PowerShell Pro Tips
Why PowerShell Still Matters in 2025 ?
PowerShell is more than just a command-line interface — it’s a powerful scripting language built for automation, system administration, and managing Microsoft environments at scale. Whether you’re working on-prem, in the cloud, or across platforms, PowerShell gives you control, speed, and consistency.
What Makes PowerShell Stand Out ?
- Automation-First
Automate tasks like managing files, services, users, or registry entries — saving time and reducing human error.
- Built on .NET
Tap directly into the .NET Framework or .NET Core, giving you access to powerful logic and data handling.
- Object-Oriented Pipeline
Pass rich objects (not plain text) between commands, making filtering and manipulation easier and more reliable.
- Modular and Extensible
Thousands of built-in cmdlets — plus custom modules for Active Directory, Exchange, Azure, and more.
- Remote Management
Use PowerShell Remoting to control other machines securely from a single console.
- Cross-Platform Support
With PowerShell Core, you can run your scripts on Windows, macOS, and Linux — a game-changer for hybrid environments.
- Advanced Debugging & Error Handling
Step through scripts, catch exceptions, and build reliable, production-grade automation.
- Security First
Execution policies, JEA (Just Enough Administration), and script signing help enforce security standards.
- Community-Powered
Vast community support, Microsoft documentation, and real-world use cases make learning PowerShell fast and practical.
What Can You Do With PowerShell?
- Monitor CPU, memory, disk space, or event logs in real-time.
- Manage user accounts and permissions in Active Directory.
- Configure servers, install software, and apply Windows updates.
- Automate Azure resources and cloud workflows with ease.
Below are some Essential Commands Every Admin Should Master
Get-Command
Displays all available cmdlets, functions, workflows, aliases, and applications in your PowerShell session. Use -Noun or -Verb to filter. Helpful when discovering capabilities.
[Microsoft Docs]
Get-Command -Noun Service
Best Practice: Use filters like -Noun or -Verb to narrow results.
Set-ExecutionPolicy
Configures the PowerShell script execution policy. Use this to allow or restrict script execution (e.g., Restricted, RemoteSigned, Unrestricted).
[Microsoft Docs]
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
Best Practice: Set the policy to the least permissive setting required for your scripts.
Get-Service
Retrieves the status of services on a local or remote computer. Filter with -Name or Where-Object for custom views.
[Microsoft Docs]
Get-Service -Name wuauserv
xcopy
Legacy command for copying multiple files and directories. Supports advanced options like copying hidden/system files or preserving attributes.
/c Ignores errors.
/e Copies all subdirectories, even if they’re empty. Use /e with the /s and /t command-line options.
/h Copies files with hidden and system file attributes. By default, xcopy doesn’t copy hidden or system files
/i If source is a directory or contains wildcards and destination doesn’t exist, xcopy assumes destination specifies a directory name and creates a new directory.
[Microsoft Docs]
xcopy C:\Source D:\Backup /E /H /C /I
diskpart
Opens the disk partitioning tool. Useful for initializing, formatting, and managing volumes and partitions. Once in diskpart, use commands like list disk, select disk, and clean.
[Microsoft Docs]
diskpart
Enter-PSSession
Starts an interactive session with a remote computer. Typically used for one-on-one remote PowerShell interaction.
[Microsoft Docs]
Enter-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -Credential (Get-Credential)
Invoke-Command
Runs PowerShell commands on local or remote computers. Ideal for remote automation and scripting.
[Microsoft Docs]
Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server01 -ScriptBlock { Get-Service }
Best Practice: Use for automation and remote management. Secure with proper credentials.
Get-Process
Retrieves information about processes running on a computer. Helps monitor usage or troubleshoot.
[Microsoft Docs]
Get-Process -Name explorer
Get-EventLog
Retrieves entries from event logs on local or remote machines. Useful for audit and troubleshooting.
[Microsoft Docs]
Get-EventLog -LogName System -Newest 20
Best Practice: Use for auditing and troubleshooting. Filter by event type and source.
Copy-Item
Copies files and folders. Unlike xcopy, it’s object-based and integrates with the pipeline.
[Microsoft Docs]
Copy-Item -Path C:\Source -Destination D:\Backup -Recurse
Remove-Item
Deletes files, folders, and registry keys. Use -Recurse to delete directories and their contents.
[Microsoft Docs]
Remove-Item -Path D:\Temp -Recurse -Force
Get-History
Displays the list of previously executed commands in the current session. Useful for recall or logging.
[Microsoft Docs]
Get-History | Format-List
Test-Connection & Test-NetConnection
Verifies connectivity to a network device or server. Test-Connection is like ping; Test-NetConnection provides detailed network diagnostics.
[Test-Connection]
[Test-NetConnection]
Test-Connection google.com -Count 4
Get-NetIPAddress & ipconfig
Shows IP configuration details. Use Get-NetIPAddress in scripts, or ipconfig for quick CLI usage.
[Get-NetIPAddress]
[ipconfig]
Get-NetIPAddress | Where-Object { $_.AddressFamily -eq 'IPv4' }
Rename-Item
Renames a file or folder. Can be used to batch rename items with scripting.
[Microsoft Docs]
Rename-Item -Path C:\OldName.txt -NewName NewName.txt
Rename-Computer
Changes the computer’s name and optionally restarts it. Useful during deployments or renaming standards.
[Microsoft Docs]
Rename-Computer -NewName "NewHost01" -Restart
Get-CimInstance
Queries CIM classes for system info (e.g., CPU, memory, disk). More modern than Get-WmiObject.
[Microsoft Docs]
Get-CimInstance Win32_Processor | Measure-Object -Property LoadPercentage -Average | Select Average
Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem | Select-Object FreePhysicalMemory, TotalVisibleMemorySize
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_LogicalDisk
