PowerShell 7

What is PowerShell 7?

PowerShell 7 is the latest cross-platform automation and configuration tool from Microsoft, built on .NET 7. It is the successor to Windows PowerShell 5.1 and is part of the modern, open-source PowerShell Core family. PowerShell 7 is designed to work across Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it a versatile scripting language and shell for administrators, developers, and DevOps engineers.

It supports both traditional command-line scripting and interactive sessions, allowing you to manage everything from local files and registry to cloud resources like Microsoft 365 and Azure using modules like Microsoft.Graph.

Why Use PowerShell 7?

PowerShell 7 provides major improvements over its predecessors. Here’s why it’s the preferred version today:

• Cross-Platform Support: Run the same script on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Performance Enhancements: Built on .NET 7 for faster execution and memory efficiency.
• Backward Compatibility:Use existing Windows PowerShell modules with the WindowsCompatibility module.
• Automation Ready: Fully compatible with modern modules like Microsoft.Graph and Azure PowerShell.
• New Features: Adds parallel execution, simplified error handling, and new operators.

Whether you're automating M365 admin tasks or building system-wide scripts, PowerShell 7 is designed to scale and perform.

Is PowerShell 7 Free?

Yes, PowerShell 7 is completely free and open-source.

• ✅ Free to Download: Available at https://aka.ms/powershell
• ✅ Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and most Linux distributions
• ✅ Community-Driven: Backed by Microsoft but developed openly on GitHub
• ✅ No License Required: Ideal for individual users, enterprise admins, and developers alike

Key Features of PowerShell 7

Feature	Description
Cross-Platform Support	Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux
Parallel Execution (ForEach-Object -Parallel)	Run loop operations in parallel to save time
Improved Error Handling	Faster and more efficient pipelines
Pipeline Enhancements	Faster and more efficient pipelines
New Operators	Null-coalescing (??) and ternary (?:) for concise scripting
Module Isolation	Use different versions of the same module in different sessions
Compatibility Layer	Use Windows-only modules via WindowsCompatibility module
CLI Tool Compatibility	Improved support for external tools and legacy command-line utilities
Secure by Default	Enhanced security and script execution policies

How to Upgrade to PowerShell 7?

Upgrading or installing PowerShell 7 is simple and flexible:

On Windows

1. Visit https://aka.ms/powershell
2. Download the MSI installer for Windows
3. Run the installer and follow the setup steps
4. Open PowerShell 7 via the Start Menu or terminal (pwsh)
Note: PowerShell 7 installs side-by-side with Windows PowerShell 5.1. It does not replace the built-in version.

On macOS or Linux

brew install --cask powershell

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get install -y powershell

Red Hat/CentOS/Fedora:

sudo dnf install -y powershell

Summary

Key Point	Details
Product Name	PowerShell 7
Purpose	Cross-platform command-line shell and scripting language
Included In	Not bundled; available as a free standalone install
Free to Use?	Yes, fully free and open-source
Access Method	Download from GitHub, install via package manager, launch using pwsh
Integrates With	Microsoft 365, Graph API, Azure, Windows, Linux, macOS, CI/CD tools