PowerShell Get-NetAdapter

last modified February 15, 2025

In this article, we will cover the Get-NetAdapter cmdlet in PowerShell. This cmdlet retrieves information about network adapters on a system.

Network adapter basics

A network adapter is hardware that connects a computer to a network. It can be physical (Ethernet, Wi-Fi) or virtual (VPN, Hyper-V). Each adapter has properties like name, status, speed, and MAC address. The Get-NetAdapter cmdlet helps manage these network interfaces.

Basic Get-NetAdapter usage

The simplest way to use Get-NetAdapter is without any parameters. This lists all network adapters on the system. The output includes adapter names, status, and interface descriptions. Each adapter is represented as a NetAdapter object.

netadapter1.ps1

Get-NetAdapter

This command retrieves all network adapters. The output shows name, interface description, status, and MAC address. Disabled and disconnected adapters are included in the list.

Get specific adapter by name

You can retrieve information about specific adapters by name. Use the -Name parameter followed by the adapter name. Wildcards are supported for partial matching. This is useful when working with particular network interfaces.

netadapter2.ps1

Get-NetAdapter -Name "Ethernet*"

This command returns all adapters with names starting with "Ethernet". The asterisk acts as a wildcard for partial name matching. Multiple adapters may be returned if they match the pattern.

PS C:\> .\netadapter2.ps1

Name                      InterfaceDescription                    ifIndex Status       MacAddress             LinkSpeed
----                      --------------------                    ------- ------       ----------             ---------
Ethernet                  Microsoft Hyper-V Network Adapter            15 Up           00-15-5D-01-02-03        10 Gbps
Ethernet 2                Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller           12 Disconnected 00-1A-2B-3C-4D-5E         1 Gbps

Get enabled network adapters

You can filter adapters by their status using the -Physical parameter. This shows only physical (non-virtual) adapters. Combine with Where-Object for more complex filtering. This helps focus on active, physical network connections.

netadapter3.ps1

Get-NetAdapter -Physical | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Up" }

This command lists only physical adapters that are currently up/connected. The $_ variable represents the current adapter in the pipeline. The Status property can be "Up", "Disconnected", or "Disabled".

Get adapter details with Format-List

The default table format can be changed using Format-List for detailed information. This shows all available properties of the adapter object. You can see advanced details like driver information and hardware capabilities.

netadapter4.ps1

Get-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi" | Format-List *

This command shows all properties of the Wi-Fi adapter in list format. The output includes driver version, NDIS version, and hardware characteristics. This is useful for troubleshooting network issues.

Get adapters with specific speed

You can filter adapters based on their link speed. This example shows adapters with gigabit or faster connections. The Where-Object cmdlet filters by the LinkSpeed property. Speeds are reported in bits per second.

netadapter5.ps1

Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.LinkSpeed -like "*Gbps*" }

This command lists adapters with gigabit or faster connection speeds. The -like operator performs wildcard string matching. Adjust the pattern to find specific speed ranges as needed.

Source

PowerShell documentation

In this article, we have covered the Get-NetAdapter 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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