Hello World

PowerShell · Reference cheat sheet

📋 Overview

PowerShell Hello World prints a string to the host. Use Write-Output (pipeline-friendly) or Write-Host (host UI). A .ps1 script stores commands for reuse.

🔧 Core concepts

For scripts that return data, prefer Write-Output (or just emit the value).

💡 Examples

Interactive:

Write-Output "Hello, World!"
"Hello, World!"

Script file (hello.ps1):

# hello.ps1
$name = "Ada"
Write-Output "Hello, $name!"

pwsh ./hello.ps1

Formatted string:

$version = $PSVersionTable.PSVersion
Write-Output "Hello from PowerShell $version"

Write-Host vs Output:

Write-Host "visible on screen" -ForegroundColor Green
Write-Output "can be piped" | ForEach-Object { $_.ToUpper() }

⚠️ Pitfalls

• Double quotes expand $variables; single quotes do not.
• Running scripts may require a less restrictive execution policy in your user scope.
• echo is an alias for Write-Output — fine, but learn the real name.
• Saving with a wrong encoding can break non-ASCII characters.

🔗 Related

• getting_started.md
• get_help.md
• variables.md
• aliases_basics.md