--- title: "Redirect PowerShell Output to a File with Out-File: A Complete Guide" description: "Discover how to redirect PowerShell output to a file using the Out-File cmdlet with tips on preventing overwriting with the Append parameter" canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/out-file/" --- # Redirect PowerShell Output to a File with Out-File: A Complete Guide > Discover how to redirect PowerShell output to a file using the Out-File cmdlet with tips on preventing overwriting with the Append parameter Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/out-file/ --- 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/) ![Redirect PowerShell Output to a File with Out-File: A Complete Guide](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/out-file-powershell-redirect-file-powershell-write-to-file.png) # Redirect PowerShell Output to a File with Out-File: A Complete Guide [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0b9d42e21e5622713f8b693aa5c0f9244d5f7dd200ed29b8398f52dee5de337?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Adam Bertram](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/adam-bertram/)16 June 20192 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[PowerShell](/tag/powershell/) Table of Contents * [How Does Out-File Work?](#h-how-does-out-file-work) * [Sending Output to a File](#basic-out-file-usage) * [Appending to a File](#appending-with-out-file) * [Changing Up Output](#changing-up-out-file-output) * [Conclusion](#h-conclusion) If you’re in the market for a PowerShell cmdlet that can store the output in a text file, you’re in luck. You’re about to learn how to use the PowerShell `Out-File` cmdlet along with its popular `Out-File -Append` parameter too! ## How Does Out-File Work? This PowerShell cmdlet is simple in nature; it’s sole purpose is to store output received and store it in a text file. It was designed to replace the [standard output redirection](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_redirection?view=powershell-5.1) operator (`>`). Even from the DOS days, we could redirect output to a file. This cmdlet is the PowerShell way to do it. The [`Out-File`](https://adamtheautomator.com/out-file/ "Out-File") cmdlet is typically used at the end of the PowerShell pipeline. Its sole purpose is to send the raw output directly to a text file with no regard. There are minimal ways to tweak how that output is written. ## Sending Output to a File Let’s say you have a script that returns a list of all of the Windows services on your computer. When you run `Get-Service`, you will receive all of the objects you might expect on the console. But maybe you’d like to save that output to a text file. The `Out-File` cmdlet is a great way to do that. You can use `it` by piping just about anything to to it via the pipeline. You can see below, the output of `Get-Service` was sent to the cmdlet which created a text file called _Services.txt_ that contains the exact display that you see on the console. ```powershell PS> Get-Service | Out-File -FilePath C:\Services.txt PS> Get-Content C:\Services.txt Status Name DisplayName Stopped AJRouter AllJoyn Router Service Stopped ALG Application Layer Gateway Service Stopped AppIDSvc Application Identity Stopped Appinfo Application Information Stopped AppMgmt Application Management ``` ## Appending to a File By default, it overwrites anything in the text file provided via the `FilePath` parameter. However, you can override this behavior by using the `Append` parameter. Perhaps you’re accumulating console output in a file and would like to append text to a file rather than overwriting. The `Append` parameter is your best friend. By using the `Out-File -Append` parameter you can see below, notice that if you don’t use it the C:\\File.txt is overwritten. But, as soon as you tack on the `Append` parameter, it appends the output to the end. ```powershell PS> 'foo' | Out-File -FilePath C:\File.txt PS> Get-Content -Path C:\File.txt foo PS> 'foo' | Out-File -FilePath C:\File.txt PS> Get-Content C:\File.txt foo PS> 'foo' | Out-File -FilePath C:\File.txt -Append PS> Get-Content C:\File.txt foo foo ``` ## Changing Up Output By default, this cmdlet will attempt to replicate what’s shown on the console but there are some ways to manipulate it. For example, the cmdlet has a `NoNewLine` parameter that merely removes all newline characters. ```powershell PS> Get-Service | Out-File -FilePath C:\Services.txt -NoNewline PS> Get-Content C:\Services.txt Status Name DisplayName ------ ---- ----------- Stopped AJRouter AllJoyn Router Service Stopped ALG Application La ``` Or, you can cut off the text on each row at a particular character count as well with the `Width` parameter. ```powershell PS> Get-Service | Out-File -FilePath C:\Services.txt -Width 30 PS> Get-Content C:\Services.txt Status Name DisplayName ------ ----- ----------- Stopped AJRouter Al ``` ## Conclusion ![out-file](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/out-file-1024x576.jpg) Out-File In a real-world scenario, this cmdlet works but there are better ways to store output to a file. This cmdlet provides no real options to manipulate the output. It simply saves the output exactly as shown in the console. This cmdlet is similar to a PowerShell transcript that just writes everything directly to a text file. The `Add-Content` or `Set-Content` cmdlets will always have more flexibility but if you need a quick way to get the PowerShell output to a file, `Out-File` is the way to go. **_Related: [Set-Content: The PowerShell Way to Write to a File](https://adamtheautomator.com/powershell-write-to-file/)_** Share this article [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fout-file%2F&text=Redirect%20PowerShell%20Output%20to%20a%20File%20with%20Out-File%3A%20A%20Complete%20Guide)[Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fout-file%2F)[Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fout-file%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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