How to Print Environment Variables in Powershell: 4 Easy Tips

Use these quick steps to print environment variables in PowerShell

4 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Windows is a vast Operating System with many features and built-in components that coordinate its processes and information.

These processes store the operating system’s information in the Environment Variables. Hence, we’ll take you through how to use PowerShell to print Environment Variables.

What is an environment variable?

Environment variables store information about the operating system’s and other programs’ data. It contains information about the operating system path and location of the Windows installation files. Also, it stores details of processes used by the operating system and other programs.

Furthermore, environment variables are usually stored in strings and can’t be empty. Likewise, environmental variables, unlike other variables, can be inherited by child processes. Hence, they store values essential and needed in both parent and child processes.

However, in any supported operating system platform, PowerShell can access, manage, and change environment variables. Also, the environment provider inWindows PowerShellallows you to get, clear, change, add, clear, and delete environment variables in the current console.

How do I print all environment variables in PowerShell?

1. Use the ls env command

The above command will provide the console’s PowerShell print path environment variable with their name and values sorted by the name field.

2. Use the GetChildItem Env command

The above command in PowerShell will print all environment variables, sorted by name.

Once you get the list of environment variables list, you caneasily edit them to customize your system settings. To know how to do that, read this guide.

3. Use the dir env command

4. Print all environment variables values to a file

The above command in PowerShell gets all environment variables with their name and values sorted by the name field. Then, use the Export-CSV to convert the objects into a series of Character-Separated Value (CSV) strings. After, it prints all environment variables to a file.

You can also check our guide onhow to copy files to Remote Computers with PowerShellon Windows 11.

Moreover, we have a detailed guide aboutPowerShell not showing the full outputand some fixes to get it working on Windows 11.

Do not hesitate to let us know which of the above methods also worked for you.

How to Print Environment Variables in Powershell: 4 Easy Tips#

What is an environment variable?#

How do I print all environment variables in PowerShell?#

1. Use the ls env command#

2. Use the GetChildItem Env command#

3. Use the dir env command#

4. Print all environment variables values to a file#