If you’ve ever felt like Windows is a bit of a “black box,” PowerShell is the key that unlocks it. While the Command Prompt is fine for basic tasks, PowerShell is a full-blown automation engine. It might look intimidating at first, but once you learn the “verb-noun” logic (like Get-Service or Stop-Process), it starts to feel like second nature.
Here are 10 essential commands that will make you feel like a true power user.
The PowerShell Power User Cheat Sheet
| Command | What it actually does | Why you’ll love it |
Get-Help | Shows documentation for any command. | No more Googling basic syntax. |
Get-Command | Lists all available commands/modules. | Helps you find a tool when you only know a keyword. |
Get-Member | Lists properties and methods of an object. | Essential for advanced scripting and data mining. |
Get-Service | Displays the status of system services. | Faster than opening services.msc. |
Stop-Process | Kills a running program (by name or ID). | Perfect for “unfreezing” a stubborn app. |
Get-Content | Reads the text inside a file. | Peek into log files without leaving the terminal. |
Set-ExecutionPolicy | Changes security levels for running scripts. | Necessary if your first script gets “blocked.” |
Test-NetConnection | Advanced ping/diagnostic tool. | Checks if a website is up or a port is open. |
Export-CSV | Saves data to a spreadsheet file. | Turns system data into a professional report. |
Invoke-WebRequest | Downloads content/files from the web. | Automate file downloads from URLs. |
Why PowerShell is Different: The Pipeline
In the old days, you’d have to copy and paste data between tools. In PowerShell, you use the Pipe symbol (|) to feed the result of one command into the next.
For example, Get-Service | Where-Object Status -eq "Running" allows you to take a massive list and instantly filter it down to only the services that are active.
One Last Tip: If You’re ever worried about a command doing something permanent, Add -WHATIF to the end. Powershell will tell you exactly what would happen without actually making the change.
