How To Install PowerShell 7 in Windows 11 & 10

Want to upgrade PowerShell to the newest version? Here’s how to install PowerShell 7 or higher in Windows 11 & 10.

By default, both Windows 10 and Windows 11 come pre-installed with PowerShell version 5.1. If you want, you can check the currently installed PowerShell version by executing the “$PSVersionTable” cmdlet in PowerShell. While this version works perfectly fine for everyday use, it is not actively being developed with new features.

To access the new features and capabilities in PowerShell, you must manually install the newest version of PowerShell, which is version 7.6 as of this writing. For example, some features, such as Coreutils and the Command Not Found module in PowerToys, require PowerShell 7.4 or higher. The latest version is open-source, cross-platform compatible, and built from the ground up using the .NET Framework.

In this quick and easy Windows guide, I will show you two easy methods to install PowerShell version 7 or higher. Let’s get started.

Quick navigation links:

• Important notes before you start install PS version 7 or higher
• Method 1: Using winget
• Method 2: Using PowerShell installer

Before You Start

• You need administrator rights to install the latest version of PowerShell.
• As of this writing, PowerShell v7.6 is the newest version. However, the same steps will also work for future versions (e.g., 7.7, etc).
• The newest version will be installed side by side with the old version (v5.4). That means you’ll have access to both versions, and all your scripts and apps that rely on the old version will work without any issues.

Method 1: Install PowerShell Using Winget

1. Right-click the Start button on the taskbar.
2. Select the “Terminal (Admin)” option.
3. Run the “winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell --source winget” command.
4. This command will download and install the latest version of PowerShell.
5. Close the Terminal window.
6. With that, you’ve installed the newest version of PowerShell.
7. You can search for “PowerShell” and open the one with a black icon to run the newest version of PowerShell.

Note: On Windows 10, you might have to install winget manually. If you don’t want to do that, follow the second method below.

Method 2: Install PowerShell Using the EXE Installer

First, open the official PowerShell GitHub page for the latest version of PowerShell. Next, scroll down and click the “Assets” section to expand it. Next, find and click the “PowerShell-7.X.X-win-x64.msi” link. This action will download the installer to your computer.

Important notes:

• If you are using an ARM CPU, you must download the “PowerShell-7.X.X-arm64.msi” file.
• If you don’t see the MSI package link under the Assets section, it is hidden. You have to click the “Show all assets” link at the end of the Assets section to display the MSI link.
• Microsoft no longer provides EXE files for the latest version of PowerShell.

Once the file has been downloaded to your computer, it is automatically saved to the Downloads folder. So, open the File Explorer by pressing the “Windows key + E” shortcut. Next, go to the “Downloads” folder on the left sidebar and double-click the PowerShell installer.

Click the “Next” button in the installer window.

Unless you want to change the default installation location, leave it as is and click “Next“.

Leave all optional actions at their default selections, then click the “Next” button to continue.

For the update options, make sure both the “Enable updating PowerShell through Microsoft Update or WSUS” and “Use Microsoft Update when I check the updates” checkboxes are selected, and click “Next“.

Click the “Install” button. This action will install the newest version of PowerShell.

Once done, click the “Finish” button. With that, you’ve successfully installed PowerShell v7 or higher on Windows 11 or 10.

How to Open PowerShell v7 or Higher

As I said earlier, the newest version of PowerShell, in this case v7.X.X, is installed side by side with the older version. It will not replace the older version. That means you have access to both, and you need to know how to open the newly installed PowerShell. Here’s how:

To open the new version, open the Start menu, search for “pwsh” or “PowerShell 7“, and select the top result.

You can easily differentiate between the two versions (old and new) by their icons. The new PowerShell (v7 or higher) has a black icon, while the old Windows PowerShell has a blue icon.

To confirm the PowerShell version, you can either look at the first line in the console window or run the “$PSVersionTable” command. The ‘PSVersion‘ in the command response should display ‘7.X.X’.

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That is all. It is that simple to install the latest version of PowerShell in Windows 11 and Windows 10. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.

Update: This guide has been updated to simplify the instructions and add a note that Microsoft no longer provides EXE files for the newest versions of PowerShell.