Get-Credential
Gets a credential object based on a user name and password.
Syntax
Get-Credential
[-Credential] <PSCredential>
[<CommonParameters>]
Get-Credential
-Message <String>
[[-UserName] <String>]
[<CommonParameters>]
Description
The Get-Credential
cmdlet creates a credential object for a specified user name and password. You
can use the credential object in security operations.
Beginning in PowerShell 3.0, you can use the Message parameter to specify a customized message on the dialog box that prompts the user for their name and password.
The Get-Credential
cmdlet prompts the user for a password or a user name and password. By default,
an authentication dialog box appears to prompt the user. However, in some host programs, such as the
PowerShell console, you can prompt the user at the command line by changing a registry entry. For
more information about this registry entry, see the notes and examples.
Examples
Example 1
$c = Get-Credential
This command gets a credential object and saves it in the $c
variable.
When you enter the command, a dialog box appears requesting a user name and password. When you enter
the requested information, the cmdlet creates a PSCredential object representing the credentials
of the user and saves it in the $c
variable.
You can use the object as input to cmdlets that request user authentication, such as those with a Credential parameter. However, some providers that are installed with PowerShell do not support the Credential parameter.
Example 2
$c = Get-Credential -credential User01
$c.Username
User01
This example creates a credential that includes a user name without a domain name.
The first command gets a credential with the user name User01 and stores it in the $c
variable.
The second command displays the value of the Username property of the resulting credential
object.
Example 3
$Credential = $host.ui.PromptForCredential("Need credentials", "Please enter your user name and password.", "", "NetBiosUserName")
This command uses the PromptForCredential method to prompt the user for their user name and
password. The command saves the resulting credentials in the $Credential
variable.
The PromptForCredential method is an alternative to using the Get-Credential
cmdlet. When you
use PromptForCredential, you can specify the caption, messages, and user name that appear in the
message box.
For more information, see the PromptForCredential documentation in the SDK.
Example 4
Set-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds" -Name ConsolePrompting -Value $true
This example shows how to modify the registry so that the user is prompted at the command line, instead of by using a dialog box.
The command creates the ConsolePrompting registry entry and sets its value to True. To run this command, start PowerShell with the "Run as administrator" option.
To use a dialog box for prompting, set the value of the ConsolePrompting to false ($false) or use
the Remove-ItemProperty
cmdlet to delete it.
The ConsolePrompting registry entry works in some host programs, such as the PowerShell console. It might not work in all host programs.
Example 5
This example demonstrates how to create a credential object identical to the one returned by
Get-Credential
.
$User = "Domain01\User01"
$PWord = Read-Host -Prompt 'Enter a Password' -AsSecureString
$Credential = New-Object -TypeName System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList $User, $PWord
The first command assigns the username to the $User
variable. Ensure the value follows
the "Domain\User" or "ComputerName\User" format.
The second command uses the Read-Host
cmdlet to create a secure string from user input. The
Prompt parameter requests user input, and the AsSecureString parameter masks the input and
converts it to a secure string.
The third command uses the New-Object
cmdlet to create a PSCredential object from the values
stored in the $User
and $PWord
variables.
Example 6
Get-Credential -Message "Credential are required for access to the \\Server1\Scripts file share." -User Server01\PowerUser
PowerShell Credential Request
Credential are required for access to the \\Server1\Scripts file share.
Password for user Server01\PowerUser:
This command uses the Message and UserName parameters of the Get-Credential
cmdlet. This
command format is designed for shared scripts and functions. In this case, the message tells the
user why credentials are needed and gives them confidence that the request is legitimate.
Example 7
Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server01 {Get-Credential Domain01\User02}
PowerShell Credential Request : PowerShell Credential Request
Warning: This credential is being requested by a script or application on the SERVER01 remote computer. Enter your credentials only if you
trust the remote computer and the application or script requesting it.
Enter your credentials.
Password for user Domain01\User02: ***************
PSComputerName : Server01
RunspaceId : 422bdf52-9886-4ada-ab2f-130497c6777f
PSShowComputerName : True
UserName : Domain01\User01
Password : System.Security.SecureString
This command gets a credential from the Server01 remote computer. The command uses the
Invoke-Command
cmdlet to run a Get-Credential
command on the remote computer. The output shows
the remote security message that Get-Credential
includes in the authentication prompt.
Parameters
-Credential
Specifies a user name for the credential, such as User01 or Domain01\User01. The parameter
name, -Credential
, is optional.
When you submit the command and specify a user name, you're prompted for a password. If you omit this parameter, you're prompted for a user name and a password.
Starting in PowerShell 3.0, if you enter a user name without a domain, Get-Credential
no longer
inserts a backslash before the name.
Credentials are stored in a PSCredential object and the password is stored as a SecureString.
Note
For more information about SecureString data protection, see How secure is SecureString?.
Type: | PSCredential |
Position: | 1 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | True |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Message
Specifies a message that appears in the authentication prompt. This parameter is designed for use in a function or script. You can use the message to explain to the user why you are requesting credentials and how they will be used.
This parameter was introduced in PowerShell 3.0.
Type: | String |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | True |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-UserName
Specifies a user name. The authentication prompt requests a password for the user name. By default, the user name is blank and the authentication prompt requests both a user name and password.
When the authentication prompt appears in a dialog box, the user can edit the specified user name. However, the user cannot change the user name when the prompt appears at the command line. When using this parameter in a shared function or script, consider all possible presentations.
This parameter was introduced in PowerShell 3.0.
Type: | String |
Position: | 1 |
Default value: | None (blank) |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Inputs
None
You can't pipe objects to this cmdlet.
Outputs
This cmdlet returns a credential object.
Notes
You can use the PSCredential object that Get-Credential
creates in cmdlets that request user
authentication, such as those with a Credential parameter.
By default, the authentication prompt appears in a dialog box. To display the authentication prompt
at the command line, add the ConsolePrompting registry entry
(HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\ConsolePrompting
) and set its value to True.
If the ConsolePrompting registry entry does not exist or if its value is False, the
authentication prompt appears in a dialog box. For instructions, see the examples.
The ConsolePrompting registry entry works in the PowerShell console, but it does not work in all host programs.
For example, it has no effect in the PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE). For information about the effect of the ConsolePrompting registry entry, see the help topics for the host program.
The Credential parameter is not supported by all providers that are installed with PowerShell.
Beginning in PowerShell 3.0, it is supported on select cmdlets, such as the Get-Content
and New-PSDrive
cmdlets.
Related Links
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