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PowerShell Primer for File Management

Overview

This guide provides essential PowerShell skills for technical staff who may not be familiar with command line interfaces. PowerShell is the default command line interface on Windows and is recommended to run KPAT tools and manage files.

Getting Started with PowerShell

Opening PowerShell

Windows 11 (Default Method):

  1. Click the Start button or press Windows key
  2. Type terminal and press Enter
  3. Windows Terminal will open with PowerShell as the default tab

Alternative Method:

  1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog
  2. Type powershell and press Enter

Understanding the PowerShell Window

When PowerShell opens, you'll see:

  • A blue or dark window (depending on your theme)
  • A prompt that looks like: PS C:\Users\YourName>
  • A blinking cursor where you can type commands

PowerShell Default Tab

The prompt shows:

  • PS - Indicates this is PowerShell
  • C:\Users\YourName - Your current location (directory/folder)
  • > - Ready for your command

PowerShell replaces the truly ancient cmd.exe command line interface. All PowerShell commands follow a verb-noun format such as Get-ChildItem or Remove-Item. For backwards compatability and to cut down on some of the typing, aliases are provided for legacy commands as well as for many of the Linux variants. For instance:

  • Get-ChildItem -- dir, ls
  • Remove-Item -- del, rm

Basic Navigation

Where Am I?

To see your current location: 

# Show Present Working Directory (same as in the prompt)
pwd

# PowerShell-native command (long form)
Get-Location

This shows your "present working directory"

Listing Files and Folders

To see what's in your current directory: 

# List files (short form)
dir

# List files (long form):
```powershell
Get-ChildItem

List Files and Folders

Understanding the output:

  • Folders show as <DIR> or have a d in the attributes
  • Names with spaces will be displayed normally
  • This is exactly what you'd see if you used Explorer to view your C:\Users\YourName folder

Changing Directories

To move to a different folder: 

# Move to your Downloads folder (relative path)
cd Downloads

# Move to your Downloads folder (long form / notice the verb-noun paring)
Set-Location Downloads

# Move to a specific folder (absolute path)
cd "C:\Users\YourName\Downloads"

# Move to a subfolder
cd ProjectFiles

# Move up one level (to parent folder)
cd ..

# Move up two levels
cd ..\..

# Move to the root of C: drive
cd C:\

Important: If a folder name has spaces, put it in quotes: 

cd "My Documents"

PRO TIP:

  • Use TAB often -- type 3 or 4 keys and press TAB.
    • Works for command, file/folder names, etc.
    • Cuts down significantly on typos

File and Folder Management

Creating Folders

# Create a new folder
mkdir "Analysis Results"

# Create nested folders (Long-form)
New-Item "Projects\2024\Analysis"

Copying Files

# Copy a single file
copy "source.txt" "destination.txt"

# Copy to another folder
copy "data.txt" "Results\data-backup.txt"

# Copy all files of a type
copy "*.txt" "TextFiles\"

Moving Files

# Move (rename) a file
move "oldname.txt" "newname.txt"

# Move to another folder
move "data.txt" "Archive\"

# Move all files of a type
move "*.log" "Logs\"

Deleting Files and Folders

# Delete a file
del "filename.txt"

# Delete all files of a type
del "*.tmp"

# Delete an empty folder
rmdir "EmptyFolder"

# Delete a folder and all its contents (be careful!)
rmdir "FolderName" -Recurse

⚠️ Warning: The -Recurse option will delete everything inside the folder. Use carefully!

Working with File Paths

Absolute vs Relative Paths

Absolute paths start from the drive root: 

# Absolute paths start from the drive letter (root)
C:\Users\YourName\Documents\data.txt

Relative paths start from your current location: 

# Relative paths start from the present working directory

# File in current folder
.\data.txt

# File in subfolder
.\Results\data.txt

# File in parent folder
..\data.txt

# File in parent folder's sibling (I guess that's your aunt/uncle's folder?)
..\other-folder\data.txt

Special Path Shortcuts

# Current directory
.

# Parent directory
..

# Your home folder (same as on Linux)
~

# Desktop (from home)
~\Desktop

Handling Spaces in Names

When file or folder names contain spaces, use quotes: 

cd "Program Files"
copy "My File.txt" "Backup Folder\"

Helpful Tips and Shortcuts

Tab Completion

  • Start typing a file or folder name
  • Press Tab to auto-complete
  • Press Tab multiple times to cycle through options

Command History

  • Press ↑ (up arrow) to see previous commands
  • Press ↓ (down arrow) to go forward in history
  • Press Ctrl+R to search command history

Copy and Paste

  • Copy from PowerShell: Select text, then right-click
  • Paste to PowerShell: Right-click where you want to paste
  • Modern shortcut: Ctrl+C to copy, Ctrl+V to paste

Drag and Drop

  • You can drag files from Windows Explorer into PowerShell
  • The full path will be inserted automatically
  • Useful for avoiding typing long paths

Clear the Screen

# Legacy command (CLear Screen)
cls

# PowerShell native command (long form)
Clear-Host

# Another alias
clear

Or press Ctrl+L (Windows Terminal)

Common File Operations Examples

Organizing Analysis Files

# Create project structure
mkdir "Analysis-2024-09-08"
cd "Analysis-2024-09-08"
mkdir "Input"
mkdir "Output"
mkdir "Logs"

# Copy input files
copy "..\raw-data\*.txt" "Input\"

# List what we have
dir Input

Finding Files

# Find all Excel files
dir *.xlsx

# Find files recursively in all subfolders
dir *.txt -Recurse

# Find files modified today
dir | Where-Object {$_.LastWriteTime -gt (Get-Date).Date}

Getting File Information

# Show file details
dir "filename.txt" | Format-List

# Show file size in readable format
dir "filename.txt" | Select-Object Name, @{Name="Size(MB)";Expression={[math]::Round($_.Length/1MB,2)}}

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"File not found" errors

  • Check spelling of file name
  • Verify you're in the correct directory with pwd
  • Use dir to see available files
  • Use quotes around names with spaces

"Access denied" errors

  • You may need administrator privileges
  • Try right-clicking PowerShell and selecting "Run as Administrator"
  • Make sure the file isn't open in another program

Path too long errors

  • Try using shorter folder names
  • Move files closer to the root directory

Getting Help

For any PowerShell command, you can get help: 

# Get help for a command
Get-Help dir

# Get examples
Get-Help copy -Examples

# Get detailed help
Get-Help move -Detailed

Next Steps

Once you're comfortable with these basics: 1. Practice navigating to your typical work folders 2. Try creating a test folder structure 3. Experiment with copying and moving files 4. Learn about specific KPAT commands in the relevant user guides

Remember: PowerShell is forgiving - you can always use cd .. to go back up a level if you get lost, and dir to see what's available in your current location.