PowerShell Logo Small

about_Redirection



This is the built-in help made by Microsoft for the document 'about_Redirection', in PowerShell version 5 - as retrieved from Windows version 'Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard' PowerShell help files on 2016-06-24.

For PowerShell version 3 and up, where you have Update-Help, this command was run just before creating the web pages from the help files.

Search powershellhelp.space

about_Redirection
TOPIC
about_Redirection

SHORT DESCRIPTION
Explains how to redirect output from Windows PowerShell to text files.

LONG DESCRIPTION
By default, Windows PowerShell sends its command output to the Windows
PowerShell console. However, you can direct the output to a text
file, and you can redirect error output to the regular output stream.

You can use the following methods to redirect output:

- Use the Out-File cmdlet, which sends command output to a text file.
Typically, you use the Out-File cmdlet when you need to use its
parameters, such as the Encoding, Force, Width, or NoClobber
parameters.

- Use the Tee-Object cmdlet, which sends command output to a text file
and then sends it to the pipeline.

- Use the Windows PowerShell redirection operators.

WINDOWS POWERSHELL REDIRECTION OPERATORS
The redirection operators enable you to send particular types of output
to files and to the success output stream.

The Windows PowerShell redirection operators use the following characters
to represent each output type:
* All output
1 Success output
2 Errors
3 Warning messages
4 Verbose output
5 Debug messages
6 Informational messages

NOTE: The All (*), Warning (3), Verbose (4) and Debug (5) redirection operators were introduced
in Windows PowerShell 3.0; the Information (6) redirection operator was introduced
in Windows PowerShell 5.0. They do not work in earlier versions of Windows PowerShell.

The Windows PowerShell redirection operators are as follows.
Operator Description Example
-------- ---------------------- ------------------------------
> Sends output to the Get-Process > Process.txt
specified file.

>> Appends the output to dir *.ps1 >> Scripts.txt
the contents of the
specified file.

2> Sends errors to the Get-Process none 2> Errors.txt
specified file.

2>> Appends errors to Get-Process none 2>> Save-Errors.txt
the contents of the
specified file.

2>&1 Sends errors (2) and Get-Process none, Powershell 2>&1
success output (1)
to the success
output stream.

3> Sends warnings to the Write-Warning "Test!" 3> Warnings.txt
specified file.

3>> Appends warnings to Write-Warning "Test!" 3>> Save-Warnings.txt
the contents of the
specified file.

3>&1 Sends warnings (3) and function Test-Warning
success output (1) { Get-Process PowerShell;
to the success Write-Warning "Test!" }
output stream. Test-Warning 3>&1

4> Sends verbose output to Import-Module * -Verbose 4> Verbose.txt
the specified file.

4>> Appends verbose output Import-Module * -Verbose 4>> Save-Verbose.txt
to the contents of the
specified file.

4>&1 Sends verbose output (4) Import-Module * -Verbose 4>&1
and success output (1)
to the success output
stream.

5> Sends debug messages to Write-Debug "Starting" 5> Debug.txt
the specified file.

5>> Appends debug messages Write-Debug "Saving" 5>> Save-Debug.txt
to the contents of the
specified file.

5>&1 Sends debug messages (5) function Test-Debug
and success output (1) { Get-Process PowerShell
to the success output Write-Debug "PS" }
stream. Test-Debug 5>&1

6> Sends informational Write-Information "Here they are" 6> Info.txt
messages to a specified
file

6>> Appends informational Write-Information "Nothing found" 6>> Info.txt
messages to the contents
of a specified file.

6>&1 Sends informational function Test-Info
messages and success { Get-Process P*
output to the success Write-Information "Here you go" }
output stream. Test-Info 6>&1

*> Sends all output types function Test-Output
to the specified file. { Get-Process PowerShell, none
Write-Warning "Test!"
*>> Appends all output types Write-Verbose "Test Verbose"
to the contents of the Write-Debug "Test Debug" }
specified file.
Test-Output *> Test-Output.txt


*>&1 Sends all output types Test-Output *>> Test-Output.txt
(*) to the success output Test-Output *>&1
stream.


The syntax of the redirection operators is as follows:

<input> <operator> [<path>\]<file>

If the specified file already exists, the redirection operators that do not
append data (> and n>) overwrite the current contents of the file without
warning. However, if the file is a read-only, hidden, or system file, the
redirection fails. The append redirection operators (>> and n>>) do not
write to a read-only file, but they append content to a system or hidden
file.

To force the redirection of content to a read-only, hidden, or system file,
use the Out-File cmdlet with its Force parameter. When you are writing to
files, the redirection operators use Unicode encoding. If the file has a
different encoding, the output might not be formatted correctly. To
redirect content to non-Unicode files, use the Out-File cmdlet with its
Encoding parameter.


SEE ALSO
Out-File
Tee-Object
about_Operators
about_Command_Syntax
about_Path_Syntax