How to Check PowerShell Version in Windows 10
Many users prefer to use PowerShell instead of Command Prompt because it has more powerful features for working with Windows Server and also allows you to control Exchange, Lync, and SQL servers. Windows 10 ships with PowerShell 5.0 by default, but installing the latest Windows Update components automatically installs the enhanced version of Windows PowerShell 5.1. For this reason, you may have to learn how to check the PowerShell version on a Windows 10 PC. If you are struggling to find a way, this guide will help you learn about the PowerShell version check command.
How to Check PowerShell Version in Windows 10
But be aware of the fact that different versions of Windows have versions of PowerShell as mentioned below.
- Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 - PowerShell version 5.0 (however, it will be upgraded to 5.1 after Windows update)
- Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 — PowerShell version 4.0
- Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 — PowerShell version 3.0
- Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 - PowerShell Version 2.0
In this quickstart, you'll learn about PowerShell version checking commands that you can follow regardless of the version of Windows you're running.
Method 1: Use the $PSVersionTable Command
When you use the $PSVersionTable command at the PowerShell prompt, you can check the PowerShell version in the PSVersion line of the output.
1. Press the Windows key and type PowerShell. Then click Open.
2. Now enter the $PSVersionTable command and press the Enter key.
3. You can check the version in the PSVersion output line as shown below. In this case, the PowerShell version is 5.1.19041.1645.
Method 2: Use the $PSVersionTable.PSVersion Command
You can also check the PowerShell version, major version, build, and revision history of your PowerShell using the $PSVersionTable.PSVersion command.
1. Start Windows PowerShell.
2. Now enter the command $PSVersionTable.PSVersion and press the Enter key.
3. The output will be in the following format. Here, the Major property specifies the version of PowerShell.
Major Minor Build Revision----- ----- ----- -------- 5 1 19041 1645
Method 3: Use the $Host Command
When you use the $Host command in a PowerShell window, you can check the PowerShell version in the "Version" line of the output.
1. Go to the Windows PowerShell window.
2. Now enter the $Host command and press the Enter key.
3. You can check the PowerShell version in the "Version" line of the output. The output of this command will be in the following format.
Name : ConsoleHostVersion : 5.1.19041.1645 InstanceId : 0859ad62-5642-4190-ab07-26fe0181e892 UI : System.Management.Automation.Internal.Host.InternalHostUserInterface CurrentCulture : en-IN CurrentUICulture : en-US PrivateData : Microsoft.PowerShell.ConsoleHost+ConsoleColorProxy DebuggerEnabled : True IsRunspacePushed: False Runspace : System.Management.Automation.Runspaces.LocalRunspace
Method 4: Use the $Host.Version Command
You can also check the PowerShell version, major version, build, and PowerShell version history using the $Host.Version command.
1. Start Windows PowerShell.
2. Now enter the $Host.Version command in the PowerShell window and press the Enter key.
3. The output will be in the following format. Here, the Major property specifies the version of PowerShell.
Major Minor Build Revision----- ----- ----- -------- 5 1 19041 1645
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We hope this guide was helpful and you learned how to check the PowerShell version on your Windows PC. Let us know which method worked best for you. Also, if you have any questions/suggestions regarding this article, feel free to post them in the comments section.