Edit

Share via

Add-PSSnapin

  • Reference
Module:
Microsoft.PowerShell.Core

Adds one or more Windows PowerShell snap-ins to the current session.

Syntax

Add-PSSnapin
   [-Name] <String[]>
   [-PassThru]
   [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The Add-PSSnapin cmdlet adds registered Windows PowerShell snap-ins to the current session. After the snap-ins are added, you can use the cmdlets and providers that the snap-ins support in the current session.

To add the snap-in to all future Windows PowerShell sessions, add an Add-PSSnapin command to your Windows PowerShell profile. For more information, see about_Profiles.

Beginning in Windows PowerShell 3.0, the core commands that are included in Windows PowerShell are packaged in modules. The exception is Microsoft.PowerShell.Core, which is a snap-in (PSSnapin). By default, only the Microsoft.PowerShell.Core snap-in is added to the session. Modules are imported automatically on first use and you can use the Import-Module cmdlet to import them.

Examples

Example 1: Add snap-ins

PS C:\> Add-PSSnapIn -Name Microsoft.Exchange, Microsoft.Windows.AD

This command adds the Microsoft Exchange and Active Directory snap-ins to the current session.

Example 2: Add all the registered snap-ins

PS C:\> Get-PSSnapin -Registered | Add-PSSnapin -PassThru

This command adds all of the registered Windows PowerShell snap-ins to the session. It uses the Get-PSSnapin cmdlet with the Registered parameter to get objects representing each of the registered snap-ins. The pipeline operator (|) passes the result to Add-PSSnapin, which adds them to the session. The PassThru parameter returns objects that represent each of the added snap-ins.

Example 3: Register a snap-in and add it

The first command gets snap-ins that have been added to the current session that include the snap-ins that are installed with Windows PowerShell. In this example, ManagementFeatures is not returned. This indicates that it has not been added to the session.

The second command gets snap-ins that have been registered on your system, which includes those that have already been added to the session. It does not include the snap-ins that are installed with Windows PowerShell. In this case, the command does not return any snap-ins. This indicates that the ManagementFeatures snapin has not been registered on the system.

The third command creates an alias, installutil, for the path of the InstallUtil tool in .NET Framework.

The fourth command uses the InstallUtil tool to register the snap-in. The command specifies the path of ManagementCmdlets.dll, the filename or module name of the snap-in.

The fifth command is the same as the second command. This time, you use it to verify that the ManagementCmdlets snap-in is registered.

The sixth command uses the Add-PSSnapin cmdlet to add the ManagementFeatures snap-in to the session. It specifies the name of the snap-in, ManagementFeatures, not the file name.

To verify that the snap-in is added to the session, the seventh command uses the Module parameter of the Get-Command cmdlet. It displays the items that were added to the session by a snap-in or module.

You can also use the PSSnapin property of the object that the Get-Command cmdlet returns to find the snap-in or module in which a cmdlet originated. The eighth command uses dot notation to find the value of the PSSnapin property of the Set-Alias cmdlet.

PS C:\> Get-PSSnapin
PS C:\> Get-PSSnapin -Registered
PS C:\> Set-Alias installutil $env:windir\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\installutil.exe
PS C:\> installutil C:\Dev\Management\ManagementCmdlets.dll
PS C:\> Get-PSSnapin -Registered
PS C:\> add-pssnapin ManagementFeatures
PS C:\> Get-Command -Module ManagementFeatures
PS C:\> (Get-Command Set-Alias).pssnapin

This example demonstrates the process of registering a snap-in on your system and then adding it to your session. It uses ManagementFeatures, a fictitious snap-in implemented in a file that is named ManagementCmdlets.dll.

Parameters

-Name

Specifies the name of the snap-in. This is the Name, not the AssemblyName or ModuleName. Wildcards are permitted.

To find the names of the registered snap-ins on your system, type Get-PSSnapin -Registered.

Type:String[]
Position:0
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:True

-PassThru

Indicates that this cmdlet returns an object that represents each added snap-in. By default, this cmdlet does not generate any output.

Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

Inputs

None

You cannot pipe objects to this cmdlet.

Outputs

None or System.Management.Automation.PSSnapInInfo

This cmdlet returns a PSSnapInInfo object that represents the snap-in if you specify the PassThru parameter. Otherwise, this cmdlet does not generate any output.

Notes

Windows PowerShell includes the following aliases for Add-PSSnapin:

  • asnp

Beginning in Windows PowerShell 3.0, the core commands that are installed with Windows PowerShell are packaged in modules. In Windows PowerShell 2.0, and in host programs that create older-style sessions in later versions of Windows PowerShell, the core commands are packaged in snap-ins (PSSnapins). The exception is Microsoft.PowerShell.Core, which is always a snap-in. Also, remote sessions, such as those started by the New-PSSession cmdlet, are older-style sessions that include core snap-ins.

For information about the CreateDefault2 method that creates newer-style sessions with core modules, see CreateDefault2 Method.

For more information about snap-ins, see about_PSSnapins and How to Create a Windows PowerShell Snap-in.

Add-PSSnapin adds the snap-in only to the current session. To add the snap-in to all Windows PowerShell sessions, add it to your Windows PowerShell profile. For more information, see about_Profiles.

You can add any snap-in that has been registered using the Microsoft .NET Framework install utility. For more information, see How to Register Cmdlets, Providers, and Host Applications.

To get a list of snap-ins that are registered on your computer, type Get-PSSnapin -Registered.

Before adding a snap-in, Add-PSSnapin checks the version of the snap-in to verify that it is compatible with the current version of Windows PowerShell. If the snap-in fails the version check, Windows PowerShell reports an error.