Get-Credential

Syntax

Get-Credential
   [[-Credential] <PSCredential>]
   [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Credential
   [-Message <String>]
   [[-UserName] <String>]
   [-Title <String>]
   [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The Get-Credential cmdlet creates a credential object for a specified user name and password. You can use the credential object in security operations.

The Get-Credential cmdlet prompts the user for a password or a user name and password. You can use the Message parameter to specify a customized message for the prompt.

In Windows PowerShell 5.1 and earlier, Windows presents a dialog box to prompt for a user name and password. In PowerShell 6.0 and later, the prompt is presented in the console for all platforms.

Examples

Example 1

$c = Get-Credential

This command gets a credential object and saves it in the $c variable.

When you enter the command, you are prompted for a user name and password. When you enter the requested information, the cmdlet creates a PSCredential object representing the credentials of the user and saves it in the $c variable.

You can use the object as input to cmdlets that request user authentication, such as those with a Credential parameter. However, some providers that are installed with PowerShell do not support the Credential parameter.

Example 2

$c = Get-Credential -credential User01
$c.Username
User01

This example creates a credential that includes a user name without a domain name.

The first command gets a credential with the user name User01 and stores it in the $c variable. The second command displays the value of the Username property of the resulting credential object.

Example 3

$Credential = $host.ui.PromptForCredential("Need credentials", "Please enter your user name and password.", "", "NetBiosUserName")

This command uses the PromptForCredential method to prompt the user for their user name and password. The command saves the resulting credentials in the $Credential variable.

The PromptForCredential method is an alternative to using the Get-Credential cmdlet. When you use PromptForCredential, you can specify the caption, messages, and user name that appear in the prompt.

For more information, see the PromptForCredential documentation in the SDK.

Example 4

This example shows how to create a credential object that is identical to the object that Get-Credential returns without prompting the user. This method requires a plain text password, which might violate the security standards in some enterprises.

$User = "Domain01\User01"
$PWord = ConvertTo-SecureString -String "P@sSwOrd" -AsPlainText -Force
$Credential = New-Object -TypeName System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList $User, $PWord

The first command saves the user account name in the $User parameter. The value must have the "Domain\User" or "ComputerName\User" format.

The second command uses the ConvertTo-SecureString cmdlet to create a secure string from a plain text password. The command uses the AsPlainText parameter to indicate that the string is plain text and the Force parameter to confirm that you understand the risks of using plain text.

The third command uses the New-Object cmdlet to create a PSCredential object from the values in the $User and $PWord variables.

Example 5

Get-Credential -Message "Credential are required for access to the \\Server1\Scripts file share." -User Server01\PowerUser

PowerShell Credential Request
Credential are required for access to the \\Server1\Scripts file share.
Password for user Server01\PowerUser:

This command uses the Message and UserName parameters of the Get-Credential cmdlet. This command format is designed for shared scripts and functions. In this case, the message tells the user why credentials are needed and gives them confidence that the request is legitimate.

Example 6

Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server01 {Get-Credential Domain01\User02}

PowerShell Credential Request : PowerShell Credential Request
Warning: This credential is being requested by a script or application on the SERVER01 remote computer.
Enter your credentials only if you trust the remote computer and the application or script requesting it.

Enter your credentials.
Password for user Domain01\User02: ***************

PSComputerName     : Server01
RunspaceId         : 422bdf52-9886-4ada-ab2f-130497c6777f
PSShowComputerName : True
UserName           : Domain01\User01
Password           : System.Security.SecureString

This command gets a credential from the Server01 remote computer. The command uses the Invoke-Command cmdlet to run a Get-Credential command on the remote computer. The output shows the remote security message that Get-Credential includes in the authentication prompt.

Parameters

-Credential

-Message

-Title

-UserName

Inputs

None

You can't pipe objects to this cmdlet.

Outputs

PSCredential

This cmdlet returns a credential object.

Notes

You can use the PSCredential object that Get-Credential creates in cmdlets that request user authentication, such as those with a Credential parameter.

The Credential parameter is not supported by all providers that are installed with PowerShell. Beginning in PowerShell 3.0, it is supported on select cmdlets, such as the Get-Content and New-PSDrive cmdlets.

Related Links

• PromptForCredential