--- title: "Process CSV Data with Import-Csv and ForEach Loop in PowerShell" description: "Power through CSV data using PowerShell's Import-Csv and foreach loop. Read and reference values for efficient data processing." canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/import-csv-and-the-foreach-loop/" --- # Process CSV Data with Import-Csv and ForEach Loop in PowerShell > Power through CSV data using PowerShell's Import-Csv and foreach loop. Read and reference values for efficient data processing. Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/import-csv-and-the-foreach-loop/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![Process CSV Data with Import-Csv and ForEach Loop in PowerShell](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/cat-4748231_1280.jpg) # Process CSV Data with Import-Csv and ForEach Loop in PowerShell [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9a14f10ff1b1ec7d790d34f5b559e4d3de2d31b172e6ef266dfd8b479174d97b?s=192&d=mm&r=g)June Castillote](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/june/)5 February 202010 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[PowerShell](/tag/powershell/) Table of Contents * [Prerequisites](#prerequisites) * [Putting Import-Csv and the ForEach Loop in Action](#putting-import-csv-and-foreach-loop-in-action) * [Reading and Displaying Records from CSV](#reading-and-displaying-records-from-csv) * [Searching and Displaying Records from CSV](#searching-and-displaying-records-from-csv) * [Getting Disk Space Usage from Multiple Servers](#getting-disk-space-usage-from-multiple-servers) * [Creating Multiple Active Directory Users](#creating-multiple-active-directory-users) * [Adding a Proxy Email Address to Office 365 Mailbox](#adding-a-proxy-email-address-to-office-365-mailbox) * [Sending Daily Weather Forecast to a Mailing List](#sending-daily-weather-forecast-to-a-mailing-list) * [Summary](#summary) * [Further Reading](#further-reading) Have you ever had to do the same task multiple times? Like, creating multiple Active Directory users one user at a time using the GUI? Or how about logging in to a server to delete old logs from some selected folders? If your answer is _yes_, then know you’re not alone. It’s time to master PowerShell’s `Import-Csv` and the foreach loop. There’s nothing wrong with manual tasks; it’s necessary sometimes. But when it comes to reading and processing CSV files, the PowerShell cmdlet [`Import-Csv`](https://adamtheautomator.com/import-csv/ "Import-Csv") and `ForEach` loop used can help. The PowerShell`Import-Csv` cmdlet is an excellent way of reading data from a tabulated source such as a CSV file. You can use the `ForEach` loop to then iterate over each row in the CSV data. In this article, you’ll learn how to use this powerhouse combination to automate bulk, mundane, and repetitive tasks. > _If you’re new to the `Import-Csv` cmdlet and `ForEach` loop, or if you want a refresher of what you already know, you may visit these links to learn more._ > > _[Managing CSV Files in PowerShell with Import-Csv (foreach loop)](https://adamtheautomator.com/import-csv/)_ > > _[Back to Basics: The PowerShell foreach Loop](https://adamtheautomator.com/powershell-foreach/)_ If the CSV loop becomes a recurring analysis or reporting workflow, compare [PopAi AI Sheets for spreadsheet editing, report generation, and document data extraction](https://sheets.popai.pro/?sharedid=&irpid=1454808&irgwc=1&afsrc=1) before choosing a paid AI spreadsheet tool. ## Prerequisites There are several examples and demos in this article. To follow along, there are a few things you’ll need first. * A script editor such as [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/download), [Atom](https://github.blog/2022-06-08-sunsetting-atom/), or [_Notepad++_](https://notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/). Use whichever one you’re comfortable with. * Windows PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell Core 6+ * Access to Exchange Online (optional if you will follow the Exchange Online related example hands-on). ## Putting Import-Csv and the ForEach Loop in Action In the next sections are several examples of how to use the `Import-Csv` cmdlet and `ForEach` loop that you may encounter in real-world scenarios. While these import CSV _foreach_ PowerShell examples are specific to each purpose, it is crucial to understand that the concept and technique employed are the same. ### Reading and Displaying Records from CSV Perhaps the most basic use of `Import-Csv` and `ForEach` loop is reading records from a file and displaying them in the console. A CSV file’s anatomy is similar to that of a [database](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database). It has column headers, and each row is considered as a _record_. For example, below is the content of the file called `employee.csv`, which consists of three columns – _EmployeeID_, _Name,_ and _Birthday_, and four records. ![CSV containing employee records](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/1-1.png) CSV containing employee records The code below imports the contents of the _employee.csv_ file and then pipes the imported data to the `ForEach-Object` cmdlet. Then, `ForEach-Object` will go through each record in the imported CSV to display the concatenated values in the console. Copy the code below and save it as _list-employee.ps1_. > _Note: The type of ForEach loop used in this example below is the ForEach-Object cmdlet. Refer to the “The ForEach-Object cmdlet” section in [this article](https://adamtheautomator.com/powershell-foreach/)._ ```powershell Import-Csv .\employee.csv | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "$($_.Name), whose Employee ID is $($_.EmployeeID), was born on $($_.Birthday)." } ``` Once the script is saved, run it by calling its filename in PowerShell. When the script is run, you should see an output similar to the screenshot below. ![Imported CSV records displayed in the console](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2-1.png) Imported CSV records displayed in the console ### Searching and Displaying Records from CSV In the previous example, you learned how to read and display all records from a CSV. In this example, the same CSV file _employee.csv_ will be used, but this time, you’ll create a [PowerShell function](https://adamtheautomator.com/powershell-functions/ "PowerShell function") to search for an EmployeeID from the CSV. The code snippet below is a PowerShell function called `Find-Employee` that has only one parameter. The parameter name is `EmployeeID`and it accepts an employee ID value to be searched from the CSV. Before this function can be used, it has to be imported into your PowerShell session first. There are two ways to import the `Find-Employee` function into the memory: 1. Copying and pasting the below code into PowerShell. 2. Saving the script as `Find-Employee.ps1` and import it using the [_dot-sourcing_](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_scripts?view=powershell-7#script-scope-and-dot-sourcing) technique. > _Note: The type of ForEach loop used in this example below is the ForEach Statement. Refer to the “The foreach Statement” section in [this article](https://adamtheautomator.com/powershell-foreach/)._ ```powershell Function Find-Employee { param ( # Parameter accepts the employee id to be searched. [Parameter(Mandatory)] $EmployeeID ) # Import the contents of the employee.csv file and store it in the $employee_list variable. $employee_list = Import-Csv .\employee.csv # Loop through all the records in the CSV foreach ($employee in $employee_list) { # Check if the current record's employee ID is equal to the value of the EmployeeID parameter. if ($employee.EmployeeID -eq $EmployeeID) { # If the EmployeeID is found, display the record on the console. Write-Host "$($employee.Name), whose Employee ID is $($employee.EmployeeID), was born on $($employee.Birthday)." } } } ``` Once the function code is imported into the PowerShell session, call it by typing the function name as below. ```powershell Find-Employee ``` When the function is run without using the `EmployeeID` parameter, it will prompt for the value of the `EmployeeID` to search. See the example output below. ![Function to search a CSV file for a specific record](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/3-1.png) Function to search a CSV file for a specific record Or, the function can be run with the EmployeeID parameter value specified at runtime, as shown below. ```powershell Find-Employee -EmployeeID 'E-2023' ``` ### Getting Disk Space Usage from Multiple Servers One common routine task among system admins is monitoring disk space usage of multiple servers. Instead of logging to each server to check the disk space usage, you can create a CSV list containing server names, drive letters and thresholds. Then, using PowerShell, import the CSV file and loop through each line to run a query. To create a script that gets the disk space usage from remote servers, first create the CSV list with the following headers: * _servername –_ this is the name server to query. * _disk –_ this is the letter of the drive whose space usage will be retrieved. * _threshold –_ this defines the threshold in GB. If the free space of the disk is lower than this value, the report will show a warning status. The sample below shows that there are four records listed. Your CSV file will be different depending on the number of servers or disks to read. ```powershell servername,disk,threshold au-dc01,c,120 au-mail01,c,100 au-mail01,d,6 au-file01,c,120 ``` Once the CSV is finalized, save the file as _servers.csv._ This will serve as the input list that will be imported by the PowerShell script. To provide an example of getting disk space usage, copy the code below into your script editor and save it as _diskReport.ps1_. The script must be saved in the same location as the CSV path. ```powershell $server_list = Import-Csv -Path .\servers.csv foreach ($server in $server_list) { Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_logicaldisk -ComputerName ($server.servername) | ` Where-Object { $_.DeviceID -match ($server.disk) } | ` Select-Object ` @{n = 'Server Name'; e = { $_.SystemName } }, ` @{n = 'Disk Letter'; e = { $_.DeviceID } }, ` @{n = 'Size (GB)'; e = { $_.Size / 1gb -as [int] } }, ` @{n = 'Free (GB)'; e = { $_.FreeSpace / 1gb -as [int] } }, ` @{n = 'Threshold (GB)'; e = { $server.Threshold } }, ` @{n = 'Status'; e = { if (($_.FreeSpace / 1gb) -lt ($server.Threshold)) { return 'Warning' } else { return 'Normal' } } } } ``` The script above performs the following actions once it’s executed. * Imports the csv file named _servers.csv_ and store it in the `$server_list` variable. * Loop through the list of servers stored in the `$server_list` variable. * In each iteration of the foreach loops, the current line is represented by the variable `$server`. * Get the disk information from the servers using the `Get-WmiObject` cmdlet. * Select only relevant properties to display. – _Server Name_ – This is the name of the system that is being queried. – _Disk Letter_ – The letter assigned to the drive. – _Size (GB)_ – The size of the disk in GB – _Free (GB)_ – The free space size in GB – _Threshold (GB)_ – The defined threshold in GB – _Status_ – If the _Free (GB)_ value is lower than the _Threshold (GB)_ value, the status returned is ‘_Warning_‘. Otherwise, the status will be ‘_Normal_‘ Having saved the script file _diskReport.ps1_, it is now ready to run by calling its name in PowerShell. ```powershell ./diskReport.ps1 ``` Once executed, the screenshot below shows the output of the script. ![Disk space information gathered from multiple servers](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/4-1.png) Disk space information gathered from multiple servers The output can be exported to CSV, too. Exporting to CSV is useful when the report needs to be shared because the exported CSV file can be emailed or uploaded to a file share or to a SharePoint site. Be sure to check out _[Export-Csv: The PowerShell Way to Treat CSV Files as First Class Citizens](https://adamtheautomator.com/export-csv/)_ if you’d like more information on exporting to CSV. ### Creating Multiple Active Directory Users At this point, you would already have a solid idea about using `Import-Csv` and `ForEach`. This next example takes your learning a bit further by adding the `New-ADUser` and [`Get-ADUser`](https://adamtheautomator.com/get-aduser/ "Get-ADUser") cmdlets into the mix. Let’s assume that you received a CSV file `new_employees.csv` containing the list of new employees from the HR department. Each row in the CSV file represents one user to be on-boarded and has the following columns: _FirstName_, _LastName_, _Department_, _State_, _EmployeeID_, and _Office_. The username must be derived from the employee’s first name’s first letter concatenated with the last name (e.g., _bparr_ for the user _Bob Parr_). ![CSV file containing new employees information for on-boarding](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/5-2.png) CSV file containing new employees information for on-boarding Once the CSV file is saved, the script below uses `Import-Csv` to read the CSV file _new\_employees.csv_. Then, iterate through each row, passing the values to the appropriate parameters of `New-ADUser`. ```powershell Import-Csv .\new_employees.csv | ForEach-Object { New-ADUser ` -Name $($_.FirstName + " " + $_.LastName) ` -GivenName $_.FirstName ` -Surname $_.LastName ` -Department $_.Department ` -State $_.State ` -EmployeeID $_.EmployeeID ` -DisplayName $($_.FirstName + " " + $_.LastName) ` -Office $_.Office ` -UserPrincipalName $_.UserPrincipalName ` -SamAccountName $_.SamAccountName ` -AccountPassword $(ConvertTo-SecureString $_.Password -AsPlainText -Force) ` -Enabled $True } ``` After executing the script, the new users should already exist in Active Directory. But, it is good practice to confirm that the user accounts are really created. Using the same CSV file _new\_employees.csv_ as a reference, the script below will run import CSV and foreach to get the ADUser objects matching the ones in the list. ```powershell Import-Csv .\new_employees.csv | ForEach-Object { Get-AdUser $_.SamAccountName } ``` ### Adding a Proxy Email Address to Office 365 Mailbox In Office 365 mailbox management, requests for adding proxy addresses for multiple users is not unheard of. Commonly, in this kind of request, the admin receives a list of users and the email address to be added, similar to the below CSV example. ![The new\_address.csv file contents](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/6-2.png) The new\_address.csv file contents > _Note: Before you can run any Exchange Online cmdlets in PowerShell, you must be logged in to the [Exchange Online Management](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/connect-exchangeonline?view=exchange-ps) shell first._ Using the `Import-Csv` and `ForEach` loop in a PowerShell script, the list can be processed in one go. The script below shows how it can be done. The script below imports the contents of the _new\_address.csv_ file and stores it to the `$user_list` variable. Then, using the `foreach()` method, PowerShell loops through the entire list of users and use the `username` and `email` values in each record to add a new email address to each mailbox. ```powershell $user_list = Import-Csv .\new_address.csv $user_list.foreach( { Set-Mailbox -Identity $_.username -EmailAddresses @{add="$($_.email)"} } ) ``` Once the script is run, there will be no output displayed in the console. No screen output means that the new email address was added successfully. But, how can you make sure that the email addresses were added? Using the same CSV file _new\_address.csv_ as a reference, whether or not the new addresses were added can be verified using `Import-Csv` and `ForEach`. The script below imports the contents of the _new\_address.csv_ file and stores it to the `$user_list` variable. Then, using the `foreach()` method, PowerShell loops through the entire list of users to check if the new email address exists in the list of the mailbox proxy addresses. If found, the status will return _True;_ otherwise, the result will be _False._ ```powershell $user_list = Import-Csv .\new_address.csv $user_list.foreach( { $emailObj = (Get-Mailbox -Identity $_.username).EmailAddresses if ($emailObj -contains $_.email) { Write-Host "$($_.username) --> $($_.email) --> TRUE" } else { Write-Host "$($_.username) --> $($_.email) --> FALSE" } } ) ``` When the validation script runs, the output should look like the one shown in the screenshot below. You’ll notice in the output below that the status is all _TRUE_, which would mean that the new email addresses were added to each mailbox successfully. ![Running the new email address verification](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/7-2.png) Running the new email address verification ### Sending Daily Weather Forecast to a Mailing List In this example, it is assumed that you have a CSV file containing a list of the subscribers’ email addresses and their area or location. These subscribers are expecting a daily email containing the weather forecast for the day specific to their location. Look at the sample CSV below with filename _subscribers.csv_. ![Weather forecast subscribers list](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/8-1.png) Weather forecast subscribers list The CSV below contains only two subscribers. One in _Los Angeles_ and one in _Manila._ The goal is to create a script that will perform the following actions: * Import the email and area information from the _subscribers.csv_ file * For each subscriber: – Download the weather forecast image based on the subscriber’s area from [https://wttr.in/](https://wttr.in/) – Send the weather forecast image as an email to the subscriber’s email address. The script below performs the actions listed above.  You only need to modify the first three variables – `$senderAddress`, `$smtpServer`, and `$smtpPort`. Then, copy this code and save it as `Send-WeatherInfo.ps1.` Refer to the comments above each section of the script to learn more about what the code does. ```powershell # START SMTP settings here $senderAddress = '' + $_.Area + '_u1F.png') # Get the Weather Forecast image of the area. Save the image as .png $imageFile = (((Resolve-Path .\).Path) + "$($_.Area).png") Start-BitsTransfer $uri -Destination $imageFile # Create attachment object $attachment = New-Object System.Net.Mail.Attachment -ArgumentList $imageFile $attachment.ContentDisposition.Inline = $true $attachment.ContentDisposition.DispositionType = "Inline" $attachment.ContentType.MediaType = "image/png" $attachment.ContentId = "weatherImage" # Compose message $emailMessage = New-Object System.Net.Mail.MailMessage $emailMessage.From = $senderAddress $emailMessage.To.Add($_.Email) $emailMessage.Subject = ('Weather Forecast - ' + $_.Area) $emailMessage.IsBodyHtml = $true $emailMessage.Body = '' $emailMessage.Attachments.Add($attachment) # Send Message Write-Output "Sending Weather Info to $($_.Email)" $smtp = New-Object Net.Mail.SmtpClient($smtpServer, $smtpPort) $smtp.Send($emailMessage) # Dispose of objects $attachment.Dispose() $emailMessage.Dispose() } ) ``` Once the script is run, an email will be sent to each subscriber similar to the example email screenshot below. ![Weather forecast for Manila sent as an email to the subscriber](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/9-1.png) Weather forecast for Manila sent as an email to the subscriber ![Weather forecast for Los Angeles sent as an email to the subscriber](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/10-1.png) Weather forecast for Los Angeles sent as an email to the subscriber ## Summary There’s no limit to the tasks where the `Import-Csv` and the `ForEach` loop can be applied. As long as the task involves a list with delimited columns, you’re sure to dig into this powerful combo. In this article, you’ve learned how a CSV file is similar to a database. You’ve also learned how to use  `Import-Csv` for importing data and how to reference the values during the `ForEach` loop iteration. I hope that with the many examples provided in this article, you now understand more of the `Import-Csv` and `ForEach`. And, that you would be able to use the knowledge you gained in this article in your administration and automation tasks. ## Further Reading * [**_Managing CSV Files in PowerShell with Import-Csv (foreach loop)_**](https://adamtheautomator.com/import-csv/) * [**_Back to Basics: The PowerShell foreach Loop_**](https://adamtheautomator.com/powershell-foreach/) * **[_New-ADUser: Creating Active Directory Users with PowerShell_](https://adamtheautomator.com/new-aduser/)** * **_[PowerShell Dot-Sourcing](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_scripts?view=powershell-7.3&viewFallbackFrom=powershell-7#script-scope-and-dot-sourcing)_** Share this article [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fimport-csv-and-the-foreach-loop%2F&text=Process%20CSV%20Data%20with%20Import-Csv%20and%20ForEach%20Loop%20in%20PowerShell)[Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fimport-csv-and-the-foreach-loop%2F)[Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fimport-csv-and-the-foreach-loop%2F) ## Related Posts ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/26995-troubleshoot-dns-issues-powershell-codex.webp) ### [Troubleshoot DNS Issues with PowerShell](/troubleshoot-dns-issues-powershell/) Troubleshoot DNS issues with PowerShell by testing name resolution, DNS client settings, cache entries, and network connectivity in a repeatable workflow. ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image_2025-10-24_095322075.png) ### [Migrating from PowerShell 6 to 7.5: Breaking Changes/New Features](/migrating-powershell-6-to-7-5/) Migrate from PowerShell Core 6 to 7.5: breaking changes, features, and testing tips. ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/featured-image-6.png) ### [How to Add Timeouts to Pester Tests with PowerShell Runspaces](/pester-test-timeout-runspaces/) Prevent Pester tests from hanging indefinitely using PowerShell runspaces. 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