Updating PowerShell Version on Windows

This article describes how to update Windows PowerShell to the latest version 5.1 and how to install (upgrade) PowerShell Core 7.3. There are currently two branches of PowerShell:

• The classic Windows PowerShell (the maximum version is 5.1, which is no longer being developed.);
• The new PowerShell Core platform (version 7.3 is available now).

Although the PowerShell version numbering continues from 5.1 (6.0, 6.1, 7.0, 7.1, and so on), they are two different platforms. Therefore, updating Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core will be covered separately.

Upgrading to Windows PowerShell 5.1

Windows PowerShell 5.1 is already installed by default in all versions, starting with Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016.

You must manually upgrade to PowerShell 5.1 for earlier versions (Windows 7/8.1 and Windows 2008 R2/2012). For example, Windows Server 2012 R2 (Windows 8.1) has PowerShell 4.0 installed.

Let’s try upgrading the Windows PowerShell version to 5.1 in Windows Server 2012 R2.

First, check the current PowerShell version (the screenshot shows that it’s PowerShell 4.0):

$PSVersionTable.PSVersion

To upgrade your PowerShell version to 5.1, install the Windows Management Framework 5.1, which requires the .NET Framework 4.5.2 (or later). Make sure that .NET 4.5.2 or higher is installed using this command:

(Get-ItemProperty ‘HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full’ -Name Release).Release

In my case, the release version 378675 means that the .NET Framework version 4.5.1 is installed. So, I have to download and install the latest .NET Framework 4.8 (here is the link to the offline installer: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2088631 — ndp48-x86-x64-allos-enu.exe).

Install the .NET 4.8 package (you will need to restart your computer):

Download WMF 5.1 for Windows Server 2012 R2 — Win8.1AndW2K12R2-KB3191564-x64.msu (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=839516).

Install the Windows Management Framework 5.1 from the MSU file.

After you restart the server, open the powershell.exe console and make sure that the PowerShell version has been updated to 5.1.

How to Install or Update PowerShell Core 7?

PowerShell Core is cross-platform and under active development (unlike Windows PowerShell 5.1). Actually, PowerShell Core is a new platform installed on the operating system alongside the classic Windows PowerShell. This means that you cannot upgrade from PowerShell 5.1 to PowerShell Core 7.3. PowerShell 7.x is installed on your computer separately from Windows PowerShell 5.1 (side-by-side).

There are several ways to upgrade (install) the PowerShell Core version on Windows 10 and 11:

• Use the PowerShell Core MSI installer, which is available to download from GitHub;
• Using the built-in Windows 10/11 package manager WinGet;
• Using the Microsoft Store.

Next, using the example of updating PowerShell Core to 7.3 on Windows 10 22H2, we will look at all of these methods.

Upgrading the PowerShell Core Using MSI installation

If you want to install PowerShell Core using the MSI package, go to the project page https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell and download the installation package for your OS version. At the time of writing, the most recent release of PowerShell is v7.3.3, dated 24 February 2023 (for example, PowerShell-7.3.3-win-x64.msi or PowerShell-7.3.3-win-x86.msi). Use only stable or LTS releases for a production environment.

Download the MSI file and install it.

The following installation options are available:

• Add PowerShell to Path Environment Variable
• Register Windows Event Logging Manifest (a separate Event Viewer log is created for PowerShell events. %SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\PowerShellCore%4Operational.evtx )
• Enable PowerShell Remoting (enables and configures WinRM for PowerShell Remoting)
• Add ‘Open here’ context menu to Explorer
• Add ‘Run with PowerShell 7’ context menu for PowerShell files

Next, you can enable automatic updates of the PowerShell Core through Windows Update/WSUS (see below).

You can upgrade PowerShell directly from the console. To install or upgrade to the latest version of PowerShell Core, run the following command:

iex "& { $(irm https://aka.ms/install-powershell.ps1) } -UseMSI"

This command downloads the PowerShell 7.3 MSI file from GitHub and then starts the installation via the MSI installer.

When the installation is complete, the PowerShell Core (pwsh.exe) window appears. Check the PowerShell version to ensure that it is updated to PoSh 7.3.3.

Using WinGet Package Manager to Install or Update PowerShell Core

If you have the WinGet package manager installed, you can install or update your PowerShell version to the latest command:

winget install --id Microsoft.Powershell --source winget

Or, you can install a specific version of PowerShell Core:

winget install --id=Microsoft.PowerShell -v "7.1.2" -e

If you have the Chocolatey package manager installed, use the commands (for 5.1):

choco install powershell -y
choco upgrade powershell -y
or for PowerShell 7.x:
choco install pwsh -y
choco install pwsh -y

If PowerShell 6.x was installed on your computer, the $env:ProgramFiles\PowerShell\6directory is automatically removed when you install PowerShell 7.3.

Note that the name of the PowerShell executable file has changed. In PowerShell Core, it is c:\Program Files\PowerShell\7\pwsh.exe. It has its own icon in the Start menu.

• To run .NET Framework-based Windows PowerShell, the powershell.exe command is used
• To run .NET Core-based PowerShell Core, use the pwsh.exe

This means that you have both Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell Core 7.3 installed on your computer.

Windows PowerShell provides a special backward compatibility mode that allows you to run an older version of PowerShell even if you have newer versions installed. You can use the following command to run a specific version of PowerShell example, 4.0):

C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -Version 4

Install PowerShell Core on Windows 10 and 11 via Microsoft Store

On Windows 10 and 11, you can install or update PowerShell through the Microsoft Store. You can manually find the PowerShell app in the Store or use this link.

You can also use WinGet to install the Store version of PowerShell:

winget search powershell --source msstore
winget install --id 9MZ1SNWT0N5D

The advantage of installing PowerShell Core from the Microsoft Store is that the App Store automatically checks your installed version of PowerShell and automatically installs updates as they become available.

To verify that you have installed the Store version of PowerShell Core, use the command:

Get-AppPackage Microsoft.PowerShell

The Microsoft.PowerShell_7.3.3.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe package is installed in this example.

However, there are also drawbacks to the fact that such an instance of PowerShell will be running in a sandbox environment.

Installing/Updating PowerShell Core on Remote Computers

Consider two scenarios for installing or updating the PowerShell Core on multiple remote computers.

Deploying PowerShell Core with Group Policy

You can use Group Policy to centrally deploy and update PowerShell Core in an Active Directory domain. Use the features of the GPO to deploy MSI packages to domain computers.

1. Download the PowerShell MSI installation file and copy it to the SYSVOL directory on the domain controller;
2. Open the Domain Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc), create a new GPO and link it to the OU with computers and servers;
3. Go to the GPO section Computer Configuration -> Software Settings, create a new package, and specify the path to the PowerShell MSI installation file in the SYSVOL folder in the domain (use the UNC path); 
   To more accurately target your policy to domain devices, you can use the GPO WMI filters.
4. To update the Group Policy settings for the software installation, you must restart the computers. The new version of PowerShell will be installed on all computers at startup.

How to Update PowerShell on a Remote Computer from the Command Prompt?

You can use the command line prompt to update PowerShell on a remote computer.

• The first method uses an MSI installer in a shared network folder to remotely update PowerShell on a computer:Invoke-Command -ComputerName mun-srv01 -ScriptBlock {Start-Process msiexec.exe -ArgumentList '/package "\\mun-fs01\install\PowerShell-7.3.3-win-x64.msi" /quiet ADD_EXPLORER_CONTEXT_MENU_OPENPOWERSHELL=1 ENABLE_PSREMOTING=1 REGISTER_MANIFEST=1' -Wait}

• The following script selects all enabled computers running Windows 10 from the Active Directory domain and starts downloading and installing PowerShell Core on each of them:
  $ADComputers = Get-ADComputer -Filter 'operatingsystem -like "*Windows 10*" -and enabled -eq "true"'
ForEach ($computer in $ADcomputers) {
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $computer {iex "& { $(irm https://aka.ms/install-powershell.ps1) } -UseMSI -Quiet"}
}
  You must have the Active Directory PowerShell module installed on the computer to use the GetADComputer cmdlet.

The most common way to update the PowerShell Core on Linux distros is to use the native package manager.

Updating PowerShell via Windows Update or WSUS

Prior to PowerShell Core 7.2, pwsh.exe was not automatically updated. There was only a notification in the console after the release of a new version:

A new PowerShell stable release is available. Upgrade now, or check out the release page at: https://aka.ms/PowerShell-Release?tag=v7.1.3

Starting with version 7.2, PowerShell Core supports automatic updates through Windows Update (Microsoft Update, Windows Update for Business, internal WSUS server, or SCCM). To do this, you must enable the appropriate options during the installation of the MSI package.

• The first allows PowerShell to update automatically using any available channel (enables the registry parameter UseMU =1 in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShellCore key)
• The second checkbox will allow you to receive updates for all of Microsoft’s software, not just Windows. If this option is disabled, you will not receive PowerShell updates from Microsoft Update, but you can receive them from your WSUS/SCCM (the registry parameter  registeredwithAU=1 under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Services\7971F918-A847-4430-9279-4A52D1EFE18D)

Check that the Receive updates for other Microsoft products when you update Windows option is now enabled under Settings -> Update and Security -> Windows Update -> Advanced options.

Now, when you click the Check for Updates button or run an update scan through the PSWindowsUpdate module, you will also receive updates for PowerShell Core.