Get-PSDrive

Get-PSDrive [-LiteralName*] <String[]> [-PSProvider <String[]>] [-Scope <String>] [-UseTransaction][<CommonParameters>]

Get-PSDrive [[-Name] <String[]>] [-PSProvider <String[]>] [-Scope <String>] [-UseTransaction] [<CommonParameters>]

The Get-PSDrive cmdlet gets the drives in the current session. You can get a particular drive or all drives in the session.

This cmdlet gets the following types of drives:

- Windows logical drives on the computer, including drives mapped to network shares.

- Drives exposed by Windows PowerShell providers (such as the Certificate:, Function:, and Alias: drives) and the HKLM: and HKCU: drives that are exposed by the Windows PowerShell Registry provider.

- Session-specified temporary drives and persistent mapped network drives that you create by using the New-PSDrive cmdlet.

Beginning in Windows PowerShell 3.0, the Persist parameter of the New-PSDrive cmdlet can create mapped network drives that are saved on the local computer and are available in other sessions. For more information, see New-PSDrive.Also, beginning in Windows PowerShell 3.0, when an external drive is connected to the computer, Windows PowerShell automatically adds a PSDrive to the file system that represents the new drive. You do not need to restart Windows PowerShell. Similarly, when an external drive is disconnected from the computer, Windows PowerShell automatically deletes the PSDrive that represents the removed drive.

Parameters

-LiteralName <String[]>

This value is required
Default value is None
Accepts pipeline input ByPropertyName

Specifies the name of the drive.

The value of LiteralName is used exactly as it is typed. No characters are interpreted as wildcards. If the name includes escape characters, enclose it in single quotation marks. Single quotation marks tell Windows PowerShell not to interpret any characters as escape sequences.

-Name <String[]>

Default value is None
Accepts pipeline input ByPropertyName

Specifies, as a string array, the name or name of drives that this cmdlet gets in the operation. Type the drive name or letter without a colon (:).

-PSProvider <String[]>

Default value is None
Accepts pipeline input ByPropertyName

Specifies, as a string array, the Windows PowerShell provider. This cmdlet gets only the drives supported by this provider. Type the name of a provider, such as FileSystem, Registry, or Certificate.

-Scope <String>

Default value is None
Accepts pipeline input ByPropertyName

Specifies the scope in which this cmdlet gets the drives.

The acceptable values for this parameter are:

- Global

- Local

- Script

- a number relative to the current scope (0 through the number of scopes, where 0 is the current scope and 1 is its parent).

"Local" is the default.

-UseTransaction [<SwitchParameter>]

Default value is False
Accepts pipeline input False

Includes the command in the active transaction. This parameter is valid only when a transaction is in progress.

<CommonParameters>

This cmdlet supports the common parameters: Verbose, Debug,ErrorAction, ErrorVariable, WarningAction, WarningVariable,OutBuffer, PipelineVariable, and OutVariable.

Inputs

None

You cannot pipe objects to this cmdlet.

Outputs

System.Management.Automation.PSDriveInfo

This cmdlet returns objects that represent the drives in the session.

Examples

Get drives in the current session:

PS C:\> Get-PSDriveName       Provider      Root----       --------      ----Alias      AliasC          FileSystem

     C:\cert       Certificate   \D          FileSystem    D:\Env        EnvironmentFunction   FunctionHKCU       
   Registry      HKEY_CURRENT_USERHKLM       Registry      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEVariable   VariableX          FileSystem 
      X:\

This command gets the drives in the current session.

The output shows the hard drive (C:) and CD-ROM drive (D:) on the computer, the drives exposed by the Windows PowerShell providers (Alias:, Cert:, Env:, Function:, HKCU:, HKLM:, and Variable:), and a drive mapped to a network share (X:).

Get a drive on the computer:
```
PS C:\> Get-PSDrive DName       Provider      Root----       --------      ----D          FileSystem    D:\
```
This command gets the D: drive on the computer. Note that the drive letter in the command is not followed by a colon.
Get all the drives that are supported by the Windows PowerShell file system provider:
```
PS C:\> Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystemName       Provider      Root----       --------      ----C FileSystem    C:\D          FileSystem    D:\X          FileSystem    X:\Y          FileSystem \\Server01\PublicZ          FileSystem    C:\Windows\System32
```
This command gets all of the drives that are supported by the Windows PowerShell FileSystem provider. This includes fixed drives, logical partitions, mapped network drives, and temporary drives that you create by using the New-PSDrive cmdlet.
Check to see if a drive is in use as a Windows PowerShell drive name:
```
PS C:\> if (!(Get-PSDrive X)) {New-PSDrive -Name X -PSProvider Registry -Root HKLM:\Network}else { Write-Host "The X: drive is already in use." }
```
This command checks to see whether the X drive is already in use as a Windows PowerShell drive name. If it is not, the command uses the New-PSDrive cmdlet to create a temporary drive that is mapped to the HKLM:\Network registry key.

Compare the types of files system drives:


   PS C:\>Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystemPS C:\>Get-PSDrive -provider FileSystemName       Provider      Root----  
        --------      ----C          FileSystem    C:\D          FileSystem    D:\X          FileSystem    X:\Y       
      FileSystem    \\Server01\PublicZ          FileSystem    C:\Windows\System32PS C:\>net useNew connections will 
   be remembered.Status       Local     Remote                    
   Network-------------------------------------------------------------------------------X:        \\Server01\Public  
          Microsoft Windows NetworkPS C:\>[System.IO.DriveInfo]::getdrives()Name               : C:\DriveType         
    : FixedDriveFormat        : NTFSIsReady            : TrueAvailableFreeSpace : 39831498752TotalFreeSpace     : 
   39831498752TotalSize          : 79900368896RootDirectory      : C:\VolumeLabel        :Name               : 
   D:\DriveType          : CDRomDriveFormat        :IsReady            : FalseAvailableFreeSpace :TotalFreeSpace     
   :TotalSize          :RootDirectory      : D:\VolumeLabel        :Name               : X:\DriveType          : 
   NetworkDriveFormat        : NTFSIsReady            : TrueAvailableFreeSpace : 36340559872TotalFreeSpace     : 
   36340559872TotalSize          : 36413280256RootDirectory      : X:\VolumeLabel        : D_DrivePS  
C:\> get-wmiobject win32_logicaldiskDeviceID     : C:DriveType    : 3ProviderName :FreeSpace    : 39831252992Size

         : 79900368896VolumeName   :DeviceID     : D:DriveType    : 5ProviderName :FreeSpace    :Size         
   :VolumeName   :DeviceID     : X:DriveType    : 4ProviderName : \\server01\publicFreeSpace    : 36340559872Size     
       : 36413280256VolumeName   : D_DrivePS C:\>get-wmiobject win32_networkconnectionLocalName                     
   RemoteName--------------               ------------x:                            \\server01\public

This example compares the types of file system drives that are displayed by Get-PSDrive to those displayed by using other methods. This example demonstrates different ways to display drives in Windows PowerShell, and it shows that temporary, session-specific drives created by using the New-PSDrive cmdlet are accessible only in Windows PowerShell.

The first command uses Get-PSDrive to get all of the file system drives in the session. This includes the fixed drives (C: and D:), a mapped network drive (X:) that was created by using the Persist parameter of New-PSDrive , and two temporary Windows PowerShell drives (Y: and Z:) that were created by using New-PSDrive without the Persist parameter.

A net use command, which displays Windows mapped network drives, displays only the X drive. It does not display the Y: and Z: drives that were created by New-PSDrive . It shows that the X: drive is also mapped to \\Server01\Public.

The third command uses the GetDrives method of the Microsoft .NET Framework System.IO.DriveInfo class. This command gets the Windows file system drives, including drive X:, but it does not get the temporary drives created by New-PSDrive .

The fourth command uses the Get-WmiObject cmdlet to get the instances of the Win32_LogicalDisk class. It returns the C:, D:, and X: drives, but not the temporary drives created by New-PSDrive .

The last command uses the Get-WmiObject cmdlet to display the instances of the Win32_NetworkConnection class. Like net use, it returns only the persistent X: drive that was created by New-PSDrive .

Additional Notes

 * This cmdlet is designed to work with the data exposed by any provider. To list the providers available in 
 your session, use the Get-PSProvider cmdlet. For more information, see about_Providers 
 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113250). Mapped network drives that are created by using the Persist* 
 parameter of the New-PSDrive cmdlet are specific to a user account. Mapped network drives that you create in 
 sessions that are started with the Run as administrator option or with the credentials of another user are not 
 visible in sessions that are started without explicit credentials or with the credentials of the current user.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. It is attributed to Microsoft Corporation and can be found here.

PowerShell Commands