Write-Output
Writes the specified objects to the pipeline.
Syntax
Write-Output
[-InputObject] <PSObject[]>
[-NoEnumerate]
[<CommonParameters>]Description
Writes the specified objects to the pipeline. If Write-Output is the last command in the pipeline,
the objects are displayed in the console.
Write-Output sends objects to the primary pipeline, also known as the success stream. To send
error objects to the error stream, use Write-Error.
This cmdlet is typically used in scripts to display strings and other objects on the console. One of
the built-in aliases for Write-Output is echo and similar to other shells that use echo. The
default behavior is to display the output at the end of a pipeline. In PowerShell, it is generally
not necessary to use the cmdlet in instances where the output is displayed by default. For example,
Get-Process | Write-Output is equivalent to Get-Process. Or, echo "Home directory: $HOME" can
be written, "Home directory: $HOME".
By default, Write-Output enumerates objects in a collection. However, Write-Output can also
pass collections down the pipeline as a single object with the NoEnumerate parameter.
Examples
Example 1: Get objects and write them to the console
In this example, the results of the Get-Process cmdlet are stored in the $P variable. The
Write-Output cmdlet displays the process objects in $P to the console.
$P = Get-Process
Write-Output $PExample 2: Pass output to another cmdlet
This command pipes the "test output" string to the Get-Member cmdlet, which displays the members
of the System.String class, demonstrating that the string was passed along the pipeline.
Write-Output "test output" | Get-MemberExample 3: Suppress enumeration in output
This command adds the NoEnumerate parameter to treat a collection or array as a single object through the pipeline.
Write-Output 1,2,3 | Measure-Object
Count : 3
...
Write-Output 1,2,3 -NoEnumerate | Measure-Object
Count : 1
...Parameters
-InputObject
Specifies the objects to send down the pipeline. Enter a variable that contains the objects, or type a command or expression that gets the objects.
| Type: | PSObject[] |
| Position: | 0 |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | True |
| Accept pipeline input: | True |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-NoEnumerate
By default, the Write-Output cmdlet always enumerates its output. The NoEnumerate parameter
suppresses the default behavior, and prevents Write-Output from enumerating output. The
NoEnumerate parameter has no effect if the command is wrapped in parentheses, because the
parentheses force enumeration. For example, (Write-Output 1,2,3) still enumerates the array.
The NoEnumerate parameter is only useful within a pipeline. Trying to see the effects of
NoEnumerate in the console is problematic because PowerShell adds Out-Default to the end of
every command line, which results in enumeration. But if you pipe Write-Output -NoEnumerate to
another cmdlet, the downstream cmdlet receives the collection object, not the enumerated items of
the collection.
Important
There is an issue with this switch in Windows PowerShell that is fixed in PowerShell 6.2 and above. When using NoEnumerate and explicitly using the InputObject parameter, the command still enumerates. To work around this, pass the InputObject argument(s) positionally.
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Position: | Named |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | False |
| Accept pipeline input: | False |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Inputs
You can pipe objects to this cmdlet.
Outputs
This cmdlet returns the objects that are submitted as input.
Notes
Windows PowerShell includes the following aliases for Write-Output:
echowrite
