Use the Get-Help Command in PowerShell

What PowerShell is

PowerShell is the command-line shell and scripting language of Microsoft. It is used to manage Windows, servers and cloud services. It has thousands of commands, called cmdlets. Get-Help is the tool that explains them.

Update the help files first

PowerShell downloads its help files on demand. Run PowerShell as administrator once and update them:

Update-Help

Basic use

Get-Help Get-Process

This shows a short description, the syntax and a note on how to get more.

Useful parameters

Parameter	What it shows
`-Name`	The name of the command (it is the first position, so you can skip the word `-Name`)
`-Examples`	Only the examples
`-Detailed`	A detailed view with descriptions of the parameters and examples
`-Full`	The complete help, including parameter details, inputs, outputs and notes
`-Parameter`	Help for one parameter, or `*` for all of them
`-Online`	Opens the latest help page in your browser
`-ShowWindow`	Opens the help in a separate window with a search box
`-Category`	Limits the search to a category, such as Cmdlet, Function or Alias
`-Component`, `-Functionality`, `-Role`	Filter help by component, functionality or user role
`-Path`	Help for a provider path

Examples

Examples only

Get-Help Get-Service -Examples

The full help

Get-Help Get-Service -Full

The help of one parameter

Get-Help Get-Command -Parameter *

Find commands by a word. Use wildcards:

Get-Help *network*

Page the output

Get-Help Get-Process -Full | more

Help for a topic. The about_ pages explain concepts:

Get-Help about_Operators

Get-Command lists the commands you can use. Example: Get-Command *service*.
Get-Member shows the properties and methods of an object.

Quick recap

Run Update-Help once.
Get-Help <command> -Examples is the fastest way to learn.
Use Get-Command to find the name of a command.