How to Get File Details and File Version in PowerShell

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To get the details of a file in PowerShell, use Get-Item with the file path. It returns the name, size, dates and attributes, and Format-List shows them one per line:

Get-Item -Path C:\psfaqs\Reports\q3-sales.csv |
    Select-Object -Property Name, Length, CreationTime, LastWriteTime, Attributes |
    Format-List

Output:

Name          : q3-sales.csv
Length        : 3314
CreationTime  : 7/1/2026 8:00:00 AM
LastWriteTime : 9/15/2026 10:30:00 AM
Attributes    : Archive
PowerShell Get-Item shows the details of a file
Name, size, dates and attributes of a file (PowerShell 7)

Length is the size in bytes. I ran every example in PowerShell 7.6 and Windows PowerShell 5.1, and they returned the same results.

Read one property at a time

Save the file object in a variable, then read the properties you need. Here I also turn the size into KB and format the date:

$file = Get-Item -Path C:\psfaqs\Reports\q3-sales.csv

"Folder:     $($file.DirectoryName)"
"Extension:  $($file.Extension)"
"Size:       {0:N1} KB" -f ($file.Length / 1KB)
"Modified:   $($file.LastWriteTime.ToString('MMMM d, yyyy h:mm tt'))"
"Days since: $(((Get-Date).Date - $file.LastWriteTime.Date).Days)"

Output:

Folder:     C:\psfaqs\Reports
Extension:  .csv
Size:       3.2 KB
Modified:   September 15, 2026 10:30 AM
Days since: 13

Get-ItemProperty returns the same object for a file, so either cmdlet works.

PropertyWhat it holds
LengthSize in bytes
CreationTimeWhen the file was created on this drive
LastWriteTimeWhen the content last changed
LastAccessTimeWhen it was last read, if Windows tracks it
DirectoryName / ExtensionThe folder path and the extension

A copied file gets a new CreationTime, but keeps its LastWriteTime. That’s why a file can look “modified” before it was “created”.

Check file attributes

Attributes lists every flag on the file. For a quick yes or no, use IsReadOnly or HasFlag:

$file = Get-Item -Path C:\psfaqs\Reports\readme.txt

"Attributes: $($file.Attributes)"
"Read-only:  $($file.IsReadOnly)"
"Hidden:     $($file.Attributes.HasFlag([System.IO.FileAttributes]::Hidden))"

Output:

Attributes: ReadOnly, Archive
Read-only:  True
Hidden:     False

How do I get the version of a file?

Executables and DLLs carry version details. Get-Item returns them in the VersionInfo property:

$info = (Get-Item -Path "$env:WINDIR\System32\robocopy.exe").VersionInfo

"Description:    $($info.FileDescription)"
"FileVersion:    $($info.FileVersion)"
"ProductVersion: $($info.ProductVersion)"
"FileVersionRaw: $($info.FileVersionRaw)"

Output:

Description:    Microsoft Robocopy
FileVersion:    10.0.26100.1 (WinBuild.160101.0800)
ProductVersion: 10.0.26100.1
FileVersionRaw: 10.0.26100.9278
PowerShell VersionInfo FileVersion vs FileVersionRaw for an exe
The FileVersion text and the real version differ (Windows PowerShell 5.1)

Look at the two versions. On Windows system files, the FileVersion text often shows the original build number, while FileVersionRaw shows the version of the file that’s actually installed.

FileVersionRaw is a real version object, so it’s also the one to sort and compare. The FileVersion text can include extra words in brackets.

Get the version of several files

Get-ChildItem -Path "$env:WINDIR\System32\cmd.exe", "$env:WINDIR\System32\robocopy.exe" |
    Select-Object -Property Name, @{ Name = 'Version'; Expression = { $_.VersionInfo.FileVersionRaw } }

Output:

Name         Version
----         -------
cmd.exe      10.0.26100.9278
robocopy.exe 10.0.26100.9278

Compare a file version

$version = (Get-Item -Path "$env:WINDIR\System32\robocopy.exe").VersionInfo.FileVersionRaw

if ($version -ge [version]'10.0.26100.0') { "Version $version is 10.0.26100 or later" }

Output: