Get-ChildItem

SYNOPSIS

Gets the items and child items in one or more specified locations.

SYNTAX

Items (Default)

Get-ChildItem [[-Path] <string[]>] [[-Filter] <string>] [-Include <string[]>] [-Exclude <string[]>]
 [-Recurse] [-Depth <uint32>] [-Force] [-Name] [-UseTransaction]
 [-Attributes <FlagsExpression[FileAttributes]>] [-Directory] [-File] [-Hidden] [-ReadOnly] [-System]
 [<CommonParameters>]

LiteralItems

Get-ChildItem [[-Filter] <string>] -LiteralPath <string[]> [-Include <string[]>]
 [-Exclude <string[]>] [-Recurse] [-Depth <uint32>] [-Force] [-Name] [-UseTransaction]
 [-Attributes <FlagsExpression[FileAttributes]>] [-Directory] [-File] [-Hidden] [-ReadOnly] [-System]
 [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION

The Get-ChildItem cmdlet gets the items in one or more specified locations. If the item is a
container, it gets the items inside the container, known as child items. You can use the Recurse
parameter to get items in all child containers and use the Depth parameter to limit the number
of levels to recurse.

Get-ChildItem doesn't display empty directories. When a Get-ChildItem command includes the
Depth or Recurse parameters, empty directories aren't included in the output.

Locations are exposed to Get-ChildItem by PowerShell providers. A location can be a file system
directory, registry hive, or a certificate store.

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Get child items from a file system directory

This example gets the child items from a file system directory. The filenames and subdirectory
names are displayed. For empty locations, the command doesn't return any output and returns to the
PowerShell prompt.

The Get-ChildItem cmdlet uses the Path parameter to specify the directory C:\Test.
Get-ChildItem displays the files and directories in the PowerShell console.

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Test

   Directory: C:\Test

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
d-----        2/15/2019     08:29                Logs
-a----        2/13/2019     08:55             26 anotherfile.txt
-a----        2/12/2019     15:40         118014 Command.txt
-a----         2/1/2019     08:43            183 CreateTestFile.ps1
-ar---        2/12/2019     14:31             27 ReadOnlyFile.txt

By default Get-ChildItem lists the mode (Attributes), LastWriteTime, file size (Length),
and the Name of the item. The letters in the Mode property can be interpreted as follows:

• l (link)
• d (directory)
• a (archive)
• r (read-only)
• h (hidden)
• s (system).

Example 2: Get child item names in a directory

This example lists only the names of items in a directory.

The Get-ChildItem cmdlet uses the Path parameter to specify the directory C:\Test. The
Name parameter returns only the file or directory names from the specified path.

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Test -Name

Logs
anotherfile.txt
Command.txt
CreateTestFile.ps1
ReadOnlyFile.txt

Example 3: Get child items in the current directory and subdirectories

This example displays .txt files that are located in the current directory and its
subdirectories.

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Test\*.txt -Recurse -Force

    Directory: C:\Test\Logs\Adirectory

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
-a----        2/12/2019     16:16             20 Afile4.txt
-a-h--        2/12/2019     15:52             22 hiddenfile.txt
-a----        2/13/2019     13:26             20 LogFile4.txt

    Directory: C:\Test\Logs\Backup

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
-a----        2/12/2019     16:16             20 ATextFile.txt
-a----        2/12/2019     15:50             20 LogFile3.txt

    Directory: C:\Test\Logs

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
-a----        2/12/2019     16:16             20 Afile.txt
-a-h--        2/12/2019     15:52             22 hiddenfile.txt
-a----        2/13/2019     13:26             20 LogFile1.txt

    Directory: C:\Test

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
-a----        2/13/2019     08:55             26 anotherfile.txt
-a----        2/12/2019     15:40         118014 Command.txt
-a-h--        2/12/2019     15:52             22 hiddenfile.txt
-ar---        2/12/2019     14:31             27 ReadOnlyFile.txt

The Get-ChildItem cmdlet uses the Path parameter to specify C:\Test\*.txt. Path uses the
asterisk (*) wildcard to specify all files with the filename extension .txt. The Recurse
parameter searches the Path directory its subdirectories, as shown in the Directory:
headings. The Force parameter displays hidden files such as hiddenfile.txt that have a mode
of h.

Example 4: Get child items using the Include parameter

In this example Get-ChildItem uses the Include parameter to find specific items from the
directory specified by the Path parameter.

# When using the -Include parameter, if you don't include an asterisk in the path
# the command returns no output.
Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Test\ -Include *.txt

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Test\* -Include *.txt

    Directory: C:\Test

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
-a----        2/13/2019     08:55             26 anotherfile.txt
-a----        2/12/2019     15:40         118014 Command.txt
-ar---        2/12/2019     14:31             27 ReadOnlyFile.txt

The Get-ChildItem cmdlet uses the Path parameter to specify the directory C:\Test. The
Path parameter includes a trailing asterisk (*) wildcard to specify the directory's contents.
The Include parameter uses an asterisk (*) wildcard to specify all files with the file name
extension .txt.

When the Include parameter is used, the Path parameter needs a trailing asterisk (*)
wildcard to specify the directory's contents. For example, -Path C:\Test\*.

• If the Recurse parameter is added to the command, the trailing asterisk (*) in the Path
  parameter is optional. The Recurse parameter gets items from the Path directory and its
  subdirectories. For example, -Path C:\Test\ -Recurse -Include *.txt
• If a trailing asterisk (*) isn't included in the Path parameter, the command doesn't return
  any output and returns to the PowerShell prompt. For example, -Path C:\Test\.

Example 5: Get child items using the Exclude parameter

The example's output shows the contents of the directory C:\Test\Logs. The output is a reference
for the other commands that use the Exclude and Recurse parameters.

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Test\Logs

    Directory: C:\Test\Logs

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
d-----        2/15/2019     13:21                Adirectory
d-----        2/15/2019     08:28                AnEmptyDirectory
d-----        2/15/2019     13:21                Backup
-a----        2/12/2019     16:16             20 Afile.txt
-a----        2/13/2019     13:26             20 LogFile1.txt
-a----        2/12/2019     16:24             23 systemlog1.log

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Test\Logs\* -Exclude A*

    Directory: C:\Test\Logs

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
d-----        2/15/2019     13:21                Backup
-a----        2/13/2019     13:26             20 LogFile1.txt
-a----        2/12/2019     16:24             23 systemlog1.log

The Get-ChildItem cmdlet uses the Path parameter to specify the directory C:\Test\Logs.
The Exclude parameter uses the asterisk (*) wildcard to specify any files or directories that
begin with A or a are excluded from the output.

When the Exclude parameter is used, a trailing asterisk (*) in the Path parameter is
optional. For example, -Path C:\Test\Logs or -Path C:\Test\Logs\*.

• If a trailing asterisk (*) isn't included in the Path parameter, the contents of the Path
  parameter are displayed. The exceptions are filenames or subdirectory names that match the
  Exclude parameter's value.
• If a trailing asterisk (*) is included in the Path parameter, the command recurses into the
  Path parameter's subdirectories. The exceptions are filenames or subdirectory names that match
  the Exclude parameter's value.
• If the Recurse parameter is added to the command, the recursion output is the same whether or
  not the Path parameter includes a trailing asterisk (*).

Example 6: Get the registry keys from a registry hive

This example gets all the registry keys from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE.

Get-ChildItem uses the Path parameter to specify the registry key HKLM:\HARDWARE. The
hive's path and top level of registry keys are displayed in the PowerShell console.

Get-ChildItem -Path HKLM:\HARDWARE

    Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE

Name             Property
----             --------
ACPI
DESCRIPTION
DEVICEMAP
RESOURCEMAP
UEFI

Get-ChildItem -Path HKLM:\HARDWARE -Exclude D*

   Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE

Name                           Property
----                           --------
ACPI
RESOURCEMAP

The first command shows the contents of the HKLM:\HARDWARE registry key. The Exclude parameter
tells Get-ChildItem not to return any subkeys that start with D*. Currently, the Exclude
parameter only works on subkeys, not item properties.

Example 7: Get all certificates with code-signing authority

This example gets each certificate in the PowerShell Cert: drive that has code-signing
authority.

The Get-ChildItem cmdlet uses the Path parameter to specify the Cert: provider. The
Recurse parameter searches the directory specified by Path and its subdirectories. The
CodeSigningCert parameter gets only certificates that have code-signing authority.

Get-ChildItem -Path Cert:\* -Recurse -CodeSigningCert

Example 8: Get items using the Depth parameter

This example displays the items in a directory and its subdirectories. The Depth parameter
determines the number of subdirectory levels to include in the recursion. Empty directories are
excluded from the output.

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Parent -Depth 2

    Directory: C:\Parent

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
d-----        2/14/2019     10:24                SubDir_Level1
-a----        2/13/2019     08:55             26 file.txt

    Directory: C:\Parent\SubDir_Level1

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
d-----        2/14/2019     10:24                SubDir_Level2
-a----        2/13/2019     08:55             26 file.txt

    Directory: C:\Parent\SubDir_Level1\SubDir_Level2

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
d-----        2/14/2019     10:22                SubDir_Level3
-a----        2/13/2019     08:55             26 file.txt

The Get-ChildItem cmdlet uses the Path parameter to specify C:\Parent. The Depth
parameter specifies two levels of recursion. Get-ChildItem displays the contents of the directory
specified by the Path parameter and the two levels of subdirectories.

Parameters

-Attributes

Gets files and folders with the specified attributes. This parameter supports all attributes and
lets you specify complex combinations of attributes.

For example, to get non-system files (not directories) that are encrypted or compressed, type:

Get-ChildItem -Attributes !Directory+!System+Encrypted, !Directory+!System+Compressed

To find files and folders with commonly used attributes, use the Attributes parameter. Or, the
parameters Directory, File, Hidden, ReadOnly, and System.

The Attributes parameter supports the following properties:

• Archive
• Compressed
• Device
• Directory
• Encrypted
• Hidden
• IntegrityStream
• Normal
• NoScrubData
• NotContentIndexed
• Offline
• ReadOnly
• ReparsePoint
• SparseFile
• System
• Temporary

To combine attributes, use the following operators:

• ! (NOT)
• + (AND)
• , (OR)

Don't use spaces between an operator and its attribute. Spaces are accepted after commas.

For common attributes, use the following abbreviations:

• D (Directory)
• H (Hidden)
• R (Read-only)
• S (System)

Type: System.Management.Automation.FlagsExpression`1[System.IO.FileAttributes]
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:
Accepted values: Archive, Compressed, Device, Directory, Encrypted, Hidden, IntegrityStream, Normal, NoScrubData, NotContentIndexed, Offline, ReadOnly, ReparsePoint, SparseFile, System, Temporary

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

-Depth

This parameter was added in PowerShell 5.0 and enables you to control the depth of recursion. By
default, Get-ChildItem displays the contents of the parent directory. The Depth parameter
determines the number of subdirectory levels that are included in the recursion and displays the
contents.

For example, Depth 2 includes the Path parameter's directory, first level of subdirectories,
and second level of subdirectories. By default directory names and filenames are included in the
output.

[!NOTE]
On a Windows computer from PowerShell, you can display a graphical view of a
directory structure with the tree.com command.

Type: System.UInt32
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

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

-Directory

To get a list of directories, use the Directory parameter or the Attributes parameter with
the Directory property. You can use the Recurse parameter with Directory.

Type: System.Management.Automation.SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases: ad, d

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

-Exclude

Specifies an array of one or more string patterns to be matched as the cmdlet gets child items. Any
matching item is excluded from the output. Enter a path element or pattern, such as *.txt or A*.
Wildcard characters are accepted.

A trailing asterisk (*) in the Path parameter is optional. For example, -Path C:\Test\Logs
or -Path C:\Test\Logs\*. If a trailing asterisk (*) is included, the command recurses into the
Path parameter's subdirectories. Without the asterisk (*), the contents of the Path
parameter are displayed. More details are included in Example 5 and the Notes section.

The Include and Exclude parameters can be used together. However, the exclusions are applied
after the inclusions, which can affect the final output.

Type: System.String[]
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

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

-File

To get a list of files, use the File parameter. You can use the Recurse parameter with
File.

Type: System.Management.Automation.SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases: af

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

-Filter

Specifies a filter to qualify the Path parameter. The FileSystem provider is the only installed PowerShell provider that supports filters. Filters are more efficient
than other parameters. The provider applies filter when the cmdlet gets the objects rather than
having PowerShell filter the objects after they're retrieved. The filter string is passed to the
.NET API to enumerate files. The API only supports * and ? wildcards.

Type: System.String
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: 1
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: True

-Force

Allows the cmdlet to get items that otherwise can't be accessed by the user, such as hidden or
system files. The Force parameter doesn't override security restrictions. Implementation varies
among providers.

Type: System.Management.Automation.SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: False
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-Hidden

To get only hidden items, use the Hidden parameter or the Attributes parameter with the
Hidden property. By default, Get-ChildItem doesn't display hidden items. Use the Force
parameter to get hidden items.

Type: System.Management.Automation.SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases: ah, h

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

-Include

Specifies an array of one or more string patterns to be matched as the cmdlet gets child items. Any
matching item is included in the output. Enter a path element or pattern, such as "*.txt".
Wildcard characters are permitted. The Include parameter is effective only when the command
includes the contents of an item, such as C:\Windows\*, where the wildcard character specifies the
contents of the C:\Windows directory.

The Include and Exclude parameters can be used together. However, the exclusions are applied
after the inclusions, which can affect the final output.

Type: System.String[]
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

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

-LiteralPath

Specifies a path to one or more locations. The value of LiteralPath 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 tell PowerShell to not interpret any characters
as escape sequences.

Type: System.String[]
Parameter Sets: LiteralItems
Aliases: PSPath

Required: True
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: True (ByPropertyName)
Accept wildcard characters: False

-Name

Gets only the names of the items in the location. The output is a string object that can be sent
down the pipeline to other commands. Wildcards are permitted.

Type: System.Management.Automation.SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

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

-Path

Specifies a path to one or more locations. Wildcards are accepted. The default location is the
current directory (.).

Type: System.String[]
Parameter Sets: Items
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: 0
Default value: Current directory
Accept pipeline input: True (ByPropertyName, ByValue)
Accept wildcard characters: True

-ReadOnly

To get only read-only items, use the ReadOnly parameter or the Attributes parameter
ReadOnly property.

Type: System.Management.Automation.SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases: ar

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

-Recurse

Gets the items in the specified locations and in all child items of the locations.

Type: System.Management.Automation.SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases: s

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: False
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-System

Gets only system files and directories. To get only system files and folders, use the System
parameter or Attributes parameter System property.

Type: System.Management.Automation.SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases: as

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

-UseTransaction

Includes the command in the active transaction. This parameter is valid only when a transaction is
in progress.

Type: System.Management.Automation.SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases: usetx

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: False
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

CommonParameters

This cmdlet supports the common parameters: -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable,
-InformationAction, -InformationVariable, -OutVariable, -OutBuffer, -PipelineVariable, -Verbose,
-WarningAction, and -WarningVariable.

INPUTS

System.String

You can pipe a string that contains a path to Get-ChildItem.

OUTPUTS

System.Object

The type of object that Get-ChildItem returns is determined by the objects in the provider drive
path.

System.String

If you use the Name parameter, Get-ChildItem returns the object names as strings.

NOTES

• Get-ChildItem can be run using any of the built-in aliases, ls, dir, and gci.
• Get-ChildItem doesn't get hidden items by default. To get hidden items, use the Force
  parameter.
• The Get-ChildItem cmdlet is designed to work with the data exposed by any provider. To list the
  providers available in your session, type Get-PSProvider.