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PowerShell for Beginners: Uncovering Your Installed Applications

PowerShell for Beginners: Uncovering Your Installed Applications

AU

Admin User

January 27, 2025

Ever wondered exactly what's lurking in the depths of your Windows "Program Files" folder? Or maybe you need a quick way to list all those installed applications? PowerShell, with its command-line magic, can help! This beginner-friendly guide will walk you through creating a simple script to reveal all your installed applications and their installation locations.

Why PowerShell?

PowerShell is a powerful scripting language and automation engine built into Windows. It gives you far more control and flexibility than the traditional "Add or Remove Programs" window.

Let's Get Scripting!

  1. Open PowerShell: Hit the Windows key, type "PowerShell," and select "Windows PowerShell."

The Command: The core of our script is the Get-WmiObject command (also known as gwmi). We'll use it to tap into the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), a treasure trove of information about your system.

  1. The Script: Copy and paste the following code into your PowerShell window:

PowerShell
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Select-Object Name, InstallLocation | Format-Table -AutoSize

Breaking it Down:

  • Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product: This fetches information about all installed software.
  • Select-Object Name, InstallLocation: We're only interested in the application's name and where it's installed, so we select those properties.
  • Format-Table -AutoSize: This presents the output in a neat, organized table.

Run the Script: Press Enter and watch the magic happen! PowerShell will generate a table listing your installed applications and their installation folders.

Saving Your Script:

Want to use this again later? Easy!

  1. Open a plain text editor like Notepad.
  2. Paste the code into the editor.
  3. Save the file with a .ps1 extension (e.g., installed_apps.ps1).

Now you can double-click that file to run your script anytime!

Going Further:

This is just the tip of the PowerShell iceberg. You can customize this script further, such as exporting the list to a CSV file or filtering the results. Explore the world of PowerShell – you'll be amazed at what you can achieve!

Troubleshooting:

  • Script Execution Policy: For security reasons, PowerShell might prevent you from running scripts by default. If you encounter an error, you might need to adjust your execution policy. Type Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned in PowerShell (and confirm with "Y") to allow running locally created scripts.

Happy scripting!