Download PowerShell 7.2 Preview 5 (Installation Guide)

Microsoft has released Windows PowerShell 7.2 Preview 5, bringing in a few changes and fixes to the command line. You can download and install this release on your device using the given guide down below. In any case, since this is a preview version, we would advise avoiding using it in a live production environment as there may be a few possible bugs.

Windows PowerShell is an advanced command-line interface (CLI) integrated into Windows 10. It can be used for routine daily tasks or for more advanced automation tasks. Microsoft, despite the fact that this release is based on .NET 5, maintains that the future stable release will be based on  .NET 6.

The actual release date of PowerShell 7.2 Preview 5 is April 14th, 2021.

Download PowerShell 7.2.0 Preview 5

For Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7

PowerShell-7.2.0-Preview5-win-x64.msi [96.6 MB]

PowerShell-7.2.0-Preview5-win-x86.msi [87.6 MB]

For MacOS

powershell-7.2.0-Preview5-osx-x64.pkg [62.0 MB]

For Linux

powershell-preview-7.2.0_preview.5-1.rh.x86_64.rpm [64.6 MB]

powershell-preview_7.2.0-preview.5-1.deb_amd64.deb [63.8 MB]

For more download options, please checkout this download page.

Improvements and fixes

The following changes have been introduced with PowerShell 7.2 Preview 5:

• The Linux Debian and RPM packages have been universalized as you may observe that separate download links have not been provided for CentOS or other flavor systems.
• The Applocker Deny configuration will be enforced before the Execution Policy Bypass configuration.
• The use of dashes and slashes in the command line parameter prefix is not permitted.
• Native executables can now be invoked using ArgumentList in  PSNativeCommandArgumentPassing.
• IArgumentCompleterFactory can be added for parameterized ArgumentCompleters.
• There is now a fix for the issue with the remote SSH connection not completing with a misconfigured endpoint.
• The environment variables $PSStyle_TERM and $PSStyle_NO_COLOR have been enabled when displaying $PSStyle instances.
• With ProgressView.Classic, you can still use Virtual Terminal when it isn’t supported.
• Resolved issue with Get-Counter with -Computer.
• The iterations for splitting lines that produced redundant code have been fixed.
• Remove-Item-Recurse is now capable of working with OneDrive.
• The minimum depth for ConvertTo-Json has been changed to 0.
• Set-Clipboard has been allowed to accept empty strings.
• Turned on and off DECCKM to modify keyboard mode for Unix native commands is now functioning correctly.
• The fall back to CopyAndDelete() when MoveTo() fails due to an IOException has been fixed.

How to install PowerShell 7.2 Preview 5

Use the guide provided to download and install PowerShell 7.2 Preview 5 on Windows 10, 8.1, and 7.

1. Download the respective .MSI file from the links provided above.
2. Execute the downloaded package. In the installation wizard, click Next.
   
   
3. On the next screen, choose the destination path to save the new installation and then click Next.
   
   
4. Now select the optional features you wish to install by checking the boxes next to them. You can add PowerShell to the environment variables, enable PowerShell remoting, add PowerShell to the context menu, etc. Click Next when done.
   
5. Click Install to begin the process.
   
   
6. The installation should be completed in less than a minute. Click on Finish when it is. You may also check the box next to Launch PowerShell to do so before hitting Finish.
   
   
7. Now verify that the installation has been completed by typing in pwsh in Run. You will then see a version of PowerShell running.
   
   

You may also download the latest stable release of PowerShell by running the following command in the existing PowerShell on your Windows:

iex "& { $(irm https://aka.ms/install-powershell.ps1) } -UseMSI -Quiet"

You can also download and install PowerShell over the network. This method is best suited for sysadmins.

Closing words

The fixes this release brings along with new features are certainly worth a try. Since this is still a preview update, we recommend that you do not install it in a production environment unless you absolutely want the new features. However, if you love automation and other PowerShell tools, you should definitely try this preview build on a test computer or a virtual machine, or a test computer.