--- title: How to Use Get-Service in Powershell slug: get-service-powershell published: 2025-05-22T02:37:58.000Z updated: 2025-05-22T02:37:58.000Z feature_image: /blog/images/get-service-powershell/get-service-syntax-microsoft-learn.1600.webp feature_image_alt: Microsoft Learn documentation for the Get-Service cmdlet showing its PowerShell syntax author: James Futhey author_slug: james meta_description: Learn how to use the Get-Service cmdlet in PowerShell to list, filter, and manage services. Discover key parameters and practical examples for troubleshooting and service management. status: published --- The **Get-Service PowerShell cmdlet** lets you list and inspect services on a local or remote Windows machine. It's one of the **most useful tools for checking service status**, troubleshooting issues, or filtering based on properties like name, status, or service start type. ## What Does the Get-Service Cmdlet Do? The Get-Service cmdlet retrieves information about the services installed on a system. Each returned item is a **service object** representing a Windows service. This includes both **device driver services** and standard **network-related services**. By default, the Get-Service command lists services with the following columns: - **Status** – Indicates whether the service is Running, Stopped, or Paused. - **Name** – The service name used internally by Windows. - **DisplayName** – The human-readable name shown in tools like the Services MMC snap-in. This cmdlet is commonly used to: - Check whether a service like the **WinRM service** is running - Display services by their **DisplayName** - List services with specific patterns in their names - View **dependent services** or examine **service dependency** relationships Because it outputs .NET ServiceController objects, you can also access any **property of service objects**, such as StartType, CanPauseAndContinue, and more. Here's the basic syntax of the Get-Service cmdlet: ```powershell Get-Service ``` You can also provide additional parameters to filter or expand the results: ```powershell Get-Service [-Name] [-ComputerName ] Get-Service [-DisplayName] Get-Service [-InputObject] ``` For quick usage, PowerShell also supports the alias gsv for Get-Service. The command **supports wildcards** for matching service names and display names, making it easy to **list services** that match certain criteria. For example: ```powershell Get-Service -Name "wmi*" Get-Service -DisplayName "*network*" ``` ## Key Parameters of the Get-Service Cmdlet The Get-Service cmdlet comes with several parameters that allow you to filter, manage, and retrieve specific services from your system. Below are the key parameters: - **\-Name**: Filters services by their internal name. This can be a specific name or a wildcard to match multiple services. This is one of the most commonly used options when querying **service status** or checking on **device service** availability. - **\-DisplayName**: Filters services by their user-friendly display name. This is especially useful when you're unsure of the exact service name and just know the service's public label. - **\-DependentServices**: Retrieves a list of services that depend on the specified service. This is helpful when you're managing dependencies or checking service relationships. Helps avoid accidentally disrupting other **network-related services** or **device driver services. - \-RequiredServices**: Shows the services that the specified service relies on in order to function correctly, exposing the service's dependency chain. - **\-Include**: Allows you to include services that match specific patterns from the results. - **\-Exclude**: Excludes services from the results based on matching patterns. - **\-InputObject**: Accepts ServiceController objects from other cmdlets, allowing you to chain commands together in more advanced workflows. ## What can You Use Get-Service for? 1. **List all services on the local system** Retrieve a complete list of services, including their current status (Running, Stopped) and display names, to get an overview of what's active on the machine. 2. **Filter services by name or display name** Search for specific services by using either the -Name or -DisplayName parameter. Useful for troubleshooting or verifying the state of a particular service. 3. **View services with dependencies** Use the -DependentServices or -RequiredServices flags to understand service relationships, which is critical when diagnosing service startup issues or configuration dependencies. 4. **List services by status** Combine Get-Service with Where-Object to filter services based on their current status (e.g., only running or stopped services), helping admins focus on what’s relevant. 5. **Pipe service objects into other cmdlets** The Get-Service cmdlet is commonly used in scripts where service objects are passed to other commands like Start-Service, Stop-Service, or Restart-Service. ### Prerequisites Before using the Get-Service cmdlet, ensure you have the following: - **PowerShell**: You should have PowerShell 7.5 or later installed. This cmdlet is available in both Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core. - **Permissions**: Depending on the service you are querying, you may need administrative privileges to retrieve information about certain services or modify their state. - **Target System**: If querying services on a remote system, ensure that the necessary remoting setup (like WinRM) is configured and you have appropriate access. ## How to Use Get-Service: Example Commands with Output Here are a few practical examples of how you can use the Get-Service cmdlet in various scenarios: ### 1\. List All Services To **list all the services** running on your machine, simply use: ```powershell Get-Service ``` This command will display a list of services, showing their status, name, and display name. ### 2\. Check if a Specific Service is Running If you want to check whether a specific service (e.g., WinRM) is running, use the -Name parameter: ```powershell Get-Service -Name "WinRM" ``` This will return the status of the WinRM service (Running, Stopped, etc.). ### 3\. List Services with Specific Patterns in Their Names You can use wildcards to list services that match a pattern in their name. For example: ```powershell Get-Service -Name "wmi*" ``` This will list all services whose names start with wmi. ### 4\. Display Services with a Specific Display Name If you're not sure about the internal name but know the display name of a service, you can use the -DisplayNameparameter: ```powershell Get-Service -DisplayName "Windows Remote Management (WS-Management)" ``` This command will show the service with the specified display name. ### 5\. View Services Dependent on Another Service To see which services depend on the WinRM service, use the -DependentServices flag: ```powershell Get-Service -Name "WinRM" -DependentServices ``` This will list all services that depend on WinRM. #### 6\. View Services Required by Another Service To see which services are required by WinRM, use the -RequiredServices flag: ```powershell Get-Service -Name "WinRM" -RequiredServices ``` This will show the services listed under the ServicesDependedOn property, which are critical for WinRM to function. #### 7\. Filter Services by Status (Running/Stopped) You can filter the list of services based on their status. For example, to list only the running services, use: ```powershell Get-Service | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq 'Running' } ``` This filters the output to only show services that are currently running. #### 8\. Use Piping to Chain Commands Get-Service can be used in combination with other cmdlets. For example, to stop a specific service after retrieving it, you can pipe the result: ```powershell Get-Service -Name "WinRM" | Stop-Service ``` This command retrieves the WinRM service and immediately stops it. ## Final Note The Get-Service cmdlet is a powerful tool for **managing and troubleshooting services** on Windows machines. By understanding how to leverage its various parameters, you can easily filter and control services, ensuring your system runs smoothly and efficiently.