Start-Transcript
Creates a record of all or part of a PowerShell session to a text file.
Syntax
Start-Transcript
[[-Path] <String>]
[-Append]
[-Force]
[-NoClobber]
[-IncludeInvocationHeader]
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
Start-Transcript
[[-LiteralPath] <String>]
[-Append]
[-Force]
[-NoClobber]
[-IncludeInvocationHeader]
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
Start-Transcript
[[-OutputDirectory] <String>]
[-Append]
[-Force]
[-NoClobber]
[-IncludeInvocationHeader]
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
Description
The Start-Transcript
cmdlet creates a record of all or part of a PowerShell session to a text
file. The transcript includes all command that the user types and all output that appears on the
console.
By default, Start-Transcript
stores the transcript in the following location using the default
name:
- Default location:
$HOME\Documents
- Default filename:
PowerShell_transcript.<computername>.<random>.<timestamp>.txt
Starting in Windows PowerShell 5.0, Start-Transcript
includes the hostname in the generated file
name of all transcripts. The filename also includes random characters in names to prevent potential
overwrites or duplication when you start two or more transcripts simultaneously. Including the
computer name is useful if you store your transcripts in a centralized location. The random
character string prevents guessing of the filename to gain unauthorized access to the file.
When using the Append parameter, if the target file doesn't have a Byte Order Mark (BOM)
Start-Transcript
defaults to ASCII
encoding in the target file. This behavior can result in
improper encoding of multibyte characters in the transcript.
Examples
Example 1: Start a transcript file with default settings
Start-Transcript
This command starts a transcript in the default file location.
Example 2: Start a transcript file at a specific location
Start-Transcript -Path "C:\transcripts\transcript0.txt" -NoClobber
This command starts a transcript in the Transcript0.txt
file in C:\transcripts
. NoClobber
parameter prevents any existing files from being overwritten. If the Transcript0.txt
file already
exists, the command fails.
Example 3: Start a transcript file with a unique name and store it on a file share
The following example creates a transcript file with a name unique enough to be stored on in a
shared location. The filename is constructed from the user's name, the hostname of the computer
running PowerShell, the version of PowerShell, and the date and time. The transcript is stored in
the \\Server01\Transcripts
file share.
$sharepath = '\\Server01\Transcripts'
$username = $env:USERNAME
$hostname = hostname
$version = $PSVersionTable.PSVersion.ToString()
$datetime = Get-Date -f 'yyyyMMddHHmmss'
$filename = "Transcript-${username}-${hostname}-${version}-${datetime}.txt"
$Transcript = Join-Path -Path $sharepath -ChildPath $filename
Start-Transcript
The full path to the transcript file is stored in the $Transcript
preference variable. For more
information about the $Transcript
preference variable, see
about_Preference_Variables.
Parameters
-Append
Indicates that this cmdlet adds the new transcript to the end of an existing file. Use the Path parameter to specify the file.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Confirm
Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Aliases: | cf |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | False |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Force
Allows the cmdlet to append the transcript to an existing read-only file. When used on a read-only file, the cmdlet changes the file permission to read-write. The cmdlet can't override security restrictions when this parameter is used.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-IncludeInvocationHeader
Indicates that this cmdlet logs the time stamp when commands are run.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-LiteralPath
Specifies a location to the transcript file. Unlike the Path parameter, the value of the LiteralPath parameter is used exactly as it's typed. No characters are interpreted as wildcards. If the path includes escape characters, enclose it in single quotation marks. Single quotation marks inform PowerShell not to interpret any characters as escape sequences.
Type: | String |
Aliases: | PSPath |
Position: | 0 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-NoClobber
Indicates that this cmdlet doesn't overwrite an existing file. By default, if a transcript file
exists in the specified path, Start-Transcript
overwrites the file without warning.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Aliases: | NoOverwrite |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-OutputDirectory
Specifies a specific path and folder in which to save a transcript. PowerShell automatically assigns the transcript name.
Type: | String |
Position: | 0 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Path
Specifies a location to the transcript file. Enter a path to a .txt
file. Wildcards aren't
permitted. If any of the directories in the path don't exist, the command fails.
If you don't specify a path, Start-Transcript
uses the path in the value of the $Transcript
global variable. If you haven't created this variable, Start-Transcript
stores the transcripts in
the default location and filename.
Type: | String |
Position: | 0 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-WhatIf
Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet isn't run.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Aliases: | wi |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | False |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Inputs
None
You can't pipe objects to this cmdlet.
Outputs
This cmdlet returns a string containing a confirmation message and the path to the output file.
Notes
To stop a transcript, use the Stop-Transcript
cmdlet.
To record an entire session, add the Start-Transcript
command to your profile. For more
information, see about_Profiles.