How to install PowerShell 7 on Windows 10 for easy accessibility

In March 2020, Microsoft announced PowerShell 7 on Windows 10. The latest stable PowerShell 7 release, PowerShell 7.2 is available for download now on GitHub.

Once you enable Hyper-V on Windows 10, you might be interested in learning about other Microsoft tools you can use to expand your Windows 10 skillset. PowerShell 7 is a great place to start.

PowerShell 7 vs. Windows PowerShell

PowerShell 7.2 is a Microsoft cross-platform, modern task automation tool that is made up of a command-line shell and a scripting language in one. PowerShell 7 can run on Windows, Linux, and macOS. PowerShell 7 is backward compatible with Windows PowerShell.

Windows PowerShell comes preinstalled on Windows 10 and executes commands to make changes to your Windows 10 PC. Windows PowerShell was designed to help with task automation for administrative tasks.

Windows PowerShell evolved from a Windows-only tool into PowerShell 7, an open source, cross-platform tool built to help system administrators and power-users automate tasks and processes.

The latest preview version, PowerShell 7.3, is a prerelease version that continues to support cross-platform deployment and adds a bunch of new features, cmdlets, and performance and bug fixes.

It is not recommended to use the pre-release version. For this guide, we will use steps to install the latest stable release, PowerShell 7.2.

1. Install PowerShell 7 on Windows 10 MSI package

The first method uses an MSI file to install PowerShell. MSI packages work almost identically as an EXE file and allow you to install a program using a graphical interface.

Using an MSI package to install a program is a simple method that only uses the necessary core files for installation. All you have to do is double-click the package to start the setup wizard.

To download the MSI package:

1. Go to the PowerShell GitHub releases page
2. Scroll down to the Assets section and click on the MSI package you want to install
   
3. Once downloaded, double-click the MSI file and follow the installation prompts to complete the installation

2. Install PowerShell ZIP package

The process of installing the ZIP package on Windows 10 is almost identical to the process for installing an MSI package. PowerShell ZIP packages are provided for advanced deployment scenarios. To download the ZIP package:

1. Go to the PowerShell GitHub releases page
2. Scroll down to the Assets section and click on the ZIP package you want to install
3. Extract the contents of the ZIP file to a location of your choice and double-click pwsh.exe and follow the install prompts to complete the installation.

3. Windows Package Manager (Winget) in Command Prompt

There is a way to install PowerShell 7 on Windows 10 using Command Prompt. Here’s what to do.

1. Open Command Prompt and Run as Administrator
2. Copy and paste the following command: winget search microsoft.powershell
3. Press Enter to run the command

Once the installation is completed, you can start using PowerShell.

4. Install via Microsoft Store

PowerShell 7.2 can be installed from the Microsoft Store. You can find the PowerShell 7 in the Microsoft Store, or in the Store application in Windows 10.

You can download PowerShell or PowerShell Preview from the Microsoft Store using the links below.

The benefit of installing PowerShell 7 or PowerShell Preview from the Microsoft Store is that you can get automatic updates built right into Windows 10, but a downside is that you can’t experiment with preview versions on different platforms on GitHub.

Do you have a favorite way to install PowerShell on Windows 10? Let us know in the comments!

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