PowerShell Format-List

last modified February 15, 2025

In this article, we will cover the Format-List cmdlet in PowerShell. This cmdlet formats command output as a list of properties.

Format-List basics

The Format-List cmdlet displays output as a list of properties. Each property appears on a new line with its value. This is useful for viewing all properties of an object. The default table view often truncates information.

Basic Format-List usage

The simplest way to use Format-List is by piping any cmdlet's output to it. This displays all properties in a vertical list format. The asterisk (*) wildcard shows all available properties.

formatlist1.ps1

Get-Process | Format-List *

This command retrieves all processes and displays their full properties. Each property appears on its own line for better readability.

Display specific properties

You can select specific properties to display with Format-List. This focuses on relevant information and reduces clutter. List the property names separated by commas after the cmdlet.

formatlist2.ps1

Get-Process -Name "notepad" | Format-List Name, Id, CPU, StartTime

This command shows only the Name, ID, CPU usage, and StartTime of Notepad processes. The output is cleaner than showing all properties.

PS C:\> .\formatlist2.ps1

Name      : notepad
Id        : 1234
CPU       : 1.2345678
StartTime : 2/15/2025 10:30:45 AM

Formatting service information

Format-List works well with service-related cmdlets too. It helps display all configuration details of Windows services. This is useful for troubleshooting service issues.

formatlist3.ps1

Get-Service -Name "WinRM" | Format-List *

This command shows all properties of the Windows Remote Management service. The output includes status, startup type, and dependencies.

Custom property display

You can create custom property displays using calculated properties. This allows formatting or combining values in the output. Use a hashtable with Name and Expression keys.

formatlist4.ps1

Get-Process | Format-List Name, @{Name="Memory(MB)";Expression={$_.WS/1MB}}

This command shows process names with working set memory converted to MB. The calculated property performs the conversion for better readability.

Formatting registry key information

Format-List is excellent for displaying registry key details. Registry keys often have many properties that don't fit well in tables. This provides a comprehensive view of registry entries.

formatlist5.ps1

Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion" | Format-List *

This command displays all properties of the Windows CurrentVersion registry key. The list format shows each value clearly.

Comparing with Format-Table

While Format-Table is good for overviews, Format-List provides detailed information. This example shows the difference between the two formatting cmdlets for the same data.

formatlist6.ps1

# Table format (default)
Get-Process -Name "powershell"

# List format
Get-Process -Name "powershell" | Format-List *

The first command shows basic process info in table format. The second command displays all available properties in an easy-to-read list.

Limiting output with -Property

The -Property parameter offers an alternative syntax for selecting properties. This can make scripts more readable when selecting many properties. It functions the same as listing properties directly.

formatlist7.ps1

Get-Service | Format-List -Property DisplayName, Status, StartType

This command shows service display names, status, and startup types. The -Property parameter clearly indicates which fields are displayed.

Source

PowerShell documentation

In this article, we have covered the Format-List cmdlet in PowerShell.

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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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