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RIP Microsoft PowerShell 2.0! The end of an era is coming between August and September

RIP Microsoft PowerShell 2.0! The end of an era is coming between August and September

18 August 2025 08:18

Microsoft will remove PowerShell 2.0 from Windows starting in August, years after announcing its deprecation and keeping it as an optional feature. The 14-year-old command processor introduced with Windows 7 has already been removed for Windows Insiders starting in July 2025 with the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27891 on the Canary Channel.

As explained in a support document published Monday, Microsoft will permanently remove PowerShell 2.0 from Windows 11 version 24H2 starting in August and from Windows Server 2025 starting in September. “For most users and organizations, this change will not pose any significant disruption: newer versions of PowerShell, such as PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7.x, will continue to be available and supported. However, if you have legacy scripts or software that explicitly depend on PowerShell 2.0, you will need to take action and update them or use a workaround to avoid disruption,” Microsoft said.

According to Microsoft, this initiative is part of a broader effort to remove legacy code, reduce system complexity, and improve Windows security. Microsoft customers using legacy applications, including older Microsoft server products like Exchange, SharePoint, and SQL Server, that rely on PowerShell 2.0 scripting, will be directly impacted by this change.

Although legacy scripts attempting to launch PowerShell 2.0 automatically use PowerShell 5.1, which is backwards compatible for most commands and modules, users of such tools are advised to update their systems to avoid disruption.

The company added that customers should migrate their scripts and tools to PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7 and replace outdated software that cannot function without PowerShell 2.0 support, as some older third-party installers may not work on newer versions of Windows when attempting to enable PowerShell. 2.0 during installation.

“By using the latest, supported versions of PowerShell 7 or PowerShell 5.1, you can ensure that your scripts run more securely,” Microsoft added in a new Message Center post.

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The editorial staff of Red Hot Cyber is composed of IT and cybersecurity professionals, supported by a network of qualified sources who also operate confidentially. The team works daily to analyze, verify, and publish news, insights, and reports on cybersecurity, technology, and digital threats, with a particular focus on the accuracy of information and the protection of sources. The information published is derived from direct research, field experience, and exclusive contributions from national and international operational contexts.