PowerShell Basics for Office 365 Administration (Episode 1)

What is PowerShell?

PowerShell is a command-line shell and a scripting language all in one. It is designed for system administration, task automation, and configuration management, particularly in Windows and cloud environments like Microsoft 365 (Office 365) and Azure.

How to Install PowerShell?

PowerShell is pre-installed on Windows systems like Windows PowerShell. However, if you use a computer that runs Linux, macOS, or an older version of Windows, you need to install it. On macOS and Linux, PowerShell can be installed via package managers such as Homebrew (macOS) or apt/yum (Linux). See more: Install PowerShell on Windows, Linux, and macOS

Comparison between PowerShell and PowerShell ISE:

Feature

PowerShell (Console)

PowerShell ISE (Integrated Scripting Environment)

Interface

Command-line interface (CLI)

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Performance

Lightweight and fast

Heavier, slower compared to console

Script Editing

No built-in editor

Built-in editor with syntax highlighting

Debugging

Basic

Advanced debugging tools (breakpoints, step-through)

Auto-completion

Basic tab completion

IntelliSense with suggestions and parameter info

Multiline Editing

Limited

Full multiline scripting support

Tooltips and Help

Limited

Rich tooltips and parameter help

Customization

Highly customizable (via profiles, themes)

Limited customization

Cross-platform Support

Yes (via PowerShell Core - pwsh)

No (Windows only)

Development Status

Actively developed

Deprecated (no longer under active development by Microsoft)

Use Case

Quick tasks, automation, remote sessions

Script writing, testing, and debugging

Note: Microsoft no longer updates the PowerShell ISE. The ISE only works with Windows PowerShell 5.1. Visual Studio Code (VS Code) with the PowerShell extension works with both versions of PowerShell.

Determine Version of PowerShell:

To determine your PowerShell version, just run this command in any PowerShell window (Windows PowerShell, PowerShell ISE, or PowerShell 7+):

$PSVersionTable

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Note: PowerShell version 7 isn't a replacement for Windows PowerShell 5.1; it installs side-by-side with Windows PowerShell. Windows PowerShell version 5.1 and PowerShell version 7 are two different products.

Understanding PowerShell Execution Policies:

PowerShell Execution Policy is a safety setting in PowerShell that determines whether you’re allowed to run scripts, and under what conditions. By default, Windows will not allow you to run these scripts by just double-clicking the file. This is because malicious (or poorly written) scripts can cause a lot of accidental damage to your system.

It’s not a security boundary, but more of a safety mechanism to prevent accidental script execution.

You can set an execution policy for the local computer, current user, or a PowerShell session. You can also set execution policies for users and computers with Group Policy (GPO).

Types of Execution Policies:

  • Restricted- Default. No scripts allowed. Interactive commands only.
  • AllSigned- Only signed scripts (with a trusted certificate) can run.
  • RemoteSigned- Local scripts can run. Internet/downloaded scripts must be signed.
  • Unrestricted- All scripts can run. You’ll get a warning for downloaded ones.
  • Bypass- No restrictions. Useful for automation, but risky if not controlled.

To see your current setting, run:

Get-ExecutionPolicy

Or, to see all levels (user/machine/etc.):

Get-ExecutionPolicy -List

Change Execution Policy (Recommended):

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Before you change the execution policy, read the about_Execution_Policies help article to understand the security implications.

Understanding Office 365 PowerShell Cmdlets, Functions, Modules, and Scripts

Cmdlets (pronounced command-lets) are lightweight PowerShell commands that perform specific administrative tasks. They follow a Verb-Noun naming convention (e.g., Get-, Set-, New-) and are designed for managing Office 365 services such as Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, and Azure AD.

Examples:

  • Get-EXOMailbox – Retrieves mailbox details in Exchange Online.
  • Set-MgUser – Modifies a Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) user account.
  • Connect-SPOService – Establishes a connection to SharePoint Online.

Functions are reusable blocks of PowerShell code that can accept parameters and return values. They help automate repetitive Office 365 tasks, such as user provisioning, license assignments, or report generation.

Example:

function Get-InactiveUsers { 

    Get-MgUser -All | Where-Object { $_.LastLoginDateTime -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-90) } 

}

Modules are packages that contain related cmdlets, functions, and scripts for managing specific Office 365 services. Microsoft provides official modules to interact with different workloads.

Key Office 365 Modules:

  • Exchange Online (ExchangeOnlineManagement) – Manages mailboxes and distribution groups.
  • Microsoft Graph (Microsoft.Graph) – Controls users, groups, and permissions via Graph API.
  • SharePoint Online (PnP.PowerShell) – Handles SharePoint and OneDrive automation.

Usage:

Install-Module Microsoft.Graph -Force
Import-Module Microsoft.Graph.Users

Scripts (.ps1 files) are collections of PowerShell commands that automate complex Office 365 workflows, such as bulk user management, security policy enforcement, or audit log exports.

Example Script:

# Gets all Office 365 users and exports to CSV
Get-MgUser -All | Select-Object DisplayName, UserPrincipalName | Export-Csv -Path "C:\Users\AllUsers.csv" -NoTypeInformation
Write-Host "User list exported successfully!"

Execution:

  • Run scripts via .\script.ps1 in PowerShell.
  • Schedule them in Task Scheduler for automated runs.

Get-Help in Office 365

The Get-Help cmdlet is a valuable resource when managing Office 365 environments through PowerShell. It provides detailed information about various cmdlets and their usage.

Example:

To get help on the Connect-ExchangeOnline cmdlet, which is used to establish a connection to Exchange Online in Office 365:

Get-Help Connect-ExchangeOnline

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This command will show the syntax, parameters, and usage examples for connecting to Exchange Online.

You can also get detailed help on a specific parameter by using the -Parameter flag. For instance, to get help on the PropertySets parameter for the Get-EXOMailbox cmdlet:

Get-Help Get-EXOMailbox -Parameter PropertySets

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Additionally, you can view online documentation directly by adding the -Online flag:

Get-Help Connect-ExchangeOnline -Online

This will open the official Microsoft documentation for this cmdlet in your browser.

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Get-Command in PowerShell

The Get-Command cmdlet allows you to discover all available commands for managing your Office 365 environment, including those for Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, and more.

Example 1:

To list all cmdlets related to Exchange Online management, use the following command:

Get-Command -Module ExchangeOnlineManagement

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This will return all available cmdlets within the ExchangeOnlineManagement module, which is commonly used for Exchange Online tasks such as managing mailboxes and mail flow.

Example 2:

To search for a specific type of command, such as all cmdlets that manage users, you can filter by the -Type parameter:

Get-Command -Type Cmdlet | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*User*" }

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This command will list all cmdlets related to managing users in Office 365, such as Get-MsolUser, Set-MsolUser, etc.

 

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