To get computer information using PowerShell, run Get-ComputerInfo. It returns more than 180 properties about Windows, the hardware and the BIOS. Pick the ones you need with -Property: Output: Notice WindowsProductName says Windows 10 on this Windows 11 PC. It’s a long-standing quirk, and below I show a more reliable way, plus a faster CIM … Read more
To create a CSV file with headers in PowerShell, pipe objects to Export-Csv. The header row comes from the property names, so you never type it yourself: Below I cover custom header names, header-only files, appending, empty values and the spots where PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1 write different files. Create a CSV file … Read more
To export data to a CSV file in PowerShell, pipe objects to Export-Csv and give it a path. Each object becomes a row, and each property becomes a column: Output: Add -NoTypeInformation if the script might run in Windows PowerShell 5.1. I ran every example in PowerShell 7.6 and 5.1, and I point out each … Read more
To get the first element of an array in PowerShell, use index 0: $array[0]. For the last element, use -1: $array[-1]. Negative numbers count back from the end: Output: Below I cover getting several items at once, Select-Object, and the cases where these give surprising results. I ran every example in PowerShell 7.6 and Windows … Read more
To check if an array contains a value in PowerShell, use the -contains operator. It returns True or False, and it ignores case: Output: That covers the everyday case. Below, I’ll handle the variations people actually search for: case-sensitive checks, partial matches, “does not contain”, several values at once, the index of an item, and … Read more
To track user login history using PowerShell, read successful logon events (ID 4624) from the Security log with Get-WinEvent in an elevated window. Each event records who signed in, when and how: Below I turn those events into a readable report, find failed sign-ins, and show a history you can read without admin rights. I … Read more
To check a password expiration date in Active Directory with PowerShell, read the computed msDS-UserPasswordExpiryTimeComputed attribute and convert it to a date: Below I cover the attribute and the math behind it, an expiring-soon report, Microsoft 365 users, and local accounts. My test PC isn’t on a domain, so I ran the date math and … Read more
PowerShell shows “Missing an argument for parameter” when you type a parameter name that needs a value but give it nothing. For Get-Date -Year, read the property instead: Below are the other causes I reproduced, how to read the error record, and what changes between PowerShell 7 and 5.1. Why Get-Date -Year says Missing an … Read more
To replace a string before a character in PowerShell, use the -replace operator with a regex that matches from the start of the string up to that character: That pattern stops at the first colon. Below I’ll cover the last-occurrence version, keeping the delimiter, a no-regex option with IndexOf(), -split, special characters, file renames, and … Read more
![PowerShell reference variable: pass a variable by reference to a function with [ref] and .Value](https://powershellfaqs.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/powershell-reference-variable.jpg)
A PowerShell reference variable is a [ref] object that points to another variable. To pass by reference, type the parameter as [ref], call the function with ([ref]$var), and change .Value inside: I’ll show how it works with functions, arrays, hashtables, and .NET methods like TryParse, plus the mistakes I see most and one PowerShell 7 … Read more