PowerShell: list files

List Files and Directories

• Get-ChildItem has alias dir

# list files in current dir
dir

# full path
dir "c:/Program Files/Windows Defender"

# relative path
dir Documents

# using home dir abbrev
dir ~/Documents/

If path contain space, need quote.

• PowerShell: Path parameter

Wildcard in Path

Path can contain Wildcards such as *.

# list files whose name ends in jpg in current dir
dir *jpg

• PowerShell: Path parameter

LiteralPath

if you do not want special interpretation of path, use -LiteralPath.

# list files in a dir whose name is just a asterisk
dir -LiteralPath '*'

Show Subdirectories (Recurse and Depth)

list files in current dir, and all subdirectories, any depth:

-recurse

dir -recurse

• -depth 0 is same as no recurse.
• -depth 1 means include children of first-level subdirectories.
• -depth 2 means up to second-level subdirectories, etc.

dir -depth 1

Show file name only (no dir path)

# list file names
dir -recurse -name
# result paths are relative to current dir

Show Hidden Files and System Files

dir -Force

• PowerShell: Show File Attributes

Show Only Files (no dir)

dir -file

Show Only Directories

# list only dirs
dir -directory