PowerShell has become one of the most valuable skills for IT professionals. In today’s enterprise environments, system administrators are expected to manage Active Directory, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows Server, and thousands of endpoints. Performing these tasks manually is no longer practical.
Imagine creating hundreds of Active Directory users in seconds, generating software inventory reports automatically, checking BitLocker encryption across all company laptops, or restarting multiple computers without leaving your desk. These are just a few examples of what PowerShell can help you accomplish.
In this article, I’ll share 10 practical PowerShell scripts that every IT administrator should know in 2026. Whether you’re just starting your IT career or already working as a system administrator, these scripts will help you automate repetitive tasks, improve efficiency, and become a more valuable IT professional.
Why PowerShell Is Essential for IT Administrators
Many junior administrators spend hours performing repetitive tasks manually, such as creating user accounts, checking computers one at a time, collecting inventory information, installing software, or generating reports.
Experienced administrators take a different approach—they automate these tasks with PowerShell.
PowerShell enables you to:
- Manage thousands of Windows devices efficiently
- Automate Microsoft 365 administration
- Manage Azure resources
- Administer Active Directory
- Integrate with Microsoft Graph and other APIs
- Generate reports automatically
- Save countless hours every month
Automation not only increases productivity but also reduces human error and improves consistency across your IT environment.
- Bulk Create Active Directory Users
One of the most common tasks for IT administrators is creating new employee accounts.
Imagine your HR department sends you a spreadsheet containing 200 new employees. Creating each account manually could take hours. With PowerShell, the entire process can be completed in minutes.
Example CSV
FirstName,LastName,Username,Department
John,Smith,jsmith,Finance
Sarah,Jones,sjones,HR
PowerShell Script
Import-Module ActiveDirectory
$Users = Import-Csv “C:\Users.csv”
foreach ($User in $Users) {
$Password = ConvertTo-SecureString “Welcome@123” -AsPlainText -Force
New-ADUser `
-Name “$($User.FirstName) $($User.LastName)” `
-GivenName $User.FirstName `
-Surname $User.LastName `
-SamAccountName $User.Username `
-Department $User.Department `
-AccountPassword $Password `
-Enabled $true
}
Skills demonstrated:
- Active Directory administration
- Automation
- User lifecycle management
- Disable Inactive Active Directory Users
Inactive user accounts are a significant security risk. Former employees or unused accounts can become easy targets for attackers if left enabled.
The following script disables accounts that have been inactive for more than 90 days.
Search-ADAccount `
-AccountInactive `
-TimeSpan 90.00:00:00 |
Disable-ADAccount
Common use cases:
- Security audits
- Employee offboarding
- Compliance requirements
- Export an Active Directory User Report
Many organizations require regular reports showing user information, including usernames, departments, and last login dates.
Get-ADUser -Filter * -Properties LastLogonDate |
Select Name,SamAccountName,Department,LastLogonDate |
Export-Csv C:\AD_Report.csv -NoTypeInformation
This report is useful for:
- Management reporting
- Security reviews
- User audits
- License management
- Collect Software Inventory
Knowing what software is installed across your environment is essential for license management, compliance, and vulnerability assessments.
Retrieve local computer information:
Get-ComputerInfo |
Select WindowsProductName,WindowsVersion
Query a remote computer:
Invoke-Command -ComputerName PC001 {
Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*
}
This information is particularly useful during software audits and migration projects.
- Check Windows Services
Windows services are critical for many business applications. If an important service stops unexpectedly, users may lose access to applications or network resources.
List all stopped services:
Get-Service |
Where Status -eq “Stopped”
Restart a service:
Restart-Service -Name Spooler
Typical scenarios include:
- Print spooler failures
- Application troubleshooting
- Windows Server maintenance
- Service health monitoring
- Generate a BitLocker Compliance Report
BitLocker encryption is an important security control in modern organizations.
Security teams often ask:
“Are all company laptops encrypted?”
The following script provides a quick overview.
Get-BitLockerVolume |
Select MountPoint,EncryptionPercentage,VolumeStatus
Common enterprise uses include:
- Intune compliance reporting
- Security auditing
- Endpoint management
- Compliance assessments
- Create a Computer Information Report
Gather essential hardware and operating system information from Windows devices.
Get-ComputerInfo |
Select CsName,
WindowsVersion,
OsArchitecture,
CsTotalPhysicalMemory
This information is valuable for:
- Hardware inventory
- Windows upgrade planning
- Device lifecycle management
- Migration projects
- Verify Windows Backups
A backup strategy is only effective if backups complete successfully and can be restored.
Check the latest Windows Backup job:
Get-WBJob
Generate backup event reports:
Get-WinEvent `
-LogName Microsoft-Windows-Backup |
Select TimeCreated,Message
This helps administrators monitor:
- Backup success
- Backup failures
- Disaster recovery readiness
- Compliance reporting
- Manage Remote Computers
PowerShell makes remote administration simple.
Restart multiple computers simultaneously:
Restart-Computer `
-ComputerName PC01,PC02,PC03
Test connectivity:
Test-Connection PC01
These commands are useful for:
- Patch management
- Maintenance windows
- Remote troubleshooting
- System administration
- Generate an IT Health Report
Many organizations schedule daily health reports to monitor the status of their infrastructure.
For example, retrieve available disk space:
Get-PSDrive C |
Select Used,Free
You can combine PowerShell with:
- Scheduled Tasks
- Email notifications
- HTML reporting
- Monitoring solutions
A daily health report can include:
- Disk usage
- Service status
- Windows updates
- Memory utilization
- System errors
Advanced PowerShell Skills That Can Increase Your Salary
Once you’ve mastered the basics, the next step is learning enterprise automation.
Microsoft Graph PowerShell
Microsoft Graph PowerShell enables administrators to manage Microsoft cloud services such as:
- Microsoft Entra ID
- Microsoft Intune
- Microsoft 365
Example:
Get-MgUser
Azure PowerShell
Azure administrators use PowerShell to automate cloud infrastructure.
Example:
Get-AzVM
Common tasks include:
- Managing virtual machines
- Storage accounts
- Virtual networks
- Resource groups
PowerShell and Microsoft Intune
Modern endpoint administrators can automate many Intune tasks, including:
- Application deployment
- Compliance reporting
- Device configuration
- Policy creation
- Device inventory reporting
These automation skills are becoming increasingly valuable as organizations adopt cloud-first management.
Final Thoughts
The biggest difference between junior and senior IT administrators isn’t simply technical knowledge—it’s mindset.
A junior administrator asks:
“How do I fix this problem manually?”
A senior administrator asks:
“How can I automate this so it never becomes a problem again?”
Organizations value administrators who can automate repetitive tasks, reduce manual work, improve consistency, and save time. PowerShell is one of the most effective tools for achieving these goals.
If you’re serious about advancing your IT career in 2026, invest time in learning PowerShell. Start with these ten scripts, understand how they work, and gradually build more advanced automation for Active Directory, Microsoft 365, Azure, Intune, and Windows Server.
The more you automate, the more efficient—and valuable—you become as an IT professional.