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The OS that I am using is Windows 7, and the PowerShell version that is installed here is 2.0. Is it possible for me to upgrade it to version 3.0 or 4.0?

Because there are cmdlets that version 2.0 can't recognize.

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  • 3
    With Windows 7 SP1 you can. Commented Nov 11, 2013 at 8:54
  • @JoachimIsaksson i Use Win7SP1 build 7601...but my PS is 2.0 Commented Apr 25, 2014 at 12:28
  • @Teppie If one of the answer have solved your question, please mark it. Commented Sep 25, 2014 at 15:52
  • You can get Windows Management Framework 4.0 (which includes PowerShell 4) here: microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40855 Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 8:49

7 Answers 7

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Download and install from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=34595. You need Windows 7 SP1 though.

It's worth keeping in mind that PowerShell 3 on Windows 7 does not have all the cmdlets as PowerShell 3 on Windows 8. So you may still encounter cmdlets that are not present on your system.

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I am on Windows 7 SP1 64x, and none of the 4 downloads on the page you've linked to "work". By that, I mean that when I run the installer, it says "This update is not applicable to your computer. " and I know from checking version that I am still on PowerShell 2.
Looks like the link still works. Although it looks like they're up to v5.1 now: microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=54616, which still says it supports Windows 7 SP1 or higher.
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The latest PowerShell version as of Sept 2015 is PowerShell 4.0. It's bundled with Windows Management Framework 4.0.

Here's the download page for PowerShelll 4.0 for all versions of Windows. For Windows 7, there are 2 links on that page, 1 for x64 and 1 for x86.

enter image description here

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Does it require reboot?
I did it a long time ago, so don't remember if I had to restart, but per the installation instruction in the page I have linked to, it looks like you have to restart the computer. See 3rd line that says "Reboot the computer, start Windows PowerShell and verify that the output of $PSVersionTable shows 4.0 as the value of the PSVersion property"
There is powershell 5.0 now
@razzak I don't think PowerShell 5.0 Production version has been released. The latest version of Windows Management Framework from here microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=50395 says in it's release notes here msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/wmf/5.0/releasenotes that WMF 5.0 and PowerShell 5.0 is in the "Production Preview" state.
@Shiva I didn't notice that when I installed it, thanks for pointing it out.
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Just run this in a console.

@powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy unrestricted -Command "iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))" && SET PATH=%PATH%;%systemdrive%\chocolatey\bin
cinst powershell

It installs the latest version using a Chocolatey repository.

Originally I was using command cinst powershell 3.0.20121027, but it looks like it later stopped working. Since this question is related to PowerShell 3.0 this was the right way. At this moment (June 26, 2014) cinst powershell refers to version 3.0 of PowerShell, and that may change in future.

See the Chocolatey PowerShell package page for details on what version will be installed.

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I didn't downvote, but running a script off some random URL without any script signing or anything sure seems like a good way to get your system PWN'd.
You can check the script or save it locally and use the new URL.
"Unable to find package '3.0.20121027'"
Mhm.. find it on chocolatey index directly then
current version is 4. 3 is not available anymore
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  1. Install Chocolatey

  2. Run the following commands in CMD

    • choco install powershell

    • choco upgrade powershell

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It is not necessary to install and upgrade. If Powershell is not already installed, upgrade will install the latest version. Also, if you want to add this to a script with no prompts, use the -y option
This option can work if you do not want to do windows update with microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=34595
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As of today, Windows PowerShell 5.1 is the latest version. It can be installed as part of Windows Management Framework 5.1. It was released in January 2017.

Quoting from the official Microsoft download page here.

Some of the new and updated features in this release include:

  • Constrained file copying to/from JEA endpoints
  • JEA support for Group Managed Service Accounts and Conditional Access Policies
  • PowerShell console support for VT100 and redirecting stdin with interactive input
  • Support for catalog signed modules in PowerShell Get
  • Specifying which module version to load in a script
  • Package Management cmdlet support for proxy servers
  • PowerShellGet cmdlet support for proxy servers
  • Improvements in PowerShell Script Debugging
  • Improvements in Desired State Configuration (DSC)
  • Improved PowerShell usage auditing using Transcription and Logging
  • New and updated cmdlets based on community feedback
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2

The latest PowerShell version as of Aug 2016 is PowerShell 5.1. It's bundled with Windows Management Framework 5.1.

Here's the download page for PowerShell 5.1 for all versions of Windows, including Windows 7 x64 and x86.

It is worth noting that PowerShell 5.1 is the first version available in two editions of "Desktop" and "Core". Powershell Core 6.x is cross-platform, its latest version for Jan 2019 is 6.1.2. It also works on Windows 7 SP1.

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1

do use the links above. If you run into error "This update is not applicable to your computer. " then make sure you are in fact using the right file for your os. for example i tried running windows 2012 server from that link on windows 7 service pack 1 and I got the above error so be sure to use the right zip. If you don't know which os you have then go to start and system and it should pop right up This should be self explanatory but

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