What is Windows PowerShell?

Windows PowerShell and PowerShell are two separate products.

• Windows PowerShell is the version of PowerShell that ships in Windows. This version of PowerShell uses the full .NET Framework, which only runs on Windows. The latest version is Windows PowerShell 5.1. Microsoft is no longer updating Windows PowerShell with new features. Support for Windows PowerShell is tied to the version of Windows you are using.

• PowerShell is built on the new versions of .NET instead of the .NET Framework and runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Support for PowerShell is based on the version of .NET that it was built on. For more information about the support lifecycle for PowerShell, see the PowerShell support lifecycle documentation.

Further reading

• For a more detailed explanation of the differences between Windows PowerShell and PowerShell, see Differences between Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7.x.
• For information about migrating from Windows PowerShell to PowerShell, see Migrating from Windows PowerShell 5.1 to PowerShell 7.
• For more information about previous versions of Windows PowerShell, see Previous versions of PowerShell.
• For more information about the terminology used in PowerShell documentation, see Product terminology and branding guidelines.