PowerShell for Beginners: Commands, Files and Automation
YOUR LEARNING PATH
Start at the prompt, learn to read command output, then connect small operations into useful scripts. This path moves from navigating your computer to organizing files and inspecting Windows, with a concrete exercise at each step.
Who is this path for?
Windows users who are new to the command line, and learners who want to turn repeated file and system tasks into scripts
Before you begin
Use a Windows PC with PowerShell and a separate practice folder. Check the permissions and scope of each command in the lesson before running it.
What you will practice
- Read paths and work with files from the command line.
- Connect commands and filters through a pipeline.
- Check script paths and execution policy, then verify the result of an automation.
STEP BY STEP
Your suggested lesson order
Get comfortable with commands and files
- 001 First Steps in PowerShell — Driving Your Computer with TextOpen PowerShell and read your current location from the prompt
- 002 Working with Files — Create, Copy, Move, DeleteCreate files and folders with New-Item
- 003 The Pipe (|) — A Way of Thinking That Assembles CommandsPass a command’s output into the next command’s input with the pipe (|)
Read output and work with data
- 004 Text Processing — Finding a Needle in the LogsRead files with Get-Content, and peek at just the beginning of long files
- 005 Collecting System Information — A Health Checkup for My ComputerSelect the OS and hardware properties you need from Get-ComputerInfo.
- 006 Checking the Network — Inspecting My Computer's Outside LinesFind and explain your IP address, default gateway, and DNS servers.
- 007 Variables and Data Types — Putting Values into Labeled BoxesStore values in variables and pull them back out
- 008 Conditionals and Loops — Making the Computer Judge and ToilTurn "if ~ then" judgments into code with if/else
Build scripts and verify automation
- 009 Execution Policy and Your First Script — Check, Run, and RestoreSave and execute a .ps1 file using its correct path.
- 010 ★ Project: Automatic File Classification — Preview, Move, and VerifyDesign processing order and construct paths with Join-Path.
- 011 Exploring the Registry — Read Keys and Values, Record Startup EntriesDistinguish keys, subkeys, and a value’s name, type, and data.
- 012 Event Logs — Reading Windows' Black BoxOpen an administrator PowerShell and explain why this privilege is used "only when needed"
- 013 Inside Processes and Services — Trace the Lineage of ExecutionExplain what a PID is and why processes are identified by number rather than name
- 014 Remote Management — Commanding a Computer Across the NetworkExplain what a remote session is, and the role and port numbers of WinRM/PSRemoting
- 015 ★ Project: What Happens After Boot? — A Full Survey of Auto-Start LocationsExplain what persistence is and why attackers use "doors that already exist"
Before you move on
Run the exercises in your practice folder and compare the file list before and after each operation. Keep the command, path and error message together when investigating a problem.
Check each lesson’s setup and completion criteria. If you already know a section, start with the lessons you need.