Get WindowsOptionalFeature - PowerShell

Overview

The Get-WindowsOptionalFeature command retrieves information about optional Windows features and their installation status. It allows users to check which features are enabled, disabled, or available for installation/uninstallation. This command is useful for managing and customizing Windows installations, troubleshooting feature-related issues, and ensuring system stability.

Syntax

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature [[-Online] | [-FeatureName] <string>] [-ProviderName] <string> [[-ComputerName] <string>] [[-ErrorAction] <ActionPreference>] [[-WarningAction] <ActionPreference>] [<CommonParameters>]

Options/Flags

| Option | Description | Default |
|—|—|—|
| -Online | Retrieves information from Microsoft’s online repositories, including optional features that may not be installed on the local system. | $false |
| -FeatureName | Specifies the name of a specific optional feature to retrieve information about. | None |
| -ProviderName | Filters results to include only features that are provided by a specific provider. | None |
| -ComputerName | Specifies a remote computer to retrieve feature information for. | Local computer |

Examples

Example 1: List all available optional features

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature

Example 2: Check the installation status of a specific feature

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName "Hyper-V"

Example 3: Retrieve information about all features from a particular provider

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -ProviderName "Microsoft-Windows-Defender"

Example 4: Check feature availability and installation status on a remote computer

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -ComputerName "Server1" -FeatureName "Print-Server"

Common Issues

  • Feature not found: Ensure that the feature name is correct and that the -Online parameter is used if the feature is not installed locally.
  • Access denied: Run the command in an elevated PowerShell console with administrator privileges.

Integration

The Get-WindowsOptionalFeature command can be combined with other PowerShell cmdlets to manage optional features programmatically. For example:

# Install a feature
Install-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName "NET-Framework-4.8"

# Uninstall a feature
Uninstall-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName "MS-Office"
  • Add-WindowsOptionalFeature
  • Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature
  • Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature
  • Import-WindowsOptionalFeature