How to Use Get-Help in PowerShell: Syntax and Examples

Use the Get-Help cmdlet in PowerShell to get detailed information about commands, their syntax, and examples. Simply type Get-Help CommandName to see help for a specific command.

Syntax

The basic syntax of Get-Help is simple and flexible. You use it by typing Get-Help followed by the command name you want help with. You can also add parameters to get more detailed information.

• Get-Help <CommandName>: Shows basic help for the command.
• -Detailed: Shows detailed help including syntax and descriptions.
• -Examples: Shows only examples of how to use the command.
• -Full: Shows the complete help content.
• -Online: Opens the online help page in your browser.

powershell

Get-Help <CommandName> [-Detailed] [-Examples] [-Full] [-Online]

Example

This example shows how to get basic help and examples for the Get-Process command. It demonstrates how to see the command's description and usage examples.

powershell

Get-Help Get-Process

Get-Help Get-Process -Examples

Output

NAME
    Get-Process

SYNOPSIS
    Gets the processes that are running on the local computer or a remote computer.


EXAMPLES

    Get-Process
    Gets all the processes that are running on the local computer.

    Get-Process -Name notepad
    Gets the process named notepad.

Common Pitfalls

One common mistake is not updating the help files before using Get-Help, which can cause outdated or incomplete information. Use Update-Help to download the latest help content.

Another pitfall is forgetting to specify the command name, which results in an error or no output.

powershell

Get-Help
# This will not work because no command name is specified.

Update-Help
# Run this once to update help files for accurate information.

Quick Reference

Here is a quick cheat sheet for common Get-Help parameters:

Parameter	Description
-Detailed	Shows detailed help including syntax and descriptions.
-Examples	Shows only usage examples.
-Full	Shows complete help content.
-Online	Opens the online help page in a browser.
-Parameter <name>	Shows help for a specific parameter.

Key Takeaways

Use Get-Help CommandName to quickly see help for any PowerShell command.

Run Update-Help regularly to keep help content current and accurate.

Add parameters like -Detailed or -Examples to get more specific help.

Always specify the command name with Get-Help to avoid errors.

Use -Online to view the latest help documentation in your web browser.