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Manage IIS Application Pools Using PowerShell

A practical PowerShell workflow for inspecting IIS application pools, creating one, changing selected properties, and starting the intended pool.
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Use Get-IISAppPool to inspect IIS application pools, New-WebAppPool to create one, and WebAdministration commands and the IIS:AppPools provider to change settings or control its state. The examples below follow Microsoft Learn’s Windows Server 2025 documentation view; choose a specific pool when making operational changes.

Inspect existing application pools

For a structured view of pool configuration and status, use Get-IISAppPool from the IISAdministration module:

Get-IISAppPool
Get-IISAppPool -Name 'DefaultAppPool'

With no name, the cmdlet returns information for all pools; specifying one or more names filters the results. Microsoft Learn’s sample output includes the pool name, status, CLR version, pipeline mode, and start mode. See the Get-IISAppPool reference.

Create an application pool

Use New-WebAppPool from the WebAdministration module. Its -Name parameter specifies the new pool’s name:

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New-WebAppPool -Name 'NewAppPool'

Microsoft Learn describes this cmdlet as creating an Internet Information Services (IIS) application pool. See the New-WebAppPool reference.

Set selected pool properties

Microsoft documents two approaches using the WebAdministration provider. The first edits the object returned by New-WebAppPool, then saves it with Set-Item:

$newAppPool = New-WebAppPool -Name 'NewAppPool'
$newAppPool.autoStart = 'false'
$newAppPool | Set-Item

Alternatively, set a property directly at the pool’s provider path with Set-ItemProperty:

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'IIS:AppPoolsNewAppPool' `
  -Name managedRuntimeVersion -Value 'v4.0'

These are documented examples, not recommended universal values. Check the hosted application’s requirements before changing settings such as its managed runtime version. See Microsoft’s New-WebAppPool examples.

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Start an application pool

To start one named pool, use Start-WebAppPool from WebAdministration:

Start-WebAppPool -Name 'DefaultAppPool'

Microsoft also documents piping pools whose state is not Started to the cmdlet:

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Get-ChildItem IIS:AppPools |
  Where-Object { $_.state -ne 'Started' } |
  Start-WebAppPool

That filter acts on every pool it returns. In a script or change procedure, narrow the selection to the intended pool or pools rather than applying a broad action unintentionally. See the Start-WebAppPool reference.

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Choose the inspection interface for the task

Interface Documented use Best fit in this workflow
Get-IISAppPool (IISAdministration) Returns configuration and status for all pools or specified names. Inspect pool details such as status, CLR version, pipeline mode, and start mode.
IIS:AppPools (WebAdministration provider) Provider path used in Microsoft’s property-setting examples. Access or change properties through provider operations such as Set-ItemProperty.

The cited Microsoft references document these uses but do not establish that one interface is universally preferable or provide a complete compatibility comparison. See the IISAdministration reference and the WebAdministration examples.

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Locate other pool operations

The WebAdministration cmdlet reference lists related commands including Stop-WebAppPool, Restart-WebAppPool, and Remove-WebAppPool. Consult the relevant cmdlet documentation before using a state-changing or removal command. The complete list appears in Microsoft Learn’s WebAdministration reference.

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