Goto and Labels

A label in a batch file is a line starting with a colon, like :START, and marks a jump target; goto START transfers execution immediately to that line, skipping everything in between. Unlike structured loops, goto performs an unconditional jump with no implicit return, so batch files often combine goto with if to build conditional loops, such as a retry loop that jumps back to :START until a condition is met. Labels are local to the file they appear in and are not case-sensitive, so :End and goto end refer to the same location.

call :LABEL invokes a labeled section as a subroutine and returns to the line after the call once exit /b is reached, unlike plain goto, which never returns. This lets a script reuse a block of logic from multiple places without duplicating code, similar to a function in other languages, and parameters can be passed as call :Greet %%NAME%%, read inside the subroutine as %1. Placing exit /b at the very top of the script, before any labels, is essential when subroutines are defined below the main logic, otherwise execution would fall through into the first label's code unintentionally.

A common real-world pattern combines choice or set /p with goto to build a text menu: the script displays options, reads the user's selection, and uses if statements to goto the matching labeled section, looping back to the menu with goto MENU after each action completes. This structure avoids needing actual loop constructs for indefinite repetition, since goto combined with a label placed above the input prompt naturally creates a repeat-until-exit loop. Care must be taken to include an explicit exit path (an exit or goto END on a quit option), or the menu will loop forever with no way out.