PowerShell Out-String
last modified February 15, 2025
In this article, we will cover the Out-String cmdlet in
PowerShell. This cmdlet converts input objects to strings. It is useful
for formatting and text processing.
Out-String basics
The Out-String cmdlet converts PowerShell objects into strings. By
default, it preserves the formatting of the original output. This is helpful
when you need to process object data as plain text. The cmdlet can handle
single objects or collections.
Basic Out-String usage
The simplest way to use Out-String is by piping objects to it. This
converts the objects to their string representation. The output maintains the
default formatting. This is useful for saving or processing output as text.
Get-Process | Out-String
This command retrieves all processes and converts them to strings. The output looks identical to the default console display. The difference is it's now a string object rather than process objects.
Out-String with -Width parameter
The -Width parameter controls the line width of the output. By
default, PowerShell uses the console width. You can specify a different width
to control text wrapping. This is useful for consistent formatting.
Get-Process | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String -Width 120
This command formats processes as a table and sets the output width to 120
characters. The -AutoSize parameter ensures columns fit their
content. The wide width prevents unwanted line breaks in the output.
Out-String with -Stream parameter
The -Stream parameter outputs strings line by line instead of as
a single string. This creates an array of strings, one per line. It's useful
when you need to process output line by line. Each line becomes a separate
array element.
Get-Service | Out-String -Stream
This command converts service information to an array of strings. You can now process each line individually. The output can be piped to other cmdlets that work with string arrays.
Out-String with Format-List
Combining Out-String with Format-List creates detailed
text output. This shows all properties of objects in a list format. The result
is a string containing the formatted information. This is useful for reports.
Get-Process -Name "notepad" | Format-List * | Out-String
This command gets Notepad processes and formats all properties as a list. The
Out-String converts this to a string. The output contains detailed
process information in text form.
Out-String for file output
Out-String is often used when saving output to files. It ensures
the file contains properly formatted text. You can pipe the string output to
Out-File. This creates a text file with the command results.
Get-Service | Out-String | Out-File services.txt
This command saves service information to a text file. The Out-String
converts the objects to strings first. The file will contain the same formatted
output you see in the console.
Out-String with Select-Object
You can combine Out-String with Select-Object to create
custom text output. This lets you choose specific properties to include. The
result is a string containing only the selected properties. This is good for
creating focused reports.
Get-Process | Select-Object Name, CPU, Id | Out-String
This command selects only the Name, CPU, and ID properties of processes. The
Out-String converts this to a formatted text output. The result is
a cleaner, more focused display of process information.
Out-String with custom formatting
For complete control over output formatting, combine formatting cmdlets with
Out-String. You can create tables with specific column widths and
headings. The final output is a perfectly formatted text block. This is ideal
for professional reports.
Get-Process | Format-Table @{Label="Process";Expression={$_.Name};Width=30},
@{Label="PID";Expression={$_.Id};Width=10},
@{Label="CPU(s)";Expression={$_.CPU};Width=10} | Out-String
This command creates a custom formatted table of process information. Each
column has specific width and heading. The Out-String converts
this to a text string. The output is neatly aligned and professional.
Source
In this article, we have covered the Out-String cmdlet in PowerShell.
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