Summary: Use the –whatif parameter with PowerShell cmdlets to test code live.

I heard that PowerShell has a built-in safety switch to many of its cmdlets. Could you show me an example of it in use?

No problem. You’re referring to the –whatif parameter, which is meant to show you what would happen if you used a PowerShell cmdlet without actually executing the cmdlet. An example of this in action is in the following Remove-Item cmdlet.

This will attempt to remove the document, HSG-Article-Sean-Should-Not-Lose.docx, without actually removing it.

Remove-Item .\HSG-Article-Sean-Should-Not-Lose.docx -WhatIf