PowerShell FAQ

What is PowerShell?

PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language.

Why use PowerShell?

it's powerful: fully control your computer
it's cross-platform: available for Linux, Mac OS and Windows
it's open-source and free: see the Github repository at https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell
it's easy to learn: see the tutorial at https://www.guru99.com/powershell-tutorial.html
it's fully documented: see the official docs at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/

How to get PowerShell?

On Windows 7 and newer PowerShell is provided by default. However, script execution is not allowed by default (execution policy is "restricted"). To enable this, enter as administrator:
```
$ Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
```
On CentOS, Debian, Docker, Fedora, macOS, openSUSE, Red Hat, Ubuntu visit https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell for installation.

Want to use Snaps? Install the PowerShell snap by executing:

$ snap install PowerShell
$ ln -s /snap/bin/pwsh /usr/bin/pwsh

How to get the PowerShell Scripts?

Git users execute: $ git clone https://github.com/fleschutz/PowerShell
otherwise download it from: https://github.com/fleschutz/PowerShell/archive/master.zip

Why do some Scripts show gibberish characters?

Those PowerShell scripts are using Unicode input & output! Use a modern console supporting UTF-8 such as Windows Terminal, please.

How to set PowerShell as My Default Shell on Linux?

Make sure PowerShell is installed, then execute: chsh -s /usr/bin/pwsh <username>. In case you experience an "invalid shell" error, add "/usr/bin/pwsh" to /etc/shells.

How to add the Scripts to the Search Path?

Want to use the PowerShell scripts everywhere on the command-line? Then you need to add the Scripts/ subfolder to the search path:

On Linux using Bash: edit .profile in your home directory and add the line: PATH="$PATH:/path/to/PowerShell/Scripts"
On Windows: open the environment variables dialogue and add the full path to Scripts/ to the system environment variable "Path"

How to use PowerShell in Context Menus?

to enable "right-click > New > Windows PowerShell Script" execute Add_ps1_to_New_context_menu.reg in subfolder Data/
to disable this execute Remove_ps1_from_New_context_menu.reg in subfolder Data/

How to edit the PowerShell Scripts?

use PowerShell ISE (Integrated Scripting Environment) to write, test and debug scripts (available for free on Windows only).
use Visual Studio Code supporting syntax highlighting, on-the-fly problem checking and an integrated PowerShell Console (available for free on Linux, Mac OS and Windows).
or simply use your favorite text editor

How to write good PowerShell Scripts?

Good PowerShell scripts are user-friendly and platform-independant. As a guideline follow these rules, please:

the filename is named using the <verb>-<object>.ps1 scheme
the encoding is UTF-8-BOM to support and use Unicode characters (including emojis where appropriate)
the script has execute file permissions: chmod a+rx (for Linux support)
provide a comment-based help with syntax, description, link, author, and license
check the requirements (e.g. #Requires -RunAsAdministrator, or #Requires -Version 3)
prefer command-line options, else ask the user for help
recommended is Set-StrictMode -Version Latest to enable additional error checking
for readibility use UpperCamelCase for variables and functions, lowerCamelCase for everything else
on error call write-error with keyword "ERROR:" (to support log parsers) and exit the error code (mostly 1)
on success exit with error code 0 (exit 0)

Your Question is not answered here?

Send your question to: markus [at] fleschutz [dot] de

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