Best Free PowerShell Training Resources

Best free PowerShell training resources

Many of the best online business education platforms cover IT topics like PowerShell. If you need to brush up on all things PowerShell, check out these free training courses and general resources before investing money in formal classes. 

1. Check out Microsoft’s PowerShell educational resources.

With the retirement of the Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) in June 2019, Microsoft Learn is a logical first step when searching for free learning sources for Microsoft products. To get started:

1. Go to the main Microsoft Learn website.
2. Select Browse learning paths.
3. Enter PowerShell into the search box.

Microsoft Learn focuses primarily on Azure and various business apps, including Microsoft Dynamics 365, PowerApps and Power BI. While its PowerShell offerings aren’t as vast as other topics, you’ll find valuable modules like “Understand the Command Syntax in PowerShell,” “Automate Administrative Tasks Using PowerShell,” and more. 

Check back to see if new courses have been added as Microsoft Learn periodically updates its offerings.

2. Visit PowerShell.org for vital resources.

Supporting all platforms and languages that use PowerShell, PowerShell.org’s Free Resources section connects visitors to e-books and the PowerShell.org YouTube channel, which has more than 100 videos. 

While you’re on PowerShell.org, be sure to browse its articles, forums and PowerScripting podcast series, all of which are current and chock-full of PowerShell how-to information.

3. Class Central offers free online PowerShell courses.

Online learning platform Class Central’s PowerShell offerings include more than 70 free and paid courses. You can filter by free and paid courses as well as by course level, duration and language. 

Class Central’s free courses include “PowerShell 7,” “Advanced Tools & Scripting with PowerShell 3.0 Jump Start,” “Getting Started with Microsoft PowerShell,” “PowerShell Master Class,” and “PowerShell for IT Professionals.” Paid courses include a professional certificate.

4. Veeam Software provides PowerShell articles and blogs.

Veeam specializes in cloud data management, backup and disaster recovery for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, IBM Cloud, VMware and Hyper-V. Because PowerShell is an essential tool for managing Windows-based cloud technologies, you will find many how-to blogs and articles on various PowerShell topics.

Visit the Veeam website, select the search icon and enter PowerShell to access Veeam’s PowerShell resource articles. 

5. GitHub offers robust PowerShell resources.

Nestled under the PowerShell Team repository on GitHub is the Learning PowerShell doc, which takes you step by step through installing PowerShell, using the PowerShell editor, debugging and testing. There’s also a map book aimed at seasoned Bash users who want to ramp up more quickly.

The DevOps Collective on GitHub is a repository of short books and articles on PowerShell gotchas and how-tos, including code examples. Learn about handling errors, generating historical and trend reports, networking, remoting and much more.

PowerShell training with free trial periods

Most paid training providers offer a free trial period, typically one to two weeks, during which you can take a course or two to see if they’re a good fit for you and to get a feel for the depth and quality of training before paying. 

Here are a few providers to consider:

• Pluralsight: Pluralsight’s well-known training library includes a plethora of courses on PowerShell taught by experts like Jeffrey Snover, Jeff Hicks and Mark Minasi. It offers a 10-day free trial period to test its offerings.
• CBT Nuggets:The CBT Nuggets free trial doesn’t include Kaplan IT Training practice exams. However, it does let you access courses like the entry-level PowerShell 7 course and the Advanced PowerShell Automation course for experienced users. 
• LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning’s PowerShell courses include beginner and intermediate offerings like “PowerShell for Microsoft 365 Administration,” “PowerShell 7 Essential Training,” “Learning PowerShell” and more. 
• Udemy: Udemy offers a seven-day free trial for its Personal and Pro subscription plans. Udemy’s PowerShell courses include “Master Microsoft PowerShell,” “Windows PowerShell in Less Than Two Hours” and “PowerShell for Active Directory Administrators.”

General resources: Microsoft, blogs and other sources

You can glean much information on PowerShell by browsing these resources:

• PowerShell Survival Guide. Microsoft’s PowerShell Survivor Guide is perhaps the mother lode of resources ― Microsoft’s list of lists for PowerShell.
• PowerShell documentation. Microsoft’s PowerShell documentation page offers a Community Resources section where you can access user groups, the PowerShell tech community and many more resources. Additionally, this page has a PowerShell Team section where you can access the PowerShell Team blog and Twitter accounts.
• Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches. Although the book Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches runs about $30, you can access it for free when you subscribe to Manning Online educational resources.
• Blogs. Visit the following blogs for PowerShell tips and updates on errors: ATA Learning, PowerShell Team, and Scripting Blog.

The present and future of PowerShell 

Many PowerShell power users lament the lack of certifications for this essential admin tool. Although Microsoft doesn’t offer a certification based solely on PowerShell, the company has peppered several of its certifications, including the ever-popular Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certifications, with PowerShell questions.

Whether you earn a certification or develop a working knowledge of PowerShell to assist your career growth, you can’t go wrong investing time to learn all you can about this valuable tool.

Jessica Pooree contributed to this article.