How to use the command 'Get-History' (with examples)

Get-History is a PowerShell command that allows users to display their command history. It provides a list of previously executed commands, along with their respective IDs.

Use case 1: Display the commands history list with ID

Code:

Get-History

Motivation: This use case is helpful when you want to view your entire command history along with the assigned IDs. It allows you to see a chronological list of all the commands you have executed in the current PowerShell session.

Explanation: The Get-History command is used without any additional arguments. It retrieves the command history and displays it with the ID column.

Example output:

Id CommandLine
-- -----------
 1 Get-Help
 2 Get-Process
 3 Set-Location -Path C:\Users

Use case 2: Get PowerShell history item by ID

Code:

Get-History -Id 2

Motivation: When you need to retrieve a specific command from your history, using the ID can be a quick and efficient method. This use case allows you to access a specific command by its ID.

Explanation: The -Id parameter is used to specify the ID of the command you want to retrieve. In the example code, 2 is the ID of the desired command.

Example output:

Id CommandLine
-- -----------
 2 Get-Process

Use case 3: Display the last N commands

Code:

Get-History -Count 10

Motivation: Sometimes you may only be interested in viewing the most recent commands rather than the entire history. This use case allows you to limit the number of displayed commands to a specified count.

Explanation: The -Count parameter is used to specify the number of commands you want to see. In the example code, 10 is used, so it will display the last 10 commands from your history.

Example output:

Id CommandLine
-- -----------
 3 Set-Location -Path C:\Users
 4 Get-ChildItem
 5 Clear-Host
 6 Get-Process
 7 Get-History
 8 Get-Command
 9 Exit
10 Get-Service
11 Set-Location -Path D:\
12 Get-Process

Conclusion:

The Get-History command is a useful tool for accessing and reviewing your PowerShell command history. Whether you need to view the entire history, retrieve specific commands, or see only the latest commands, the different use cases of this command provide flexibility and convenience.