10 PowerShell Commands That Make Windows Troubleshooting Easier

 

If you use Windows regularly, PowerShell can help you perform many everyday tasks faster than navigating through multiple menus.

From checking disk space to troubleshooting network connectivity, these commands are worth knowing.

🔎 1. Search for Files

Find specific file types inside a folder and its subfolders:

Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Filter *.log

💾 2. Check Disk Space

Quickly view available drives and their storage information:

Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystem

⚙️ 3. Find CPU-Hungry Processes

Identify processes consuming significant CPU resources:

Get-Process | Sort CPU -Desc | Select -First 5

🛑 4. Stop a Frozen Application

If an application stops responding, you can terminate its process:

Stop-Process -Name chrome -Force

📦 5. View Installed Packages

Check software packages installed on the system:

Get-Package

🌐 6. View Network Details

For detailed IP and network adapter information:

ipconfig /all

🔗 7. Test a Network Port

Check whether a remote service is reachable on a specific port:

Test-NetConnection google.com -Port 443

📶 8. View Saved Wi-Fi Profiles

List Wi-Fi profiles stored on a Windows computer:

netsh wlan show profile

🔄 9. Start a Windows Update Scan

You can trigger a Windows Update scan with:

UsoClient StartScan

🛠️ 10. Check Windows System Files

The System File Checker can scan protected Windows system files:

sfc /scannow

Final Thoughts

You don't need to memorize dozens of PowerShell commands. Start with these basics and gradually add more commands as you troubleshoot Windows systems.

Bookmark this guide and keep it handy the next time you need to diagnose a Windows issue.

⚠️ Always understand a command before running it, especially commands that stop processes or modify system settings.