Debug-Process
Debugs one or more processes running on the local computer.
Syntax
Debug-Process
[-Name] <String[]>
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
Debug-Process
[-Id] <Int32[]>
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
Debug-Process
-InputObject <Process[]>
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
Description
The Debug-Process
cmdlet attaches a debugger to one or more running processes on a local computer.
You can specify the processes by their process name or process ID (PID), or you can pipe process
objects to this cmdlet.
This cmdlet attaches the debugger that's registered for the process. Before using this cmdlet, verify that a debugger is installed and configured.
Examples
Example 1: Attach a debugger to a process on the computer
Debug-Process -Name Powershell
This command attaches a debugger to the PowerShell process on the computer.
Example 2: Attach a debugger to all processes that begin with the specified string
Debug-Process -Name note*
This command attaches a debugger to all processes that have names that begin with note
.
Example 3: Attach a debugger to multiple processes
Debug-Process "Winlogon", "Explorer", "Outlook"
This command attempts to attach a debugger to the Winlogon, Explorer, and Outlook processes. Winlogon is a protected process. To debug Winlogon, you must run the command as an administrator.
Example 4: Attach a debugger to multiple process IDs
Debug-Process -Id 1132, 2028
This command attaches a debugger to the processes that have process IDs 1132 and 2028.
Example 5: Use Get-Process to get a process then attach a debugger to it
Get-Process PowerShell | Debug-Process
This command attaches a debugger to the PowerShell processes on the computer. It uses the
Get-Process
cmdlet to get the PowerShell processes on the computer, and it uses a pipeline
operator (|
) to send the processes to the Debug-Process
cmdlet.
To specify a particular PowerShell process, use the ID parameter of Get-Process
.
Example 6: Attach a debugger to a current process on the local computer
Debug-Process -Id $PID
This command attaches a debugger to the current PowerShell processes on the computer.
The command uses the $PID
automatic variable, which contains the process ID of the current
PowerShell process. Then, it uses a pipeline operator (|
) to send the process ID to the
Debug-Process
cmdlet.
For more information about the $PID
automatic variable, see
about_Automatic_Variables.
Example 7: Attach a debugger to a process that uses the InputObject parameter
$P = Get-Process PowerShell
Debug-Process -InputObject $P
This command attaches a debugger to the PowerShell processes on the local computer.
The first command uses the Get-Process
cmdlet to get the PowerShell processes on the
computer. It saves the resulting process object in the variable named $P
.
The second command uses the InputObject parameter of the Debug-Process
cmdlet to submit the
process object in the $P
variable.
Parameters
-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 |
-Id
Specifies the process IDs of the processes to be debugged. The Id parameter name is optional.
To find the process ID of a process, type Get-Process
.
Type: | Int32[] |
Aliases: | PID, ProcessId |
Position: | 0 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | True |
Accept pipeline input: | True |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-InputObject
Specifies the process objects that represent processes to be debugged. Enter a variable that
contains the process objects or a command that gets the process objects, such as the Get-Process
cmdlet. You can also pipe process objects to this cmdlet.
Type: | Process[] |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | True |
Accept pipeline input: | True |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Name
Specifies the names of the processes to be debugged. If there is more than one process with the same name, this cmdlet attaches a debugger to all processes with that name. The Name parameter is optional.
Type: | String[] |
Aliases: | ProcessName |
Position: | 0 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | True |
Accept pipeline input: | True |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-WhatIf
Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Aliases: | wi |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | False |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Inputs
You can pipe a process ID to this cmdlet.
You can pipe a process object to this cmdlet.
You can pipe a process name to this cmdlet.
Outputs
None
This cmdlet returns no output.
Notes
This cmdlet uses the AttachDebugger method of the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Win32_Process class. For more information about this method, see AttachDebugger method in the MSDN library.