PowerShell 7 Installation¶

PowerShell 7 installs side by side with Windows PowerShell 5.1. It does not replace it. The executable is pwsh. Any supported 7.x release works for this course. winget installs the latest stable release (7.6 at the time of writing).

Windows 11¶

winget (recommended)MSI packageMicrosoft Store

winget search --id Microsoft.PowerShell
winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell --source winget

Download the latest PowerShell-7.x.x-win-x64.msi from https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/releases and run it. Keep the defaults, and enable Add PowerShell to PATH.

Search for PowerShell by Microsoft Corporation. It updates automatically. Note that some system-level tasks behave differently in the Store version.

Verify in a new terminal:

pwsh -NoProfile -Command '$PSVersionTable'

Troubleshooting Windows installation¶

`Installer failed with exit code: 0x80072ee2`¶

Symptom (reported by a learner on Windows 11):

PS ~ > winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell --source winget
Found PowerShell [Microsoft.PowerShell] Version 7.6.9.0
This application is licensed to you by its owner.
Microsoft is not responsible for, nor does it grant any licenses to, third-party packages.
Successfully verified installer hash
Starting package install...
Installer failed with exit code: 0x80072ee2 : unknown error

What it means: 0x80072EE2 is the Windows networking error ERROR_INTERNET_TIMEOUT ("The operation timed out"). The download and hash check already succeeded, so the failure happened while the MSI installer itself was running. By default, the PowerShell MSI contacts the network during setup to opt you in to updates through Microsoft Update (the USE_MU / ENABLE_MU installer options). On a slow connection, behind a proxy or firewall, or on a VPN, that request can time out and the installation rolls back.

Fix it, in this order:

Check the connection, then retry once.

Test-NetConnection -ComputerName www.microsoft.com -Port 443   # TcpTestSucceeded should be True
netsh winhttp show proxy                                       # system (WinHTTP) proxy settings

Disconnect from VPNs and metered or captive-portal Wi-Fi, then run the winget install command again.

Install without the Microsoft Update opt-in. This avoids the network call that timed out. Run it in an elevated terminal:
```
winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell --source winget --override "/quiet /norestart ADD_PATH=1 USE_MU=0 ENABLE_MU=0"
```
--override replaces winget's default installer arguments, which is why /quiet and ADD_PATH=1 are included explicitly. You then keep PowerShell updated with winget upgrade --id Microsoft.PowerShell instead of Microsoft Update.
Use the MSI directly. Download PowerShell-7.x.x-win-x64.msi from https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/releases, then either run it and untick the two Microsoft Update checkboxes, or install silently from an elevated terminal:
```
msiexec.exe /package .\PowerShell-7.6.9-win-x64.msi /quiet ADD_PATH=1 USE_MU=0 ENABLE_MU=0
```
Adjust the file name to the version you downloaded.
Use an alternative package. Install from the Microsoft Store (winget install --id 9MZ1SNWT0N5D --source msstore), or use the portable ZIP package from the same releases page if you cannot install software system-wide.

Collect diagnostics if it still fails:

winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell --source winget --log "$env:TEMP\pwsh-install.log"
winget --logs          # opens winget's log folder

Search the log for Return value 3 (the MSI step that failed) and for the URL that timed out.

Verify success:

winget list --id Microsoft.PowerShell
pwsh -NoProfile -Command '$PSVersionTable.PSVersion'

Validation status

This fix is based on the documented PowerShell MSI options (ADD_PATH, USE_MU, ENABLE_MU) and the Windows error code definition. It has not been reproduced in CI, because the failure depends on the local network.

Ubuntu 24.04¶

Install from Microsoft's package repository:

# Prerequisites
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y wget apt-transport-https software-properties-common

# Register the Microsoft repository (reads VERSION_ID from /etc/os-release)
source /etc/os-release
wget -q "https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/$VERSION_ID/packages-microsoft-prod.deb"
sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb
rm packages-microsoft-prod.deb

# Install
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y powershell

# Start
pwsh

Alternatively: sudo snap install powershell --classic.

Which edition should I use?¶

Situation	Use
Learning, new scripts, cross-platform work	PowerShell 7
Modules that only run on .NET Framework (some older RSAT/Exchange tooling)	Windows PowerShell 5.1
Group Policy logon scripts on older fleets	Windows PowerShell 5.1 (always present)

Every lesson marks commands that are 5.1-only, 7-only or Windows-only.

Keep it updated¶

winget upgrade --id Microsoft.PowerShell

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade powershell

Official documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell

Symptom	Cause	Fix
`'winget' is not recognized`	App Installer missing or outdated	Update App Installer from the Microsoft Store, then open a new terminal
`pwsh` not recognized after a successful install	`PATH` not refreshed in the current window	Close and reopen the terminal, or run `& "$env:ProgramFiles\PowerShell\7\pwsh.exe"`
`0x80070005` / access denied	Installing system-wide without elevation	Run the terminal as Administrator for the install only
Install blocked by company policy	Software restriction or Intune/AppLocker rules	Ask IT, or use the Store/ZIP package if policy allows