Key Takeaways
To update PowerShell, open a Windows Terminal to a PowerShell tab, then enter the command “winget install –id Microsoft.Powershell –source winget” into the window. The latest version of PowerShell installs alongside the default version of PowerShell, so both versions remain accessible as profiles in the Terminal app. You can also update PowerShell through the Microsoft Store or by downloading the update from the PowerShell GitHub repo.
If you check your PowerShell version and find it is out of date — or PowerShell has been helpfully reminding you that there is a new version available — you have a few options. Here is the best way to update PowerShell on Windows 11.
How to Update PowerShell with Winget
The best way to update PowerShell is through the command line, using winget.
Winget is a package manager introduced in Windows 10. Winget lets you download and install some programs from a centralized repository of programs rather than needing to track down an installer manually. It is a lot like apt on Debian-based Linux distros (like Ubuntu), dnf on Fedora, or pacman on Arch, if you’re familiar with those systems.
To download and install the update, open up a PowerShell tab in Terminal. Type or copy and paste the following command at the command line and press Enter. This command will download and install the latest version of PowerShell from Microsoft’s GitHub repository:
winget install --id Microsoft.Powershell --source winget
That command downloads the latest stable PowerShell release. If you want the preview version of PowerShell — which is basically the open beta version — replace Microsoft.Powershell with Microsoft.PowerShell.Preview in the previous command.
Once the download and installation is finished, you should close all of your Terminal windows. When you reopen them, the new PowerShell will be available.
Update PowerShell with the Installer
If you don’t want to use winget, or it isn’t cooperating, you can always download the latest version of PowerShell from GitHub as a Microsoft Software Installer, “.msi”, file instead.
There are three options: Long Term Support (LTS), Stable, and Preview. You should pick the Stable or LTS version of PowerShell if you’re going to be using it regularly and need it to be reliable. Stable releases tend to be newer than LTS releases, but aren’t supported for as long.
The Preview version is exactly that — a preview of what is coming in the next version. Preview versions of software are typically prone to bugs and problems, and they’re best avoided unless you’re an enthusiast that likes bug hunting or have another specific reason to use them.
Once the MSI file has finished downloading, click it to begin the installation. There are a few screens that let you pick where PowerShell installs, if it is added to the right-click context menu, and whether or not it’ll receive updates via the normal Windows Update process. We added PowerShell to the right-click context menu, but you don’t have to — the default settings are fine for 99% of users.
It’ll take a few moments to install, and then you’re done. We’d recommend restarting any active Terminal windows before you try to use PowerShell 7, though.
Use the Windows Store to Update PowerShell
As with most Microsoft Software, you can also get the latest stable release of PowerShell through the Microsoft Store. Open up the Microsoft Store (or follow our link), and then search “PowerShell.” Click on the “Stable,” result, then click “Get.”
Once it downloads and installs the “Get” icon will change to an “Open” icon. As with the other installation methods, we’d recommend that you restart any open Terminal windows before using PowerShell 7.
Does PowerShell 7 Replace PowerShell 5 Completely?
No, PowerShell 7.x won’t completely replace PowerShell 5.x when you install it on your system. Instead. PowerShell 7.x is installed in a separate location, and both versions of PowerShell remain usable on your PC.
How Do I Use PowerShell 7?
When you launch Terminal after installing PowerShell 7.x, you’ll find that you now have an additional PowerShell profile available.
You can switch to the new version of PowerShell at any time by clicking the little chevron (a tailless down arrow) at the top of the window and selecting it from the drop-down menu. You could also change the default shell in Terminal to the latest version of PowerShell if you’d prefer that.
PowerShell differs significantly from Command Prompt and is much more powerful. If you have to spend any substantial amount of time manipulating Windows 10 or Windows 11 with a command-line interface, it is worth investing some time in learning to use PowerShell.
