Bijay Kumar

Bijay Kumar is the author behind PowerShellFAQs.com, where he writes practical PowerShell tutorials for Windows administrators, developers and IT pros, from everyday file and string tasks to full automation scripts. Every example is tested in both PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1 before it is published. Bijay is a 13-times Microsoft MVP with more than 15 years in the software industry, including work with HP and TCS. Read more.

How to Exit a PowerShell Script (exit, return, break)

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PowerShell 7 console showing a script that stops with exit 2 and the $LASTEXITCODE value

To exit a PowerShell script, use the exit keyword, optionally with an exit code such as exit 2. The script stops on that line, and the caller reads the number from $LASTEXITCODE. Here’s Check-Backup.ps1: Without a Backups folder, it stops early: Output: In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to exit a PowerShell script with … Read more

Invoke-Sqlcmd: Run SQL Server Queries from PowerShell

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Invoke-Sqlcmd running a SQL Server query from PowerShell

Your weekly sales numbers live in SQL Server, and you’re tired of opening SQL Server Management Studio just to copy them into a spreadsheet. PowerShell can ask the database directly and hand the rows back as objects. Quick answer: use Invoke-Sqlcmd from the SqlServer module to run a SQL query in PowerShell. Give it the … Read more

How to Run a Batch File from PowerShell (5 Methods)

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Run a batch file from PowerShell with the call operator

To run a batch file from PowerShell, type the call operator and the file’s full path in quotes, then any arguments: Inside its folder, .\backup.bat works too. Plain backup.bat fails, as you’ll see. In this tutorial, I’ll show you five ways to run a batch file from PowerShell, plus arguments, exit codes, output and environment … Read more

PowerShell Aliases: List, Create and Remove

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PowerShell alias count and the curl and wget aliases checked in PowerShell 7

Short on keystrokes? A PowerShell alias is a nickname for a command. Set-Alias creates one, and Get-Alias shows what it points to: In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to list, create, protect, remove and keep a PowerShell alias, and where PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1 disagree. What is a PowerShell alias? An alias … Read more

Run a PowerShell Script on a Remote Computer (Invoke-Command)

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Invoke-Command PowerShell parameters checked in PowerShell 7

To run a PowerShell script on a remote computer, use Invoke-Command with -ComputerName and either a scriptblock or -FilePath. This one line sends a local .ps1 file to a sales PC and runs it there: In this tutorial, I’ll show you how Invoke-Command in PowerShell works with one or many computers, how to pass local … Read more

Run a PowerShell Script with Task Scheduler (Step by Step)

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Run a PowerShell script from Task Scheduler: Edit Action with powershell.exe and -File arguments

To run a PowerShell script from Task Scheduler, don’t point the task at the .ps1 file. Point it at powershell.exe and pass the script with -File, using this in the task’s Add arguments box: In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to run a PowerShell script from Task Scheduler by building a real daily task, … Read more

PowerShell Sleep: Pause a Script with Start-Sleep

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PowerShell sleep with Start-Sleep -Seconds measured by a stopwatch

A nightly order import for an Austin coffee roaster kept failing because it read the vendor’s file before the upload finished. The PowerShell sleep command fixed it: Start-Sleep pauses the script, then the next line runs. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how PowerShell sleep works with seconds, milliseconds and a TimeSpan, how to wait … Read more

How to Use 7-Zip from the Command Line in PowerShell

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Using the 7-Zip command line (7z.exe) in PowerShell

Our Denver office sends three city sales folders to an auditor monthly, and Compress-Archive can’t add a password. To use the 7-Zip command line in PowerShell, call 7z.exe by its full path with the & operator: In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through the 7-Zip command line from PowerShell: archives, passwords, exit codes and the … Read more

Convert Bytes to KB, MB, GB and TB in PowerShell

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PowerShell Get-ChildItem showing file sizes converted from bytes to KB and MB

To convert bytes to KB, MB or GB in PowerShell, divide the number by the built-in literal 1KB, 1MB or 1GB. Here’s 5,368,709,120 bytes in gigabytes: Output: In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to convert bytes to KB, MB, GB and TB, round the result, pick the best unit and convert back, tested in … Read more