--- title: "Interactive PowerShell Scripts with Read-Host: A Complete Guide" description: "Discover the power of Read-Host in PowerShell and learn how to create interactive scripts by prompting users for input and receiving output." canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/read-host/" --- # Interactive PowerShell Scripts with Read-Host: A Complete Guide > Discover the power of Read-Host in PowerShell and learn how to create interactive scripts by prompting users for input and receiving output. Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/read-host/ --- 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/) ![Interactive PowerShell Scripts with Read-Host: A Complete Guide](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/5d238ae5c824b514689ea51f.jpg) # Interactive PowerShell Scripts with Read-Host: A Complete Guide [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0b9d42e21e5622713f8b693aa5c0f9244d5f7dd200ed29b8398f52dee5de337?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Adam Bertram](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/adam-bertram/)15 June 20192 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[PowerShell](/tag/powershell/) Table of Contents * [Prompting for Input with Read-Host](#prompting-for-input-with-read-host) * [Asking for Passwords](#asking-for-passwords) Using the Read-Host PowerShell cmdlet, you can interactively prompt for input from the script user. Let’s see some real-world applications on how we can use the `Read-Host` PowerShell cmdlet. ## Prompting for Input with Read-Host The `Read-Host` cmdlet performs two functions in a PowerShell script; it pauses execution and receives input. That’s it. `Read-Host` is a simple cmdlet but one that comes in useful when needing to get information from the script user. At it’s most basic, the `Read-Host` cmdlet simply requires using the `Prompt` parameter. This `Prompt` parameter allows you to give the script user some kind of indication as to what to input. For example, if your script requires a server name, you might choose to use `Read-Host` to prompt the user to input that when the script is run. You can see below that by executing `Read-Host` within the PowerShell console itself using the `Prompt` parameter, PowerShell is stopping all execution and displays my prompt message giving the user an explanatory message as to what we’re after. ![Read-Host PowerShell prompt](https://adamtheautomator.com/content/images/2019/07/read-host-powershell-script-input---read-host1.png) Read-Host PowerShell prompt Let’s incorporate this into a script. Whenever a user inputs information at the prompt, `Read-Host` returns that information back to your code. You can easily capture this information by assigning the output to a variable. Perhaps I’d like to ask for a server name and then do something with that server name. Otherwise, I’d like to send a warning to the user letting them know that I really, really need that server name. ```powershell $serverName = Read-Host -Prompt 'Server name to process' if ($serverName) { Write-Host "We can now use the server name [$serverName] in our code" } else { Write-Warning -Message "No server name input." } ``` Using a simple if/then construct, I can then be sure my user inputs a server name. Once they do, I can then capture it and do something with it otherwise, send a warning message. ![Warning when no input](https://adamtheautomator.com/content/images/2019/07/read-host-powershell-script-input---read-host2.png) Warning when no input ## Asking for Passwords You should know it’s not a good idea to store passwords in plain text in your scripts. Likewise, it’s never a good idea to have passwords stored in plain text in memory either. To get around this, PowerShell has a concept called a secure string which is a simple string that’s encrypted. A secure string can any kind of sensitive information; a password is a great example. What does this have to do with `Read-Host`? The `Read-Host` cmdlet has an `AsSecureString` parameter which allows the user to not only store the output as a secure string but also to show asterisk while typing to hide your secret from prying eyes! Let’s say I have a deep, dark secret I don’t want anyone to know about but I need to pass this password to some kind of software. You can see below that when I don’t use `AsSecureString`, you’re onto me! However, if I use `AsSecureString`, my secret is safe since every character I type is replaced with an asterisk and the output it saved as a secure string rather than a plain-text string. ![Accepting secure input with Read-Host](https://adamtheautomator.com/content/images/2019/07/read-host-powershell-script-input---read-host3.png) Accepting secure input with Read-Host To reference the `Read-Host` documentation, check out the [Microsoft Docs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.utility/read-host?view=powershell-7.2&viewFallbackFrom=powershell-6). Share this article [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fread-host%2F&text=Interactive%20PowerShell%20Scripts%20with%20Read-Host%3A%20A%20Complete%20Guide)[Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fread-host%2F)[Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fread-host%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. Learn to handle variable scoping, module loading, TestDrive access, and stream capture challenges with timeout protection. ## Categories * [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) * [Cloud](/category/cloud/) * [DevOps](/category/devops/) * [Home Ops](/category/home-ops/) * [Information Security](/category/infosec/) * [Software Development](/category/software-development/) ## Site * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Copyright 2026© ATA Learning | [Privacy Policy](/privacy/)