ForEach loop in PowerShell

Introduction

A ForEach loop helps you repeat a set of actions for each item in a list or collection. It saves time by automating repetitive tasks.

You want to print each name in a list of friends.

You need to check every file in a folder.

You want to send an email to each person in a contact list.

You want to add a prefix to every item in a list.

You want to calculate the total of numbers in a list.

Syntax

PowerShell

foreach ($item in $collection) {
    # commands to run for each $item
}

The variable $item holds the current element from the collection during each loop.

The collection can be an array, list, or any group of items.

Examples

Prints numbers from 1 to 5, one per line.

PowerShell

foreach ($number in 1..5) {
    Write-Output $number
}

Greets each name in the list.

PowerShell

foreach ($name in @('Anna', 'Bob', 'Cara')) {
    Write-Output "Hello, $name!"
}

Lists the names of all files in the current folder.

PowerShell

foreach ($file in Get-ChildItem -Path .) {
    Write-Output $file.Name
}

Sample Program

This script goes through each fruit in the list and prints a sentence saying you like that fruit.

PowerShell

foreach ($fruit in @('Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry')) {
    Write-Output "I like $fruit"
}

Important Notes

You can use any variable name instead of $item; just keep it consistent inside the loop.

Make sure the collection is not empty, or the loop will not run.

Use curly braces { } to group the commands that run for each item.

Summary

ForEach loops repeat actions for every item in a list.

They help automate tasks that involve multiple items.

Use foreach ($var in $collection) { } syntax in PowerShell.