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 for beginners at https://www.guru99.com/powershell-tutorial.html

✔️ it's fully documented: see the PowerShell documentation at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/

How to get PowerShell?

Windows 7/Server 2008 R2 and newer already have PowerShell preinstalled (e.g. PowerShell 5.1 on Windows 10). However, script execution is disallowed by default (execution policy is "restricted"). To enable this, enter as administrator:
```
PS> Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
```
On CentOS, Debian, Docker, Fedora, macOS, openSUSE, Red Hat, Ubuntu visit https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell for installation.

On Linux supporting Snaps install PowerShell 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 and unzip: https://github.com/fleschutz/PowerShell/archive/master.zip

Why do some scripts show gibberish characters?

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

How to set PowerShell as 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 Windows 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/

Which editor to use for PowerShell scripts?

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, now recommended by Microsoft).
PowerShell ISE (Integrated Scripting Environment) - Former official PowerShell development environment included with Microsoft Windows.
PowerShell Studio - Powerful PowerShell IDE with module, help, and user interface development tools, high DPI support and regular updates.
PowerShell Plus - All in one IDE.
Atom package - Add-on with PowerShell language support for Atom.
SublimeText package - Add-on with PowerShell language support for Sublime Text.
or your favorite text editor as an alternative.

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 provide Unicode character support
the scripts have execute file permissions: chmod a+rx (for Linux support)
the scripts provide a comment-based help with synopsis, description, parameters, link, author, and license
requirements are checked (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)

Want to contribute or found a bug or issue?

If you find something bad (like a bug, error, or any issue), please report it here by open an Issue.

Or even better: Fork the repository, add or fix the script and submit a pull request, so others can participate too.

Your question is not answered here?

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

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