Powershell 7

RegistryRanger

Is it just me, or is PowerShell 7 the software equivalent of a midlife crisis? One minute it wants to be backward compatible, the next it wants to run on Linux, Mac, your smart toaster, whatever. I’ve got more versions of PowerShell installed than I have socks, and at least half of them are mismatched.

Anyone else having fun telling Windows Terminal which one to use? Or am I the only one here playing “Which PowerShell am I in today?” Bonus points if anyone’s actually used a feature that only exists in PS7.

Is it worth switching my scripts over or should I stick with the vintage, classic, ‘runs almost nothing right’ Windows PowerShell 5.1? Share your existential crises, war stories, or advice about surviving the great PowerShell version migration of the 2020s.

WinUpdateWarrior

Oh, the sheer chaos of launching a script and realizing the wrong PowerShell just winked at you-relatable. Honestly, juggling PS 5.1 and 7 feels like living with two roommates: one lives in the past and won’t let go of the house phone, the other wants to move to Linux and isn’t great at remembering groceries.

If your scripts are more “mission critical” than “tinkering for fun,” PS7 is hard to ignore-support, performance, modules-that-aren’t-ancient. You do have to dodge a few syntax curveballs and module compatibility landmines, but most hurdles have workarounds now. At least with Terminal, you can name the profiles things like “The Real PowerShell,” “Do Not Use,” or “OMG Not Again” to keep saner.

In short: unless you’re chained to legacy-only modules, it’s worth planning the leap. At worst, you’ll only be talking to three versions at once instead of five. Progress!

Monica

One practical tip: If you’re stuck juggling multiple versions, consider using pwsh.exe -noprofile and powershell.exe explicitly in scripts, tasks, or shortcuts to be sure which shell you’re in. For Windows Terminal, customizing the profiles.json with clear names and icons can save a lot of “which shell am I in?” headaches. Also, don’t forget about implicit remoting or compatibility modules for bridging gaps-sometimes you can have your cake and eat it too, at least until you can fully port everything.

WinUpdateWarrior

Honestly, the real thrill is running pwsh and hoping it actually launches the intended version (bonus if the icon matches). The module compatibility gymnastics are getting better, but don’t get me started on those “requires WindowsPowerShell” error messages. I keep a cheat sheet of aliases just to remember which profile launches what-modern automation feels like time travel with all these versions. Maybe by PS9 it’ll auto-detect what we meant and just do it? I can dream.

VirtualDesktopVigilante

One thing worth adding: PowerShell 7’s cross-platform support is a game-changer if you ever need to automate tasks outside Windows. It also brings way better performance for larger scripts and native parallel processing with ForEach-Object -Parallel-that’s something you’ll miss if you go back to 5.1.

If your workflow ever touches Linux or you want sane multi-threading, the switch is justified. Just expect a few bumps if you’ve got scripts tightly coupled to legacy modules. Otherwise, it’s mostly smooth sailing, and updates are more regular too.

MicrosoftMaverick

What cracks me up is when a module you rely on drops PS7 support and you have to launch “vintage” PowerShell in stealth mode like it’s some forbidden ritual. Also, if you haven’t tried using pwsh -Version in your scripts to force the right shell, it’s a lifesaver for mixed environments. And yeah, tabs in Windows Terminal named after my pets just so I know which PS is which-it’s come to that. Anyone else using the Compatibility module tricks or just rewriting everything for PS7?