about_Redirection

TOPIC
    about_Redirection

SHORT DESCRIPTION
    Describes how to redirect output from Windows PowerShell to text files.

LONG DESCRIPTION
    By default, Windows PowerShell sends its command output to the Windows
    PowerShell console. However, you can direct the output to a text
    file, and you can redirect error output to the regular output stream.

    You can use the following methods to redirect output:

        – Use the Out-File cmdlet, which sends command output to a text file.
         Typically, you use the Out-File cmdlet when you need to use its
         parameters, such as the Encoding, Force, Width, or NoClobber
         parameters.

        – Use the Tee-Object cmdlet, which sends command output to a text file
         and then sends it to the pipeline.

        – Use the Windows PowerShell redirection operators.

     The Windows PowerShell redirection operators are as follows.

     Operator Description                Example
     ——– ———————-     ——————————
     >         Sends output to the        Get-Process > process.txt
                specified file.

     >>        Appends the output to     dir *.ps1 >> scripts.txt
                the contents of the
                specified file.

     2>        Sends errors to the        Get-Process none 2> errors.txt
                specified file.

     2>>     Appends the errors to     Get-Process none 2>> save-errors.txt
                the contents of the
                specified file.

     2>&1     Sends errors to the        Get-Process none, powershell 2>&1
                success output stream.

    The syntax of the redirection operators is as follows:

     <input> <operator> [<path>\]<file>

    If the specified file already exists, the redirection operators that do not
    append data (> and 2>) overwrite the current contents of the file without
    warning. However, if the file is a read-only, hidden, or system file, the
    redirection fails. The append redirection operators (>> and 2>>) do not
    write to a read-only file, but they append content to a system or hidden
    file.

    To force the redirection of content to a read-only, hidden, or system file,
    use the Out-File cmdlet with its Force parameter. When you are writing to
    files, the redirection operators use Unicode encoding. If the file has a
    different encoding, the output might not be formatted correctly. To
    redirect content to non-Unicode files, use the Out-File cmdlet with its
    Encoding parameter.

SEE ALSO
    Out-File
    Tee-Object
    about_operators
    about_Command_Syntax
    about_Path_Syntax