PowerShell Environment Variables

Introduction

In PowerShell, Environment Variables are predefined variables that store information about the current environment or session. They contain information such as the current user, system configuration, and other settings. In this article, we will explore some of the common environment variables used in PowerShell.

Accessing Environment Variables in PowerShell

In PowerShell, you can access environment variables using the $env:VariableName syntax. For example, to access the value of the TEMP environment variable, you can type:

$env:TEMP

This will return the path of the temporary folder for the current user.

Common Environment Variables in PowerShell

1. PATH

The PATH environment variable contains the directories that the operating system searches when looking for executable files. This variable is used to specify the location of executable files such as PowerShell itself, or any other programs that you want to run from the command line.

$env:Path

2. USERPROFILE

The USERPROFILE environment variable contains the path to the current user's home directory. This variable is commonly used to reference files and folders specific to the current user.

$env:USERPROFILE

3. TEMP and TMP

The TEMP and TMP environment variables contain the paths to the temporary folders used by the current user and the operating system respectively. These variables are commonly used by programs to store temporary files.

$env:TEMP
$env:TMP

4. USERNAME

The USERNAME environment variable contains the username of the current user.

$env:USERNAME

5. COMPUTERNAME

The COMPUTERNAME environment variable contains the name of the computer.

$env:COMPUTERNAME

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored some of the common environment variables used in PowerShell. These variables can be used to reference important system information, and they can also be used to customize the behavior of PowerShell itself. Knowing how to use these variables can make you a more efficient and effective PowerShell user.