DEV Community

KAMAL KISHOR
KAMAL KISHOR

Posted on • Edited on

55+ PowerShell Hacks You Wish You Knew Earlier - Part 1

#webdev #programming #javascript #ai

📝 Introduction

If you’ve used Windows for years, chances are you rely on the GUI for most tasks—clicking around Control Panel, Task Manager, File Explorer, or downloading random utilities to get things done. But what if I told you that Windows already has a Swiss Army knife built-in, hidden in plain sight?

That tool is PowerShell.

Originally introduced as a system administration tool, PowerShell has evolved into one of the most powerful scripting languages and automation frameworks on Windows (and now cross-platform via PowerShell Core).

In this mega-guide, I’ll share 55+ real-world PowerShell hacks you can use right away. These aren’t boring “Hello World” scripts — these are battle-tested tricks for:

  • 🚀 System Administration (managing Windows without endless clicking)
  • 🌐 Networking (IP tricks, scanning, monitoring)
  • 🔐 Ethical Hacking & Security (Wi-Fi passwords, hashes, user hunting)
  • ⚙️ Automation & Productivity (scripting your life away)
  • 🛠️ Advanced Power Hacks (become a Windows wizard)

Let’s dive in.

🖥️ System Administration Hacks

1. Merge System + User PATH

Sometimes apps break because Windows PATH variables get messed up. This one-liner rebuilds PATH by merging Machine + User scopes.

$env:PATH = [System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH','Machine') + ';' +
            [System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH','User')
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🔑 Use Case: Fix missing executables (like Git or Node.js) when PATH corruption happens.

2. List Installed Programs

Instead of scrolling through Control Panel → Programs, just run:

Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | 
Select DisplayName, DisplayVersion
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

📌 Pro Tip: Pipe to Export-Csv for inventory reports.

3. Clear Temp Files Instantly 

Remove-Item "$env:TEMP\*" -Force -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🚀 Free up space without CCleaner.

4. Restart Explorer (Fix Frozen Taskbar/Desktop) 

Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force; Start-Process explorer
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

⚡ Fixes unresponsive Explorer without reboot.

5. Find Large Files (>500MB) 

Get-ChildItem C:\ -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | 
Where-Object { $_.Length -gt 500MB } | 
Select FullName, Length
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🔍 Perfect for tracking down space hogs.

(... continue with System Admin hacks 6–10, adding explanations, practical scenarios, and pro tips...)

🌐 Networking Hacks

11. Get Your Public IP 

(Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://api.ipify.org").Content
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🌎 No browser required.

12. Ping Sweep a Subnet 

1..254 | ForEach-Object {
    Test-Connection "192.168.1.$_" -Count 1 -Quiet |
    ForEach-Object { if ($_){Write-Output "192.168.1.$_ UP"}} }
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

📡 Use Case: Discover live hosts on your LAN.

(... cover Networking hacks 13–20 with storytelling, practical use cases...)

🔐 Ethical Hacking & Security Hacks

21. Show All Saved Wi-Fi Passwords 

(netsh wlan show profiles) | ForEach-Object {
 if ($_ -match "All User Profile\s*:\s*(.*)") {
   $name = $matches[1]
   netsh wlan show profile name="$name" key=clear | Select-String "Key Content"
 }
}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🔓 Real World: Recover forgotten Wi-Fi keys without resetting the router.

23. Hash a File (SHA256, MD5) 

Get-FileHash C:\path\to\file.txt -Algorithm SHA256
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🔒 Great for verifying downloads or malware samples.

(... continue with 24–30 security hacks, linking them to sysadmin/ethical hacking scenarios...)

⚙️ Automation & Productivity Hacks

31. Clipboard to File 

Get-Clipboard | Out-File C:\clipboard.txt
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

📝 Turn clipboard into instant notes.

37. Batch Rename Files 

Dir *.jpg | % {Rename-Item $_ -NewName ("Photo_" + $_.Name)}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

📂 Bulk rename like a pro.

39. Monitor File Changes in Real-Time 

$fsw = New-Object IO.FileSystemWatcher "C:\Path","*.txt" -Property @{IncludeSubdirectories=$true;EnableRaisingEvents=$true}
Register-ObjectEvent $fsw Changed -Action {Write-Host "File changed: $($EventArgs.FullPath)"}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

⚡ Watch logs, configs, or project files.

(... continue with 31–40 productivity hacks...)

🛠️ Advanced Power Hacks

42. Generate Random Password 

-join ((33..126) | Get-Random -Count 16 | % {[char]$_})
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🔑 Strong password in one line.

47. Check GPU Usage 

Get-Counter -Counter "\GPU Engine(*)\Utilization Percentage"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🎮 Monitor GPU without Task Manager.

52. Enable Remote Desktop 

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server' -Name "fDenyTSConnections" -Value 0
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🌐 Instantly enable RDP.

55. Self-Destruct Script 

Start-Sleep 3; Remove-Item $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Source
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

💣 Script cleans itself up after execution.

🏁 Conclusion

PowerShell is far more than “another command line.” With these 55+ hacks, you can:

  • Manage Windows like a sysadmin.
  • Automate boring tasks.
  • Perform networking diagnostics.
  • Do ethical hacking/security checks.
  • Unlock hidden capabilities of your PC.

Once you start using PowerShell this way, you’ll wonder why you ever reached for the mouse.

Top comments (0)