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PowerShell FAQ

What is PowerShell?

PowerShell is a cross-platform task automation solution made up of a command-line shell, a scripting language, and a configuration management framework. PowerShell runs on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows.

Why use PowerShell?
How to learn PowerShell?
How to install PowerShell on Linux?
  1. Execute on Linux with Snap support:
 $ snap install PowerShell
 $ ln -s /snap/bin/pwsh /usr/bin/pwsh
  1. Otherwise, visit: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell and scroll down to: Get PowerShell.
  2. Want to configure PowerShell as your default shell?
    • Check that the file /etc/shells contains the /usr/bin/pwsh line, otherwise add it.
    • Now execute: chsh -s /usr/bin/pwsh <USERNAME> (replace by your user name).
How to install PowerShell on MacOS?

Please visit: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell and scroll down to: 'Get PowerShell'.

How to install PowerShell on Windows?

It's already preinstalled, but the script execution policy is restricted (forbidden) by default! Open the Windows PowerShell (Admin) console and enter:

> Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

NOTE: the group policy object (GPO) settings of your organization might disallow changes. In that case contact your system administrator for help.

How to get the Mega collection of PowerShell scripts?
  1. When using Git, execute in a terminal window: git clone https://github.com/fleschutz/PowerShell
  2. Otherwise, download and unzip it from: https://github.com/fleschutz/PowerShell/archive/master.zip
How to execute PowerShell scripts on Windows?
  1. In the Windows desktop: right-click the script and select: Execute with PowerShell
  2. On the command-line: launch a terminal application (e.g. Windows Terminal), then type: cd <PATH>, then: ./<SCRIPT>.ps1.
  3. By remote login: use SSH to login to the Windows machine, then type: cd <PATH>, then: ./<SCRIPT>.ps1.
  4. By context menu: see below.
  5. By voice control: see repo talk2windows for more information.
  6. By automation software: see Jenkins.io or AutoHotKey.com for more information.
  7. Automatically on login: see below.
How to execute PowerShell scripts 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/
How to execute PowerShell scripts automatically on login in Windows?
  1. Open the File Explorer with your Autostart folder (usually at: C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup).
  2. Copy the script (or a link to it) into this folder.
How to execute PowerShell scripts in Jenkins?
  1. Install the Jenkins plugin: PowerShell plugin (it uses PowerShell.exe on Windows and pwsh on Linux).
  2. Add or reference your PowerShell scripts in the Jenkins jobs or in your Jenkinsfiles.
What about PowerShell security?
  1. Do NOT execute scripts from untrusted sources!
  2. Check the script content for strange things (that's impossible for executables).
  3. Prefer SSH Remoting instead of PowerShell Remoting
  4. More recommendations by NSA and cyber security centers in the U.S. (CISA), New Zealand (NZ NCSC), and the U.K. (NCSC-UK) can be found here: https://media.defense.gov/2022/Jun/22/2003021689/-1/-1/1/CSI_KEEPING_POWERSHELL_SECURITY_MEASURES_TO_USE_AND_EMBRACE_20220622.PDF
How to get the best PowerShell experience?
  1. Install PowerShell on all your Linux/Mac OS/Windows machines and configure it as default shell.
  2. For remote control install SSH client & server on all your Linux/Mac OS/Windows machines.
  3. Install the free Windows Terminal on Windows with 50% transparency, font 'Fira Code' and no PowerShell banner message.
  4. To edit PowerShell scripts install the free Visual Studio Code with plugin 'PowerShell'.
  5. Install the Mega Collection of PowerShell scripts and set the PATH environment variable to it.
  6. Use an own PowerShell profile, e.g. execute: './update-powershell-profile.ps1'
Why do some scripts show gibberish characters?

Your current terminal application doesn't support Unicode characters used by those PowerShell scripts.

Use a modern one such as Windows Terminal, please.

How to set a custom PowerShell profile?

Execute: ./update-powershell-profile.ps1 in the Scripts subfolder, this will install my-profile.ps1 as your PowerShell profile. It's a nice looking basic profile and can easily be adapted to your needs.

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 (replace '/path/to/)."
  • On Windows: open Settings > System > About > Advanced system settings > Environment Variables, edit the user's variable "Path", and add the full path to the Scripts/ directory.
Which editor to use for PowerShell scripts?
  • Visual Studio Code - it supports 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) - the former official PowerShell development environment included with Microsoft Windows.
  • PowerShell Studio - a powerful PowerShell IDE with module, help, and user interface development tools, high DPI support and regular updates.
  • PowerShell Plus - an all in one IDE.
  • Atom package - an add-on with PowerShell language support for Atom.
  • SublimeText package - an add-on with PowerShell language support for Sublime Text.
  • or simply your favorite text editor as an alternative.
How to remove the banner message in PowerShell?
  • In general: start powershell.exe with option '-nologo'.
  • For Windows Terminal: open Settings > Profiles > Windows PowerShell > Command line and add " -nologo".
How to write good PowerShell scripts?

Good PowerShell scripts are both user-friendly and platform-independent. As a starting point I recommend the following:

  • Use the <verb>-<noun>.ps1 scheme for filenames (e.g. new-symlink.ps1). Official approved verbs can be found here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/developer/cmdlet/approved-verbs-for-windows-powershell-commands
  • Use UTF-8 BOM encoding to support Unicode characters in the script.
  • Add a comment-based help at the beginning with: .SYNOPSIS, .DESCRIPTION, .PARAMETER, .EXAMPLE, .LINK, and .NOTES.
  • Check the requirements for the script, 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 lowerCamelCase to name variables, functions, etc.
  • Set execute file permissions for Linux: chmod a+rx
  • On success exit with error code 0 (exit 0), otherwise print the error with keyword ERROR: (to support log parsers) and exit the error code (mostly 1)
Where's the Star History of this repository?

Star History Chart

How to contribute or how to report a bug?

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

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

How to donate to this project?

Thanks a lot! Just follow this link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Fleschutz

What if my question is not answered here?

Just send your question by e-mail to: markus.fleschutz [at] gmail.com