PowerShell is a shell program developed by Microsoft for task automation and configuration management. As is typical for a shell, it provides a command-line interpreter for interactive use and a script interpreter for automation via a language defined for it. Originally only for Windows, known as Windows PowerShell, it was made open-source and cross-platform on August 18, 2016, with the introduction of PowerShell Core. The former is built on the .NET Framework and the latter on .NET (previously .NET Core).
PowerShell is bundled with current versions of Windows and can be installed on macOS and Linux. Since Windows 10 build 14971, PowerShell replaced Command Prompt as the default command shell exposed by File Explorer.
In PowerShell, administrative tasks are generally performed via cmdlets (pronounced command-lets), which are specialized .NET classes implementing a particular operation. These work by accessing data in different data stores, like the file system or Windows Registry, which are made available to PowerShell via providers. Third-party developers can add cmdlets and providers to PowerShell. Cmdlets may be used by scripts, which may in turn be packaged into modules. Cmdlets work in tandem with the .NET API.
What is PowerShell?
PowerShell is an open-source terminals & cli tool program for Windows from Microsoft Corporation (developed by Microsoft). It ranks 1st by popularity among terminals & cli tools in this catalogue. The first release dates back to 2006. It is written in C# and PowerShell. Besides Windows, it is available for Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Installation and requirements
Official installers exist for 64-bit, ARM64 and 32-bit as MSIX and MSI. Installation asks for administrator rights. It needs Windows 10 1809 or newer. The installer supports unattended (silent) installation. An MSI package is available for deployment with Group Policy, Intune or Configuration Manager.
Updates and version history
The current version is 7.6.8.0, released on October 22, 2026. 109 versions are listed since July 31, 2021, each with links to its own installer files. That is about 21 releases a year. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 689,636 times. The source code on GitHub (PowerShell/PowerShell) has 55,905 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 29 of our languages. Similar programs include Oh My Posh, Alacritty and QPDF.
Project description on GitHub: “PowerShell for every system!”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Native ARM64 build for Windows on Arm
- MSI package for managed deployment
- Documented silent install
- Frequent updates (about 21 a year)
- Also runs on Ubuntu, Debian and CentOS
- Large user base
Cons
- Installation needs administrator rights
In short: PowerShell is an open-source terminals & cli tool tool for 64-bit, ARM64 and 32-bit PCs. It is actively maintained. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Screenshots
Is PowerShell safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
A77EF80D069C342739211904B7917769C190DD0C9CCBE492F21D637F318B5E96· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 109 versions ›109 versions over 5 years · about 21 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.6.8.0Latest | October 22, 2026 | — | 32-bit MSIXARM64 MSI64-bit MSIX64-bit MSI |
| 7.6.7.0 | October 13, 2026 | — | 64-bit MSIXARM64 MSI64-bit MSIARM64 MSIX |
| 7.6.6.0 | September 8, 2026 | — | ARM64 MSI64-bit MSIX32-bit MSIX32-bit MSI |
| 7.6.5.0 | August 14, 2026 | — | 32-bit MSIARM64 MSIX32-bit MSIXARM64 MSI |
| 7.6.4.0 | July 20, 2026 | — | ARM64 MSIXARM64 MSI64-bit MSI32-bit MSIX |
| 7.6.3.0 | June 16, 2026 | — | ARM64 MSI32-bit MSI64-bit MSI32-bit MSIX |
| 7.6.2.0 | May 21, 2026 | — | ARM64 MSIX32-bit MSI32-bit MSIX64-bit MSI |
| 7.6.1.0 | April 21, 2026 | — | ARM64 MSIARM MSI32-bit MSI64-bit MSI |
Release cycle and support
Version 7.6.8.0 belongs to the 7.6 (LTS) release line (long-term support), supported until November 14, 2028.
| Release line | Released | Support ends | Latest version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.6 (LTS)LTS | March 18, 2026 | November 14, 2028 | 7.6.8 | Supported |
| 7.5 | January 23, 2025 | November 10, 2026 | 7.5.12 | Supported |
| 7.4 (LTS)LTS | November 16, 2023 | November 10, 2026 | 7.4.21 | Supported |
| 7.3 | November 9, 2022 | May 8, 2024 | 7.3.12 | End of life |
| 7.2 (LTS)LTS | November 8, 2021 | November 8, 2024 | 7.2.24 | End of life |
| 7.1 | November 11, 2020 | May 8, 2022 | 7.1.7 | End of life |
| 7.0 (LTS)LTS | March 4, 2020 | December 3, 2022 | 7.0.13 | End of life |
| 6.2 | March 29, 2019 | September 4, 2020 | 6.2.7 | End of life |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell -echoco install pwsh -yscoop install main/pwshAdd-AppxPackage -Path PowerShell-7.6.8.msixbundleGet-AppxPackage -Name Microsoft.PowerShell | Remove-AppxPackageProgram files (.exe): pwsh.exe
Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install --cask powershell@previewbrew install powershellInformation
- Publisher
- Microsoft Corporation
- Developer
- Microsoft
- Category
- Terminals & CLI tools
- Licence
- MIT
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell
- Written in
- C# and PowerShell
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10 (Windows 10 1809+)
- Architecture
- 64-bit, ARM64, 32-bit
- Installer
- MSIX, MSI
- Other platforms
- Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux
- Version
- 7.6.8.0
- Released
- October 22, 2026
- First release
- 2006
- Added to the catalogue
- July 24, 2021
- Versions listed
- 109
- Updates / year
- 20.8
- Chocolatey downloads
- 689,636
- GitHub stars
- 55,905
- GitHub forks
- 8,510
- Website
- microsoft.com
- winget ID
- Microsoft.PowerShell
- Chocolatey package
- pwsh
- Scoop package
- main/pwsh
- MSI product code
- {80061F0B-5576-42BD-BBC8-9AC6D53C5D62}
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is PowerShell free?
Yes. PowerShell is open-source software under the MIT licence.
Is PowerShell safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install PowerShell with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can PowerShell be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer, including msiexec for the MSI package.
Which Windows versions does PowerShell support?
The installer requires Windows 10 1809 or newer and is available for 64-bit, ARM64 and 32-bit.
Does PowerShell run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
Yes, there is a native ARM64 installer.
Where can I download an older version of PowerShell?
The versions page lists all 109 versions with links to their official installer files, back to July 31, 2021.
What are alternatives to PowerShell?
Oh My Posh, Alacritty, QPDF, Spicetify and Tabby. The alternatives page compares them.
