PowerShell Language Reference

cmdlets

Add-Content - Appends content to a specified item or file. 
Add-History - Appends entries to the session history. 
Add-Member - Adds a user-defined custom member to an insta... 
Add-PSSnapin - Adds one or more Windows PowerShell snap-ins ... 
Clear-Content - Deletes the contents of a item, such as delet... 
Clear-ItemProperty - Deletes the value of a property but it does n... 
Clear-Variable - Deletes the value of a variable. 
Compare-Object - Compares two sets of objects. 
Convert-Path - Converts a path from a Windows PowerShell pat... 
ConvertTo-Html - Creates an HTML page that represents an objec... 
ConvertTo-SecureString - Converts encrypted standard strings to secure... 
Copy-Item - Copies an item from one location to another w... 
Copy-ItemProperty - Copies a property and value from a specified ... 
Export-Alias - Exports information about currently-defined a... 
Export-Clixml - Creates an XML-based representation of an obj... 
Export-Console - Exports the configuration of the current cons... 
Export-Csv - Creates a comma-separated values (CSV) file t... 
ForEach-Object - Performs an operation against each of a set o... 
Format-Custom - Uses a customized view to format the output. 
Format-List - Formats the output as a list of properties in... 
Format-Table - Formats the output as a table. 
Format-Wide - Formats objects as a wide table that displays... 
Get-Acl - Gets the security descriptor for a resource, ... 
Get-Alias - Gets the aliases for the current session. 
Get-AuthenticodeSignature - Gets information about the Authenticode signa... 
Get-ChildItem - Gets the items and child items in one or more... 
Get-Command - Gets basic information about cmdlets and abou... 
Get-Content - Gets the content of the item at the specified... 
Get-Credential - Gets a credential object based on a user name... 
Get-Culture - Gets information about the regional settings ... 
Get-Date - Gets the current date and time. 
Get-EventLog - Gets information about local event logs or th... 
Get-ExecutionPolicy - Gets the current execution policy for the she... 
Get-Help - Displays information about Windows PowerShell... 
Get-History - Gets a list of the commands entered during th... 
Get-Host - Gets a reference to the current console host ... 
Get-Item - Gets the item at the specified location. 
Get-ItemProperty - Retrieves the properties of a specified item. 
Get-Location - Gets information about the current working lo... 
Get-Member - Gets information about objects or collections... 
Get-PfxCertificate - Gets information about .pfx certificate files... 
Get-Process - Gets the processes that are running on the lo... 
Get-PSDrive - Gets information about Windows PowerShell dri... 
Get-PSProvider - Gets information about the specified Windows ... 
Get-PSSnapin - Gets the Windows PowerShell snap-ins on the c... 
Get-Service - Gets the services on the local computer. 
Get-TraceSource - Gets the Windows PowerShell components that a... 
Get-UICulture - gets information about the current user inter... 
Get-Unique - Returns the unique items from a sorted list. 
Get-Variable - Gets the variables in the current console. 
Get-WmiObject - Gets instances of WMI classes or information ... 
Group-Object - Groups objects that contain the same value fo... 
Import-Alias - Imports an alias list from a file. 
Import-Clixml - Imports a CLIXML file and creates correspondi... 
Import-Csv - Imports comma-separated value (CSV) files in ... 
Invoke-Expression - Runs a Windows PowerShell expression that is ... 
Invoke-History - Runs commands from the session history. 
Invoke-Item - Invokes the provider-specific default action ... 
Join-Path - Combines a path and child-path into a single ... 
Measure-Command - Measures the time it takes to run script bloc... 
Measure-Object - Measures characteristics of objects and their... 
Move-Item - Moves an item from one location to another. 
Move-ItemProperty - Moves a property from one location to another... 
New-Alias - Creates a new alias. 
New-Item - Creates a new item in a namespace. 
New-ItemProperty - Sets a new property of an item at a location. 
New-Object - Creates an instance of a .Net or COM object. 
New-PSDrive - Installs a new WIndows PowerShell drive. 
New-Service - Creates a new entry for a Windows Service in ... 
New-TimeSpan - Creates a TimeSpan object. 
New-Variable - Creates a new variable. 
Out-Default - Send the output to the default formatter and ... 
Out-File - Sends output to a file. 
Out-Host - Sends output to the command line. 
Out-Null - Deletes output instead of sending it to the c... 
Out-Printer - Sends output to a printer. 
Out-String - Sends objects to the host as a series of stri... 
Pop-Location - Changes the current location to the location ... 
Push-Location - Pushes the current location onto the stack. 
Read-Host - Reads a line of input from the console. 
Remove-Item - Deletes the specified items. 
Remove-ItemProperty - Deletes the property and its value from an it... 
Remove-PSDrive - Removes a Windows PowerShell drive from its l... 
Remove-PSSnapin - Removes Windows PowerShell snap-ins from the ... 
Remove-Variable - Deletes a variable and its value. 
Rename-Item - Renames an item in a Windows PowerShell provi... 
Rename-ItemProperty - Renames a property of an item. 
Resolve-Path - Resolves the wildcard characters in a path an... 
Restart-Service - Stops and then starts one or more services. 
Resume-Service - Resumes one or more suspended (paused) servic... 
Select-Object - Selects specified properties of an object or ... 
Select-String - Identifies patterns in strings. 
Set-Acl - Changes the security descriptor of a specifie... 
Set-Alias - Creates or changes an alias (alternate name) ... 
Set-AuthenticodeSignature - Uses an authenticode signature to sign a Wind... 
Set-Content - Writes or replaces the content in an item wit... 
Set-Date - Changes the system time on the computer to a ... 
Set-ExecutionPolicy - Changes the user preference for the execution... 
Set-Item - Changes the value of an item to the value spe... 
Set-ItemProperty - Sets the value of a property at the specified... 
Set-Location - Sets the current working location to a specif... 
Set-PSDebug - Turns script debugging features on and off, s... 
Set-Service - Changes the display name, description, or sta... 
Set-TraceSource - Configures, starts, and stops a trace of Wind... 
Set-Variable - Sets the value of a variable. Creates the var... 
Sort-Object - Sorts objects by property values. 
Split-Path - Returns the specified part of a path. 
Start-Service - Starts one or more stopped services. 
Start-Sleep - Suspend shell, script, or runspace activity f... 
Start-Transcript - Creates a record of all or part of a Windows ... 
Stop-Process - Stops one or more running processes. 
Stop-Service - Stops one or more running services. 
Stop-Transcript - Stops a transcript. 
Suspend-Service - Suspends (pauses) one or more running service... 
Tee-Object - Pipes object input to a file or variable, the... 
Test-Path - Determines whether all elements of a path exi... 
Update-FormatData - Updates and appends format data files. 
Update-TypeData - Updates the current extended type configurati... 
Where-Object - Creates a filter that controls which objects ... 
Write-Debug - Writes a debug message to the host display. 
Write-Error - Writes an object to the error pipeline 
Write-Host - Displays objects by using the host user inter... 
Write-Output - Writes objects to the success pipeline. 
Write-Progress - Displays a progress bar within a Windows Powe... 
Write-Verbose - Writes a string to the verbose display of the... 
Write-Warning - Writes a warning message. 

Statements

Else - Executes a group of statements if a condition... 
ElseIf - Specifies additional conditional actions in a... 
If - Executes a group of statements based on a con... 

Variables

$$ - Contains the last token of last line input in... 
$? - Contains that success/fail status of the last... 
$^ - Contains the first token of the last line inp... 
$Args - Used in creating functions that require param... 
$DebugPreference - The action to take when data is written via w... 
$Error - The error object is saved here if an error oc... 
$ErrorActionPreference - The action to take when data is written via w... 
$false - Boolean FALSE  
$foreach - Refers to the enumerator in a foreach loop.  
$HistorySize - Number of entries saved in the command histor... 
$HOME - The user's home directory 
$Host - Information about the currently executing hos... 
$Input - Input piped to a function or code block 
$LastExitCode - The exit code of the last native application ... 
$Match - A hash table consisting of items found by the... 
$MshHome - The directory where msh is installed 
$MyInvocation - Information about the currently script or com... 
$null - A null object 
$OFS - Output Field Separator, used when converting ... 
$PSCommandPath - The paths where .cmdlet and .cmdletprovider f... 
$ShellID - The identifier for the shell.  
$StackTrace - Contains detailed stack trace information abo... 
$true - Boolean TRUE