PowerShell Support Lifecycle
Note
This document is about support for PowerShell. Windows PowerShell (1.0 - 5.1) is a component of the Windows operating system. For more information, see Product and Services Lifecycle Information.
PowerShell follows the Microsoft Modern Lifecycle Policy. Support dates follow the .NET Support Policy. In this servicing approach, customers can choose Long Term Support (LTS) releases or current releases.
An LTS release of PowerShell is built on an LTS release of .NET. Updates to an LTS release only contain critical security updates and servicing fixes that are designed to minimize impact on existing workloads.
A current release is a release that occurs between LTS releases. Current releases can contain critical fixes, innovations, and new features. Microsoft supports a current release for six months after the next LTS release.
Both LTS and current versions of PowerShell receive security updates and bug fixes. Microsoft only supports the latest update version of a release.
Getting support
Microsoft provides support for PowerShell on a best-effort basis. Support for Windows PowerShell 5.1 is provided through Windows support channels. You can use the standard paid support channels to get support for PowerShell.
There are many free support options available from the PowerShell community. The most active community support channels are available through Discord or Slack. The discussion channels are mirrored on both platforms, so you can choose the platform that you prefer. These channels can help you troubleshoot issues, answer questions, and provide guidance on how to use PowerShell.
If you think that you found a bug, you can file an issue on GitHub. The PowerShell team can't provide support through GitHub, but they welcome bug reports. The community support page provides links to the most popular community support channels.
Supported platforms
PowerShell runs on multiple operating systems (OS) and processor architecture platforms. The platform must meet the following criteria:
- The target platform (OS version and processor architecture) is supported by .NET.
- Microsoft has tested and approved PowerShell on the target platform.
- The OS version is supported by the distributor for at least one year.
- The OS version isn't an interim release or equivalent.
- The OS version is currently supported by the distributor.
Support for PowerShell ends when either of the following conditions are met:
- The target platform reaches end-of-life as defined by the platform owner
- The specific version of PowerShell reaches end-of-life
After a version of PowerShell reaches end-of-life, no further updates, including security updates, are provided. Microsoft encourages customers to upgrade to a supported version of PowerShell to continue receiving updates and support.
Windows
Microsoft supports PowerShell until PowerShell reaches end-of-support or the version of Windows reaches end-of-support.
- Docker images containing PowerShell 7.2, PowerShell 7.4, and PowerShell 7.5-preview for x64 for Windows Server 2022, Windows Server Core 2022, and Windows Server Nano build 1809 are available from the Microsoft Artifact Registry
- PowerShell 7.2 and higher can be installed on Windows 10 build 1607 and higher, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016 and higher, and Windows Server Nano build 1809 and higher
Note
Support for a specific version of Windows is determined by the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policies. For more information, see:
macOS
Microsoft supports PowerShell until PowerShell reaches end-of-support or the version of macOS reaches end-of-support.
- macOS 12 (Monterey) x64 and Arm64
- macOS 13 (Ventura) x64 and Arm64
- macOS 14 (Sonoma) x64 and Arm64
Apple determines the support lifecycle of macOS. For more information, see the following:
Alpine Linux
Microsoft supports PowerShell until PowerShell reaches end-of-support or the version of Alpine reaches end-of-life.
Docker images containing PowerShell 7.2, PowerShell 7.4, and PowerShell 7.5-preview for x64 are available from the Microsoft Artifact Registry for the following versions of Alpine:
- Alpine 3.17 - OS support ends on 2024-11-22
Docker images of PowerShell aren't available for Alpine 3.18, 3.19, and 3.20.
Important
The Docker images are built from official operating system (OS) images provide by the OS distributor. These images may not have the latest security updates. Microsoft recommends that you update the OS packages to the latest version to ensure the latest security updates are applied.
Debian Linux
Microsoft supports PowerShell until PowerShell reaches end-of-support or the version of Debian reaches end-of-life.
Install package files (.deb) are also available from https://packages.microsoft.com/.
Docker images containing PowerShell 7.2, PowerShell 7.4, and PowerShell 7.5-preview for x64 are available from the Microsoft Artifact Registry for the following versions of Debian:
- Debian 12 (Bookworm) - OS support ends on 2026-06-10
Important
The Docker images are built from official operating system (OS) images provide by the OS distributor. These images may not have the latest security updates. Microsoft recommends that you update the OS packages to the latest version to ensure the latest security updates are applied.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Microsoft supports PowerShell until PowerShell reaches end-of-support or the version of RHEL reaches end-of-support.
Install package files (.rpm) are also available from https://packages.microsoft.com/.
Docker images containing PowerShell 7.2, PowerShell 7.4, and PowerShell 7.5-preview for x64 are available from the Microsoft Artifact Registry for the following versions of RHEL:
- RHEL 8 - OS support ends on 2029-05-31
- RHEL 9 - OS support ends on 2032-05-31
PowerShell is tested on Red Hat Universal Base Images (UBI). For more information, see the UBI information page.
Important
The Docker images are built from official operating system (OS) images provide by the OS distributor. These images may not have the latest security updates. Microsoft recommends that you update the OS packages to the latest version to ensure the latest security updates are applied.
Ubuntu Linux
Microsoft supports PowerShell until PowerShell reaches end-of-support or the version of Ubuntu reaches end-of-support.
Install package files (.deb) are also available from https://packages.microsoft.com/.
Docker images containing PowerShell 7.2, PowerShell 7.4, and PowerShell 7.5-preview for x64 and Arm32 are available from the Microsoft Artifact Registry for the following versions of Ubuntu:
- Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish) - OS support ends on 2027-04-01
- Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa) - OS support ends on 2025-04-02
- Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble Numbat) is not available yet
Ubuntu 23.10 (Mantic Minotaur) is an interim release. Microsoft doesn't support interim releases of Ubuntu. For more information, see Community supported distributions.
Important
The Docker images are built from official operating system (OS) images provide by the OS distributor. These images may not have the latest security updates. Microsoft recommends that you update the OS packages to the latest version to ensure the latest security updates are applied.
Support for PowerShell modules
The support lifecycle for PowerShell doesn't cover modules that ship outside of the PowerShell
release package. For example, using the ActiveDirectory module that ships as part of Windows
Server is supported under the Windows Support Lifecycle.
Support for experimental features
Experimental features aren't intended to be used in production environments. We appreciate feedback on experimental features and we provide best-effort support for them.
Notes on licensing
PowerShell is released under the MIT license. Under this license, and without a paid support agreement, users are limited to community support. With community support, Microsoft makes no guarantees of responsiveness or fixes.
PowerShell end-of-support dates
The PowerShell support lifecycle follows the support lifecycle of .NET. The following table lists the end-of-support dates for the current versions of PowerShell:
| Version | Release Date | End-of-support |
|---|---|---|
| 7.4 (LTS) | November 16, 2023 | November 10, 2026 |
| 7.2 (LTS) | November 8, 2021 | November 8, 2024 |
The following table lists the end-of-support dates for retired versions of PowerShell:
| Version | Release Date | End-of-support |
|---|---|---|
| 7.3 | November 9, 2022 | May 8, 2024 |
| 7.0 (LTS) | March 4, 2020 | December 3, 2022 |
| 7.1 | November 11, 2020 | May 8, 2022 |
| 6.2 | March 28, 2019 | September 4, 2020 |
| 6.1 | September 13, 2018 | September 28, 2019 |
| 6.0 | January 20, 2018 | February 13, 2019 |
Release history
The following table contains a historical timeline of the major releases of PowerShell.
| Version | Release Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| PowerShell 7.5 (preview) | Future | Built on .NET 9.0.0 |
| PowerShell 7.4 (LTS) | Nov-2023 | Built on .NET 8.0.0 |
| PowerShell 7.3 | Nov-2022 | Built on .NET 7.0 |
| PowerShell 7.2 (LTS) | Nov-2021 | Built on .NET 6.0 |
| PowerShell 7.1 | Nov-2020 | Built on .NET 5.0 |
| PowerShell 7.0 (LTS) | Mar-2020 | Built on .NET Core 3.1 |
| PowerShell 6.2 | Mar-2019 | Built on .NET Core 2.1 |
| PowerShell 6.1 | Sep-2018 | Built on .NET Core 2.1 |
| PowerShell 6.0 | Jan-2018 | Built on .NET Core 2.0. Installable on Windows, Linux, and macOS |
| Windows PowerShell 5.1 | Aug-2016 | Released in Windows 10 Anniversary Update and Windows Server 2016, WMF 5.1 |
| Windows PowerShell 5.0 | Feb-2016 | Released in Windows Management Framework (WMF) 5.0 |
| Windows PowerShell 4.0 | Oct-2013 | Released in Windows 8.1 and with Windows Server 2012 R2, WMF 4.0 |
| Windows PowerShell 3.0 | Oct-2012 | Released in Windows 8 and with Windows Server 2012 WMF 3.0 |
| Windows PowerShell 2.0 | Jul-2009 | Released in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, WMF 2.0 |
| Windows PowerShell 1.0 | Nov-2006 | Released as optional component of Windows Server 2008 |
Run the following command to see the full version number of .NET used by the version of PowerShell you're running:
[System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation]::FrameworkDescription
