PowerShell Frequently Used Cmdlets

Learn the essential PowerShell cmdlets and their Verb-Noun structure, including core commands like Get-Process, Get-Service, and pipeline tools like Where-Object and Select-Object.

A cmdlet (pronounced "command-let") is a lightweight, specialized command built into PowerShell that performs a single specific function. Unlike traditional CLI executables, cmdlets are compiled .NET classes that emit structured objects into the pipeline.

The Verb-Noun Naming Convention

Every cmdlet follows a strict Verb-Noun syntax:

Verbs are standardized: The verb describes the action being performed (for example: Get, Set, New, Remove, Start, Stop, Import, Export, etc.), they are the same across all cmdlets.
Nouns are specific: The noun identifies the resource or target being operated on (for example: Process, Service, Item, Content).

Consolepowershell

Get-Verb

Outputplaintext

Verb        Group
----        -----
Add         Common
Clear       Common
Close       Common
Copy        Common
Enter       Common
...

Discovering Commands and Help

Three cmdlets form the foundation for self-discovery in PowerShell: you rarely need to leave the shell to learn how something works.

Get-Help

Displays detailed documentation for any cmdlet, including syntax, parameters, and examples.

Consolepowershell

Get-Help Get-Process -Examples

where:

Get-Help retrieves documentation for the specified cmdlet.
-Examples limits the output to usage examples only.

Outputplaintext

NAME
    Get-Process

EXAMPLE
    Get-Process -Name "powershell"
    Gets information about the powershell process.

Get-Command

Searches for available cmdlets, functions, and aliases, optionally filtered by name or noun.

Consolepowershell

Get-Command -Noun Service

Outputplaintext

CommandType     Name                                               Version    Source
-----------     ----                                               -------    ------
Cmdlet          Get-Service                                        3.1.0.0    Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
Cmdlet          New-Service                                        3.1.0.0    Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
Cmdlet          Restart-Service                                    3.1.0.0    Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
Cmdlet          Resume-Service                                     3.1.0.0    Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
Cmdlet          Set-Service                                        3.1.0.0    Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
Cmdlet          Start-Service                                      3.1.0.0    Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
Cmdlet          Stop-Service                                       3.1.0.0    Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
Cmdlet          Suspend-Service                                    3.1.0.0    Microsoft.PowerShell.Management

Get-Member

Reveals the properties and methods available on any object, which is essential for exploring PowerShell's object-based pipeline.

Consolepowershell

Get-Process | Get-Member

Outputplaintext

   TypeName: System.Diagnostics.Process

Name                       MemberType     Definition
----                       ----------     ----------
Kill                       Method         void Kill()
Refresh                    Method         void Refresh()
CPU                        Property       double CPU {get;}
Id                         Property       int Id {get;}
ProcessName                Property       string ProcessName {get;}
...

Core Cmdlets for Everyday Use

Get-Process, Get-Service, Get-Item

These three Get-* cmdlets retrieve information about running processes, system services, and filesystem/registry items respectively.

Consolepowershell

Get-Process -Name "explorer"
Get-Service -Name "Spooler"
Get-Item -Path "C:\Windows"

Outputplaintext

 NPM(K)    PM(M)      WS(M)     CPU(s)      Id  SI ProcessName
 ------    -----      -----     ------      --  -- -----------
    124   104.28     296.90      69.47    3636   1 explorer

Status      : Running
Name        : Spooler
DisplayName : Print Spooler


PSPath              : Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\FileSystem::C:\Windows
PSParentPath        : Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\FileSystem::C:\
PSChildName         : Windows
PSDrive             : C
PSProvider          : Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\FileSystem
PSIsContainer       : True
Name                : Windows
Parent              : C:\
Root                : C:\
Exists              : True
FullName            : C:\Windows
Extension           :
CreationTime        : 12/7/2019 10:03:44 AM
CreationTimeUtc     : 12/7/2019 9:03:44 AM
LastAccessTime      : 9/27/2026 9:01:53 PM
LastAccessTimeUtc   : 9/27/2026 7:01:53 PM
LastWriteTime       : 9/27/2026 5:37:49 PM
LastWriteTimeUtc    : 9/27/2026 3:37:49 PM
LinkTarget          :
UnixFileMode        : -1
Attributes          : Directory
Mode                : d----
ModeWithoutHardLink : d----
BaseName            : Windows
ResolvedTarget      : C:\Windows
Target              :
LinkType            :

Where-Object, Select-Object, Sort-Object

These cmdlets filter, shape, and order pipeline data and are used constantly together.

Consolepowershell

Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.CPU -gt 10 } | Select-Object Name, CPU | Sort-Object CPU -Descending

where:

Where-Object filters objects based on a condition ($_.CPU -gt 10).
Select-Object picks only the specified properties (Name, CPU).
Sort-Object -Descending orders the results from highest to lowest CPU.

Outputplaintext

Name              CPU
----              ---
explorer        69.80
WindowsTerminal 21.62
SearchApp       17.88
RuntimeBroker   13.17
...

ForEach-Object, Format-Table, Format-List

ForEach-Object runs a script block against each item in the pipeline, while Format-Table and Format-List control how output is displayed.

Consolepowershell

Get-Service | ForEach-Object { "$($_.Name) is $($_.Status)" }

Outputplaintext

Spooler is Running
BITS is Running
Fax is Stopped

Consolepowershell

Get-Process | Select-Object -First 3 | Format-List Name, Id, CPU

where:

Format-List displays each object's properties vertically, one per line. This is useful when there are many properties or long values.
Format-Table (the default for most output) displays properties in columns, which is better suited for scanning many objects at once.

Outputplaintext

Name : pwsh
Id   : 9124
CPU  : 18.22

Name : chrome
Id   : 5544
CPU  : 45.67

Cheat Sheet: Top 20 Cmdlets

Cmdlet	Purpose
`Get-Help`	Displays help documentation for a cmdlet
`Get-Command`	Lists available commands and cmdlets
`Get-Member`	Shows an object's properties and methods
`Get-Process`	Lists running processes
`Get-Service`	Lists system services
`Get-Item`	Retrieves a file, folder, or registry item
`Get-ChildItem`	Lists contents of a directory or container
`Get-Content`	Reads content from a file
`Set-Content`	Writes content to a file
`Where-Object`	Filters objects based on a condition
`Select-Object`	Selects specific properties or a subset of objects
`Sort-Object`	Sorts objects by property
`ForEach-Object`	Executes a script block for each pipeline object
`Format-Table`	Formats output as a table
`Format-List`	Formats output as a vertical list
`New-Item`	Creates a new file, folder, or registry key
`Remove-Item`	Deletes a file, folder, or registry key
`Copy-Item`	Copies files or folders
`Start-Process`	Launches an application or script
`Stop-Process`	Terminates a running process