How to Redirect PowerShell Terminal Output to a File

How to Redirect PowerShell Terminal Output to a File

The PowerShell console buffer, while useful, has its limitations. When dealing with thousands of lines of output, you may encounter performance issues or even lose older output due to truncation. However, there’s a straightforward solution to ensure all output is retained for later review: redirect the output to a file.

You can accomplish this by using the redirection operator > operator, followed by the name of the file where you want the output to be stored. The second option is Start-Transcript and Stop-Transcript.

While it’s possible to copy the contents directly from the console, this method may not capture all the output due to the console buffer’s size limitations. Therefore, redirecting the output to a file is a more reliable way to ensure no data is lost.

Option 1 : Redirection operator *>

To capture the complete output, you can use the *> operator followed by the name of the file where you want to store the output. While copying the contents directly from the console is possible, the console’s buffer size may limit the completeness of the output.

Refer to about_Redirection for more info.

Connect-SPOService -Url https://reshmeeauckloo-admin.sharepoint.com
Get-SPOTenant *> C:\temp\sposettings.txt

This command will redirect the output to the specified file path.

Output

To view the saved output in the terminal, use the Get-Content cmdlet:

Get-Content -Path C:\temp\sposettings.txt

Output

Option 2 : Start-Transcript and Stop-Transcript

Credit goes to Adam Adam Wójcik and Martin Lingstuyl for reminding us of the Start-Transcript and Stop-Transcript cmdlets, which efficiently log all console output to a file. This feature is invaluable for capturing extensive script outputs, facilitating comprehensive review and analysis upon completion.

  Start-Transcript
  Connect-SPOService -Url https://reshmeeauckloo-admin.sharepoint.com
  Get-SPOTenant
  Stop-Transcript

Output

Option 2 not only records the output but also provides contextual information about the script’s execution.

Option 3 : Out-GridView

Another useful option, suggested by Valeras Narbutas, is the Out-GridView cmdlet. This command opens an interactive table, enabling users to conveniently filter and sort data, enhancing the efficiency of data analysis.

  Connect-SPOService -Url https://reshmeeauckloo-admin.sharepoint.com
  Get-SPOTenant|Out-GridView

Output

Refer to Out-GridView for more information.

Conclusion

Redirecting output to a file ensures comprehensive data capture, minimising the risk of information loss. This practice greatly facilitates subsequent analysis and troubleshooting, particularly when dealing with large volumes of data that surpass the console’s buffer limit. Choose the method that best suits your workflow to enhance productivity and efficiency.

References

about_Redirection

Out-GridView