Basic File and Folder Operations

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This guide covers the fundamental file system operations in PowerShell.

Viewing Objects in a Directory

To view the content of a directory on a Windows file server, use the Get-ChildItem cmdlet.

Basic Usage

Get-ChildItem -Force \\fs\Shared

The -Force parameter shows hidden files.

Recursive Listing

To also check all subfolders and their content:

Get-ChildItem -Force \\fs\Shared -Recurse

Filtering Output

Use Filter, Exclude, Include and Path parameters:

Get-ChildItem -Path \\fs\Shared\IT -Recurse -Include *.exe |
  Where-Object -FilterScript {($_.LastWriteTime -gt '2018-04-01')}

This searches for all executable files modified after April 1, 2018.

Creating Files and Folders

Use the New-Item cmdlet and specify the type of item you want to create.

Create a Folder

New-Item -Path '\\fs\Shared\NewFolder' -ItemType Directory

Create an Empty File

New-Item -Path '\\fs\Shared\NewFolder\newfile.txt' -ItemType File

Create a File with Content

Using Out-File

$text = 'Hello World!' | Out-File $text -FilePath C:\data\text.txt

To overwrite an existing file, use the –Force switch parameter.

Using Export-Csv

Get-ADuser -Filter * | Export-Csv -Path C:\data\ADusers.csv

Deleting Files and Folders

To delete objects, use the Remove-Item cmdlet.

Delete with Confirmation

Remove-Item -Path '\\fs\shared\it\'

If the object is not empty, you’ll be prompted to confirm.

Delete Without Confirmation

Remove-Item -Path '\\fs\shared\it\' -Recurse

Delete Old Files

Clean up files older than 30 days:

$Folder = "C:\Backups"

#delete files older than 30 days
Get-ChildItem $Folder -Recurse -Force -ea 0 |
  ? {!$_.PsIsContainer -and $_.LastWriteTime -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-30)} |
  ForEach-Object {
    $_ | del -Force
    $_.FullName | Out-File C:\log\deletedbackups.txt -Append
  }

#delete empty folders and subfolders if any exist
Get-ChildItem $Folder -Recurse -Force -ea 0 |
  ? {$_.PsIsContainer -eq $True} |
  ? {$_.getfiles().count -eq 0} |
  ForEach-Object {
    $_ | del -Force
    $_.FullName | Out-File C:\log\deletedbackups.txt -Append
  }

Check if File Exists Before Deleting

$FileName = 'C:\data\log.txt'
If (Test-Path $FileName) {
  Remove-Item $FileName
}

Delete Files from Remote PCs

$filelist = @("\c$\Temp", "\c$\Backups") #files and folders to delete
$computerlist = Get-Content C:\data\pc.txt #get list of remote pc's

foreach ($computer in $computerlist) {
  foreach ($file in $filelist) {
    $filepath = Join-Path "\\$computer\" "$filelist" #generate unc paths
    if (Test-Path $filepath) {
      Remove-Item $filepath -force -recurse -ErrorAction Continue
    }
  }
}

Copying Files and Folders

The Copy-Item cmdlet enables you to copy objects from one path to another.

Basic Copy

Copy-Item -Path \\fs\Shared\it\users.xlsx `
  -Destination \\fs2\Backups\it\users.xlsx

Overwrite Existing Files

Copy-Item -Path \\fs\Shared\it\users.xlsx `
  -Destination \\fs2\Backups\it\users.xlsx -Force

Copy from Remote to Local

Copy-Item \\fs\c$\temp -Recurse C:\data\

Copy from Local to Remote

Copy-Item C:\data\ -Recurse \\fs\c$\temp

Copy Between Remote Servers

Copy-Item \\fs\Shared\temp -Recurse \\fs\Shared\test

Copy Only Specific Files

Copy-Item -Filter *.txt -Path \\fs\Shared\it -Recurse `
  -Destination \\fs2\Shared\text

Alternative Methods

# Using XCOPY or ROBOCOPY
xcopy C:\source\*.* D:\destination\ /E /H /C /I

# Using COM objects
(New-Object -ComObject Scripting.FileSystemObject).CopyFile('\\fs\Shared', 'fs2\Backup')

Moving Files and Directories

The Move-Item cmdlet moves an item, including its properties, contents, and child items.

Move a File

Move-Item -Path \\fs\Shared\Backups\1.bak `
  -Destination \\fs2\Backups\archive\1.bak

Move a Folder

Move-Item -Path \\fs\Shared\Backups `
  -Destination \\fs2\Backups\archive

The Backups directory and all its files and subfolders will appear in the archive directory.

Renaming Files

The Rename-Item cmdlet enables you to change the name of an object while leaving its content intact.

Important: You cannot move items with Rename-Item; use Move-Item for that.

Rename a Single File

Rename-Item -Path "\\fs\Shared\temp.txt" -NewName "new_temp.txt"

Rename Multiple Files

$files = Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Temp #create list of files

foreach ($file in $files) {
  $newFileName = $file.Name.Replace("A","B") #replace "A" with "B"
  Rename-Item $file $newFileName
}

Best Practices

  1. Test with -WhatIf before executing
  2. Use -Force cautiously - it overwrites without prompting
  3. Check paths with Test-Path before operations
  4. Use UNC paths for remote operations
  5. Handle errors with Try-Catch blocks
  6. Log operations for audit trails

Common Parameters

  • -Path - Specifies the path to the item
  • -Destination - Specifies the destination path
  • -Force - Forces the operation without prompting
  • -Recurse - Performs operation on all child items
  • -Filter - Specifies a filter in provider format
  • -WhatIf - Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs

Next Steps

Related Topics