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Get-Location



This is the built-in help made by Microsoft for the command 'Get-Location', in PowerShell version 5 - as retrieved from Windows version 'Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard' PowerShell help files on 2016-06-23.

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.

SYNOPSIS

Gets information about the current working location or a location stack.

SYNTAX


Get-Location [-InformationAction {SilentlyContinue | Stop | Continue | Inquire | Ignore | Suspend}] [-InformationVariable [<System.String]>]] [-PSDrive [<String[]>]]
[-PSProvider [<String[]>]] [-UseTransaction [<SwitchParameter>]] [<CommonParameters>]
Get-Location [-InformationAction {SilentlyContinue | Stop | Continue | Inquire | Ignore | Suspend}] [-InformationVariable [<System.String]>]] [-Stack] [-StackName
[<String[]>]] [-UseTransaction [<SwitchParameter>]] [<CommonParameters>]



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DESCRIPTION


The Get-Location cmdlet gets an object that represents the current directory, much like the pwd (print working directory) command.


When you move between Windows PowerShell drives, Windows PowerShell retains your location in each drive. You can use Get-Location to find your location in each drive.


You can use Get-Location to get the current directory at run time and use it in functions and scripts, such as in a function that displays the current directory in the
Windows PowerShell prompt.


You can also use the Get-Location cmdlet to display the locations in a location stack. For more information, see the Notes and the descriptions of the Stack and StackName
parameters.



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RELATED LINKS

Online Version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?linkid=290497
Pop-Location
Push-Location
Set-Location
about_Providers

REMARKS

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Examples


-------------------------- EXAMPLE 1 --------------------------

PS C:\>get-location
Path
----
C:\WINDOWS



This command displays your location in the current Windows PowerShell drive.

For example, if you are in the Windows directory of the C: drive, it displays the path to that directory.










-------------------------- EXAMPLE 2 --------------------------

The first command uses the Set-Location cmdlet to set the current location to the Windows subdirectory of the C: drive.
PS C:\>set-location C:\Windows

The second command uses the Set-Location cmdlet to change the location to the HKLM:\Software\Microsoft registry key. When you change to a location in the HKLM: drive,
Windows PowerShell retains your location in the C: drive.
PS C:\WINDOWS> set-location HKLM:\Software\Microsoft
PS HKLM:\Software\Microsoft>

The third command uses the Set-Location cmdlet to change the location to the "HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method" registry key.
PS C:\>PS HKLM:\Software\Microsoft> set-location 'HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method'
PS HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method>

The fourth command uses the Get-Location cmdlet to find the current location on the C: drive. It uses the PSDrive parameter to specify the drive.
PS C:\>PS HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method> get-location -psdrive c
Path
----
C:\WINDOWS

The fifth command uses the Set-Location cmdlet to return to the C: drive. Even though the command does not specify a subdirectory, Windows PowerShell returns you to the
saved location.
PS C:\>PS HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method> set-location C:
PS C:\WINDOWS>

The sixth command uses the Get-Location cmdlet to find the current location in the drives supported by the Windows PowerShell registry provider. Get-Location returns the
location of the most recently accessed registry drive, HKCU.
PS C:\WINDOWS> get-location -psprovider registry
Path
----
HKCU:\Control Panel\Input Method


To see the current location in the HKLM: drive, you need to use the PSDrive parameter to specify the drive. The seventh command does just this:
PS C:\WINDOWS> get-location -psdrive HKLM
Path
----
HKLM:\Software\Microsoft



These commands demonstrate the use of Get-Location to display your current location in different Windows PowerShell drives.






-------------------------- EXAMPLE 3 --------------------------

The first command sets the current location to the Windows directory on the C: drive.
PS C:\>set-location C:\Windows

The second command uses the Push-Location cmdlet to push the current location (C:\Windows) onto the current location stack and change to the System32 subdirectory. Because
no stack is specified, the current location is pushed onto the current location stack. By default, the current location stack is the unnamed default location stack.
C:\WINDOWS>push-location System32

The third command uses the StackName parameter of the Push-Location cmdlet to push the current location (C:\Windows\System32) onto the Stack2 stack and to change the current
location to the WindowsPowerShell subirectory. If the Stack2 stack does not exist, Push-Location creates it.
C:\Windows\System32>push-location WindowsPowerShell -StackName Stack2

The fourth command uses the Stack parameter of the Get-Location cmdlet to get the locations in the current location stack. By default, the current stack is the unnamed
default location stack.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell>get-location -stack
Path
----
C:\WINDOWS

The fifth command uses the StackName parameter of the Get-Location cmdlet to get the locations in the Stack2 stack.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell>get-location -stackname Stack2
Path
----
C:\WINDOWS\system32



These commands show how to use the Stack and StackName parameters of Get-Location to list the locations in the current location stack and alternate location stacks. For more
information about location stacks, see the Notes.






-------------------------- EXAMPLE 4 --------------------------

PS C:\>function prompt { 'PowerShell: ' + (get-location) + '> '}
PowerShell: C:\WINDOWS>



This example shows how to customize the Windows PowerShell prompt. The function that defines the prompt includes a Get-Location command, which is run whenever the prompt
appears in the console.

The format of the default Windows PowerShell prompt is defined by a special function called "prompt". You can change the prompt in your console by creating a new function
called "prompt".

To see the current prompt function, type the following command:

get-content function:prompt

The command begins with the "function" keyword followed by the function name, "prompt". The function body appears within braces ( {} ).

This command defines a new prompt that begins with the string "PowerShell: ". To append the current location, it uses a Get-Location command, which runs when the prompt
function is called. The prompt ends with the string "> ".