What an execution policy means in powershell

Some PowerShell script execution policies may prevent the script from running properly, you can check the execution policy on your system and make sure that the policy allows the script to run by using the following command:

Get-ExecutionPolicy

In PowerShell, the execution policy determines the conditions under which PowerShell scripts will run on a system. The execution policy is set to a specific level, and each level provides different levels of protection and restrictions.

Here are the different levels of execution policy and what they mean:

• Restricted: This is the default execution policy and the most restrictive. It prevents scripts from running and only allows interactive use of PowerShell.
• AllSigned: This level requires that all scripts and configuration files be signed by a trusted publisher.
• RemoteSigned: This level requires that scripts and configuration files that are downloaded from the internet be signed by a trusted publisher. Scripts and configuration files that are created on the local computer do not have to be signed.
• Unrestricted: This level allows all scripts to run, regardless of whether they are signed or not. This level is not recommended for most systems.
• Bypass: This level is similar to unrestricted but it bypass the execution of the script and does not execute any script.
• Undefined: This level removes the execution policy from the current scope.

You can change the execution policy by using the following command:

Set-ExecutionPolicy <policy>

where <policy> is the name of the policy you want to set (e.g. RemoteSigned).

You can use the Get-Help cmdlet to view the available options for the Get-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet.

To view all of the options for the Get-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet, you can use the following command:

Get-Help Get-ExecutionPolicy -Full

This will display the full help documentation for the Get-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet, including all of the available options, examples and explanations of how the cmdlet works.

You can also use the -Detailed or -Examples switch to display more detailed information or examples of usage respectively.

Get-Help Get-ExecutionPolicy -Detailed

Get-Help Get-ExecutionPolicy -Examples

This will provide you with more detailed information and examples of how to use the Get-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet, which can help you understand how to use it more effectively.

Here are some resources to learn more about it:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.security/get-executionpolicy?view=powershell-7.3

https://www.pdq.com/powershell/set-executionpolicy/

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_execution_policies?view=powershell-7.3

This is all for now!

Peace!