PowerShell’s FileSystem provider lets you inspect, create, read, write, copy, move, and delete files and folders with cmdlets. For common tasks, use Get-ChildItem to list items, New-Item to create them, Get-Content and the content-writing cmdlets to work with data, and Copy-Item, Move-Item, or Remove-Item to manage paths. The examples below use Windows paths; PowerShell’s item cmdlets are provider-based, so related commands can also operate on items exposed by other providers.
How PowerShell file cmdlets fit together
PowerShell separates work with an item’s path and identity from work with its contents. Item cmdlets manage files and directories; content cmdlets read or write data inside files. The FileSystem provider exposes the local file system, while PowerShell’s provider-based command families can also work with items from other providers.
| Task | Cmdlet | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Inspect items | Get-ChildItem |
List files and directories, optionally recursively or with filters. |
| Check a path | Test-Path |
Check whether a path exists before acting on it. |
| Create an item | New-Item |
Create a file or directory by specifying -ItemType. |
| Read contents | Get-Content |
Read text lines, a whole file as one string, or bytes. |
| Replace or append contents | Set-Content or Add-Content |
Replace file contents or add content at the end. |
| Duplicate or relocate | Copy-Item or Move-Item |
Copy items and trees, or move an item to another path. |
| Delete items | Remove-Item |
Delete an item; add -Recurse for a directory tree. |
How do you list files and folders?
Use Get-ChildItem to list the direct children of a path. Add -Recurse to include descendants, and -Force to include hidden or system items that are otherwise omitted by default in the FileSystem provider.
Get-ChildItem -Path C:Data
Get-ChildItem -Path C:Data -Recurse
Get-ChildItem -Path C:Data -ForceUse -Depth when you want recursion limited to a number of directory levels rather than the full tree. To filter by a property such as file size, retrieve files and pipe them to Where-Object:
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Get-ChildItem C:Data -Recurse -File | Where-Object Length -gt 1MBPowerShell also provides location cmdlets: Get-Location shows the current location, and Set-Location changes it. Use Test-Path to check whether a path exists before a later copy, write, or delete operation.
How do you create a file or directory?
Specify the item type with New-Item. These commands create a directory and an empty file, respectively:
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New-Item -Path C:TempReports -ItemType Directory
New-Item -Path C:TempReportsrun.txt -ItemType FileThe meaning of -Force depends on the target: Microsoft’s examples note that using it for an existing folder returns that folder rather than replacing it, while using it for an existing file overwrites the file. Check the target before using -Force on a file.
How do you read a text file?
Get-Content returns a file’s lines by default. Choose a parameter to read the file in a different way or limit the amount returned:
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- Read lines:
Get-Content -Path .log.txt - Read the file as one string:
Get-Content -Path .log.txt -Raw - Read only the last 50 lines:
Get-Content -Path .log.txt -Tail 50 - Read only the first specified number of lines: use
-TotalCount. - Specify text encoding: use
-Encodingwhen encoding matters. - Read bytes: use
-AsByteStreamrather than treating the data as text.
How do you replace or append file contents?
Set-Content replaces the existing content; Add-Content appends new content. For example, the first command sets the file’s content to Complete, while the second adds Next step to the end:
Set-Content -Path .status.txt -Value 'Complete'
Add-Content -Path .status.txt -Value 'Next step'Choose the cmdlet based on whether existing content should remain. If the file’s text encoding matters, specify -Encoding.
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How do you copy or move files and folders?
Copy a file or directory tree
Give Copy-Item a source path and destination. Copying a directory tree requires -Recurse:
Copy-Item -Path C:Datareport.csv -Destination C:Backupreport.csv
Copy-Item C:DataProject -Destination C:BackupProject -RecurseMove or rename an item
Move-Item relocates an item. A destination path with a different name moves and renames it in the same operation:
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Move-Item -Path C:Dataold.txt -Destination C:Dataarchive.txtAn existing destination can cause an operation to fail or require -Force. For a bulk operation, first test the command on a small sample and confirm the destination before applying it broadly.
How do you delete a file or a directory tree?
Delete a single item with Remove-Item. To remove a nonempty directory and its descendants, add -Recurse:
Remove-Item -Path .old.log
Remove-Item -Path C:TempDeleteMe -RecurseWithout -Recurse, removing a directory that contains children can prompt for confirmation. Deleting a tree is consequential, so verify the target path first. Use the common -WhatIf parameter to preview what an operation would do, or -Confirm when you want a confirmation prompt.
What should you check before a bulk file operation?
- Confirm the current location with
Get-Locationif you use relative paths. - Check that the intended source and destination paths are correct; use
Test-Pathwhere existence matters. - Review the result of
Get-ChildItembefore applying a recursive copy or deletion. - Use
-WhatIffor a preview when appropriate, and test copy or move behavior on a small sample before running it over many items. - Use
-Forcedeliberately: it can include hidden items in listings and can overwrite an existing file in relevant operations.
For Microsoft’s procedural examples and parameter details, see Working with files and folders – PowerShell, the about_Core_Commands overview, and the references for Get-ChildItem, Get-Content, Set-Content, Copy-Item, Move-Item, and the FileSystem provider.
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