto-generated [Y,N]? hint text that choice normally appends.

Case sensitivity matters most in scripts intended to accept both a shortcut key and a more mnemonic alternative, such as distinguishing lowercase y for a quick yes from uppercase Y reserved for a different, more destructive confirmation, which requires /cs. Custom messages via /m "Delete all files? " replace choice's default generic prompt, producing friendlier, context-specific interfaces without needing a separate echo line before the choice call. Combining /n (no hint text) with /m gives full control over exactly what is displayed, letting a script's prompt look identical across different choice calls throughout a longer, more polished interactive tool.