Select-StringIT technician command center
PowerShell · Windows Administration

Select-String

Search text files for a pattern.

Copy-ready commandSelect-String
Select-String -Path C:\Logs\*.log -Pattern "error"

Requirements and permissions

Requirements
Windows PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7
Permissions
Varies by command
Last reviewed
2026-07-31

Examples

Basic example

Search text files for a pattern.

Select-String -Path C:\Logs\*.log -Pattern "error"

Common errors

Command not found

Confirm Windows PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7 is installed and available in your current shell.