A presentation about the next major Windows Server release suggested that Microsoft is working toward shipping PowerShell 7 as the default PowerShell experience, with Windows PowerShell 5.1 potentially becoming an optional component. That would be a welcome change, since PowerShell 5.1 is tied to the older .NET Framework and limits access to newer .NET features. I'm curious how firm this plan is and whether it could be connected to the newer MSIX deployment requirement. Could this eventually mean MSIX support on Server Core, or are the two changes unrelated?
4 Answers
It would be useful to have PowerShell 7 available as the standard option, but the transition will take a long time. Many organizations keep old servers running for years, so Windows PowerShell 5.1 will likely remain in use for quite a while even after a newer release becomes standard.
PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1 are separate products today. PowerShell 7 is cross-platform and independently updated, while 5.1 is integrated into Windows. Making 7 the default would be a major shift, and Microsoft would still need to handle older modules that depend on Windows PowerShell behavior.
The wording matters: saying they’re “working toward” making PowerShell 7 the default leaves plenty of room for changes. Still, a later clarification indicated that it would be properly installed rather than being only a small bootstrapper, which makes the proposal sound more promising.
That clarification makes me less worried that the built-in version would be just a launcher that downloads the real product later.
Even if it ships by default, compatibility with every existing module and script will probably remain the difficult part.
.NET Framework 4.8 isn’t unmaintained. It still receives security updates through Windows Update. Its continued support is one of the reasons Windows PowerShell 5.1 has remained part of Windows instead of being replaced by a newer .NET runtime.
The good news is that several important modules, including the Active Directory module on supported newer Windows versions, already work with PowerShell 7. Other modules may still need compatibility shims or implicit remoting.