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New-PSDrive

  • Reference
Module:
Microsoft.PowerShell.Management

Creates temporary and persistent mapped network drives.

Syntax

New-PSDrive
   [-Name] <String>
   [-PSProvider] <String>
   [-Root] <String>
   [-Description <String>]
   [-Scope <String>]
   [-Persist]
   [-Credential <PSCredential>]
   [-WhatIf]
   [-Confirm]
   [-UseTransaction]
   [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The New-PSDrive cmdlet creates temporary and persistent drives that are mapped to or associated with a location in a data store, such as a network drive, a directory on the local computer, or a registry key, and persistent Windows mapped network drives that are associated with a file system location on a remote computer.

Temporary drives exist only in the current PowerShell session and in sessions that you create in the current session. They can have any name that is valid in PowerShell and can be mapped to any local or remote resource. You can use temporary PowerShell drives to access data in the associated data store, just as you would do with any mapped network drive. You can change locations into the drive, by using Set-Location, cd, or chdir, and access the contents of the drive by using Get-Item, Get-ChildItem, or dir.

However, because temporary drives are known only to PowerShell, you cannot access them by using File Explorer, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), Component Object Model (COM), or the Microsoft .NET Framework, or by using tools such as Net Use.

The following features are added to New-PSDrive in Windows PowerShell 3.0:

  • Mapped network drives. You can use the Persist parameter of New-PSDrive to create Windows mapped network drives. Unlike temporary PowerShell drives, Windows mapped network drives are not session-specific. They are saved in Windows and they can be managed by using standard Windows tools, such as File Explorer and Net Use. Mapped network drives must have a drive-letter name and be connected to a remote file system location. When your command is scoped locally (no dot-sourcing), the Persist parameter does not persist the creation of a PSDrive beyond the scope in which the command is running. If you are running New-PSDrive inside a script, and you want the drive to persist indefinitely, you must dot-source the script. For best results, to force a new drive to persist indefinitely, add the Scope parameter to your command, and set its value to Global.
  • External drives. When an external drive is connected to the computer, PowerShell automatically adds a PSDrive to the file system that represents the new drive. You do not have to restart PowerShell. Similarly, when an external drive is disconnected from the computer, PowerShell automatically deletes the PSDrive that represents the removed drive.
  • Credentials for UNC Paths.

When the value of the Root parameter is a UNC path, such as \\Server\Share, the credential specified in the value of the Credential parameter is used to create the PSDrive. Otherwise, Credential is not effective when you are creating new file system drives.

Examples

Example 1: Create a drive mapped to a network share

New-PSDrive -Name "P" -PSProvider "FileSystem" -Root "\\Server01\Public"

Name       Provider      Root
----       --------      ----
P          FileSystem    \\Server01\Public

This command creates a temporary PowerShell drive named P: that is mapped to the \\Server01\Public network share.

It uses the Name parameter to specify a name for the drive, the PSProvider parameter to specify the PowerShell FileSystem provider, and the Root parameter to specify the network share.

When the command finishes, the contents of the \\Server01\Public share appear in the P: drive. To see them, type: dir P:.

Example 2: Create a temporary drive

New-PSDrive -Name MyDocs -PSProvider FileSystem -Root "C:\Documents and Settings\User01\My Documents" -Description "Maps to my My Documents folder."

Name       Provider      Root
----       --------      ----
MyDocs     FileSystem    C:\Documents and Settings\User01\My Documents

This command creates a temporary PowerShell drive that provides quick access to a local directory. It creates a drive named MyDocs: that is mapped to the "C:\Documents and Settings\User01\My Documents" directory on the local computer.

It uses Name to specify a name for the drive, PSProvider to specify the PowerShell FileSystem provider, Root to specify the path of the My Documents folder, and the Description parameter to create a description of the drive.

When the command finishes, the contents of the My Documents folder appear in the MyDocs: drive. To see them, type: dir MyDocs:.

Example 3: Create a drive for a registry key

New-PSDrive -Name "MyCompany" -PSProvider "Registry" -Root "HKLM:\Software\MyCompany"

Name       Provider      Root
----       --------      ----
MyCompany  Registry      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\MyCo...

This command creates a temporary PowerShell drive that provides quick access to a frequently checked registry key. It creates a drive named MyCompany that is mapped to the HKLM\Software\MyCompany registry key.

It uses Name to specify a name for the drive, PSProvider to specify the PowerShell Registry provider, and Root to specify the registry key.

When the command finishes, the contents of the MyCompany key appear in the MyCompany: drive. To see them, type: dir MyCompany:.

Example 4: Create a persisted mapped network drive

New-PSDrive -Name "S" -Root "\\Server01\Scripts" -Persist -PSProvider "FileSystem"
Net Use

Status       Local     Remote                    Network
---------------------------------------------------------
OK           S:        \\Server01\Scripts        Microsoft Windows Network

This command creates the 'S' mapped network drive on the local computer. The 'S' drive is mapped to the \\Server01\Scripts network share.

The command uses New-PSDrive to create the mapped network drive. It uses Persist to create a Windows mapped network drive that is saved on the local computer.

The command uses Name to specify a letter name that Windows accepts and Root to specify a location on a remote computer. It uses PSProvider to specify the FileSystem provider.

The resulting drive can be viewed in other PowerShell sessions on the local computer, in Windows Explorer, and in other tools, such as Net Use.

Example 5: Create persistent and temporary drives

# Create a temporary PowerShell drive called PSDrive: that is mapped to the \\Server01\Public network share.
New-PSDrive -Name "PSDrive" -PSProvider "FileSystem" -Root "\\Server01\Public"
# Use the *Persist* parameter of **New-PSDrive** to create the X: mapped network drive, which is also mapped to the \\Server01\Public network share.
New-PSDrive -Persist -Name "X" -PSProvider "FileSystem" -Root "\\Server01\Public"
# Now, you can use the **Get-PSDrive** drive cmdlet to examine the two drives. The drives appear to be the same, although the network share name appears only in the root of the PSDrive: drive.
Get-PSDrive -Name "PSDrive", "X"

Name       Provider      Root
----       --------      ----

PsDrive    FileSystem    \\Server01\public
X          FileSystem    X:\

# Get-Member cmdlet shows that the drives have the same object type, System.Management.Automation.PSDriveInfo.
Get-PSDrive "PSDrive", "x" | Get-Member

TypeName: System.Management.Automation.PSDriveInfo

Name                MemberType Definition
----                ---------- ----------
CompareTo           Method     System.Int32 CompareTo(PSDriveInfo drive),
Equals              Method     System.Boolean Equals(Object obj),
GetHashCode         Method     System.Int32 GetHashCode()
...

# Net Use and Get-WmiObject for the Win32_LogicalDisk class, and Win32_NetworkConnection class find only the persistent X: drive.
# PowerShell temporary drives are known only to PowerShell.
Net Use
Get-WmiObject Win32_LogicalDisk | Format-Table -Property DeviceID
Get-WmiObject Win32_NetworkConnection

Status       Local     Remote                    Network
--------------------------------------------------------
OK           X:        \\contoso-pc\data            Microsoft Windows Network

deviceid
--------
C:
D:
X:

LocalName                  RemoteName                 ConnectionState            Status
---------                  ----------              ---------------               ------
X:                         \\products\public          Disconnected               Unavailable

This example shows the difference between a persistent mapped network drive and a temporary PowerShell drive that is mapped to the same network share.

If you close the PowerShell session and then open a new one, the PSDrive: drive is gone, and the X: drive persists. Therefore, when deciding which method to use to map network drives, consider how you will use the drive, whether it has to be persistent, and whether the drive has to be visible to other Windows features.

Parameters

-Confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.

Type:SwitchParameter
Aliases:cf
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Credential

Specifies a user account that has permission to perform this action. The default is the current user.

Type a user name, such as "User01" or "Domain01\User01", or enter a PSCredential object, such as one generated by the Get-Credential cmdlet. If you type a user name, this cmdlet prompts you for a password.

Starting in Windows PowerShell 3.0, when the value of the Root parameter is a UNC path, you can use credentials to create file system drives. This parameter is not supported by all PowerShell providers.

Type:PSCredential
Position:Named
Default value:Current user
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Description

Specifies a brief text description of the drive. Type any string.

To see the descriptions of all of the drives in the session, type Get-PSDrive | Format-Table Name, Description. To see the description of a particular drives, type (Get-PSDrive \<DriveName\>).Description.

Type:String
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Name

Specifies a name for the new drive. For persistent mapped network drives, type a drive letter. For temporary PowerShell drives, type any valid string; you are not limited to drive letters.

Type:String
Position:0
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Persist

Indicates that this cmdlet creates a Windows mapped network drive. Mapped network drives are saved in Windows on the local computer. They are persistent, not session-specific, and can be viewed and managed in File Explorer and other tools.

When you scope the command locally, that is, without dot-sourcing, the Persist parameter does not persist the creation of a PSDrive beyond the scope in which you run the command. If you run New-PSDrive inside a script, and you want the new drive to persist indefinitely, you must dot-source the script. For best results, to force a new drive to persist, specify Global as the value of the Scope parameter in addition to adding Persist to your command.

The name of the drive must be a letter, such as 'D' or 'E'. The value of Root parameter must be a UNC path of a different computer. The value of the PSProvider parameter must be FileSystem.

To disconnect a Windows mapped network drive, use the Remove-PSDrive cmdlet. When you disconnect a Windows mapped network drive, the mapping is permanently deleted from the computer, not just deleted from the current session.

Mapped network drives are specific to a user account. Mapped drives created in elevated sessions or sessions using the credential of another user are not visible in sessions started using different credentials.

Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-PSProvider

Specifies the PowerShell provider that supports drives of this kind.

For example, if the drive is associated with a network share or file system directory, the PowerShell provider is FileSystem. If the drive is associated with a registry key, the provider is Registry.

Temporary PowerShell drives can be associated with any PowerShell provider. Mapped network drives can be associated only with the FileSystem provider.

To see a list of the providers in your PowerShell session, use the Get-PSProvider cmdlet.

Type:String
Position:1
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Root

Specifies the data store location to which a PowerShell drive is mapped.

For example, specify a network share, such as \\Server01\Public, a local directory, such as C:\Program Files, or a registry key, such as HKLM:\Software\Microsoft.

Temporary PowerShell drives can be associated with a local or remote location on any supported provider drive. Mapped network drives can be associated only with a file system location on a remote computer.

Type:String
Position:2
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Scope

Specifies a scope for the drive. The acceptable values for this parameter are: Global, Local, and Script, or a number relative to the current scope. Scopes number 0 through the number of scopes. The current scope number is 0 and its parent is 1. For more information, see about_Scopes.

Type:String
Position:Named
Default value:Local
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-UseTransaction

Includes the command in the active transaction. This parameter is valid only when a transaction is in progress. For more information, see about_Transactions.

Type:SwitchParameter
Aliases:usetx
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-WhatIf

Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.

Type:SwitchParameter
Aliases:wi
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

Inputs

None

You cannot pipe input to this cmdlet.

Outputs

PSDriveInfo

Notes

  • New-PSDrive is designed to work with the data exposed by any provider. To list the providers available in your session, use Get-PSProvider. For more information about providers, see about_Providers.
  • Mapped network drives are specific to a user account. Mapped drives created in elevated sessions or sessions using the credential of another user are not visible in sessions started using different credentials.