PowerShell Debug-Process

last modified February 15, 2025

In this article, we will cover the Debug-Process cmdlet in PowerShell. This cmdlet attaches a debugger to running processes for troubleshooting and analysis.

Debugging basics

Debugging is the process of identifying and resolving issues in software. The Debug-Process cmdlet attaches a debugger to running processes. This allows inspection of process state, variables, and execution flow. Debugging requires appropriate permissions on the target process.

Basic Debug-Process usage

The simplest way to use Debug-Process is with a process ID. This attaches the default debugger to the specified process. The debugger must be installed and configured on the system. This is useful for analyzing hanging or misbehaving applications.

debug1.ps1

Debug-Process -Id 1234

This command attaches a debugger to the process with ID 1234. No output is returned unless there's an error. The debugger interface will appear if configured properly.

Debug process by name

You can debug processes by name using the -Name parameter. This attaches the debugger to all processes matching the specified name. Wildcards are supported for partial matching. Be cautious as this affects all matching processes.

debug2.ps1

Debug-Process -Name "notepad"

This command attaches a debugger to all running Notepad processes. Multiple debugger instances may launch if several Notepad windows are open.

Debug multiple processes

You can debug multiple processes by passing multiple IDs or names. This is useful when debugging related processes. Separate the values with commas. Each specified process will have a debugger attached.

debug3.ps1

Debug-Process -Id 1234, 5678, 9012

This command attaches debuggers to three different processes. Each process must be accessible and debuggable. The command fails if any process cannot be debugged.

Debug with specific debugger

You can specify which debugger to use with the -Debugger parameter. This is useful when multiple debuggers are installed. The debugger must be registered and available on the system. Common options include VSJitDebugger.

debug4.ps1

Debug-Process -Name "calc" -Debugger "VSJitDebugger"

This command attaches the Visual Studio Just-In-Time debugger to Calculator. The specified debugger must be properly installed and configured.

Debug with confirmation prompt

For safety, you can add a confirmation prompt before debugging. Use the -Confirm parameter to enable this. This prevents accidental debugging of critical processes. The user must confirm before proceeding.

debug5.ps1

Debug-Process -Name "explorer" -Confirm

This command prompts for confirmation before attaching to Explorer. This is important as debugging system processes can affect stability.

Debug with WhatIf simulation

The -WhatIf parameter shows what would happen without actually debugging. This is useful for testing commands safely. It displays which processes would be affected. No actual debugging occurs with this parameter.

debug6.ps1

Debug-Process -Name "chrome" -WhatIf

This command simulates debugging Chrome processes. It shows which processes would be debugged without actually attaching any debuggers.

Debug processes from pipeline

You can pipe process objects directly to Debug-Process. This allows filtering and selection before debugging. Combine with Get-Process for powerful debugging workflows. Only processes with sufficient permissions can be debugged.

debug7.ps1

Get-Process -Name "powershell" | Debug-Process

This command gets all PowerShell processes and attaches debuggers to them. The pipeline passes the process objects directly to the debugging command.

Debug with error handling

Add error handling to manage debugging failures gracefully. Use try/catch blocks to capture and handle exceptions. This prevents script termination when debugging fails. Common errors include permission issues.

debug8.ps1

try {
    Debug-Process -Id 9999 -ErrorAction Stop
}
catch {
    Write-Host "Debugging failed: $_"
}

This command attempts to debug process 9999 and catches any errors. The error message is displayed if debugging fails. The -ErrorAction parameter ensures exceptions are thrown.

Source

PowerShell documentation

In this article, we have covered the Debug-Process cmdlet in PowerShell.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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