In a significant shift for users of its operating systems, Microsoft has announced the phased removal of PowerShell 2.0, a command-line tool that has been a part of Windows since the launch of Windows 7. This decision comes eight years after the company first indicated its intention to deprecate the tool, which has remained available as an optional feature until now.
Beginning in August, PowerShell 2.0 will be permanently eliminated from Windows 11 version 24H2 and subsequently from Windows Server 2025 in September. This change follows the earlier removal of PowerShell 2.0 for Windows Insiders with the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27891 in July 2025.
According to a support document released on Monday, Microsoft emphasizes that for the majority of users and organizations, this transition will be seamless. Newer iterations of PowerShell, specifically PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7.x, will continue to be available and supported. However, organizations relying on legacy scripts or software that depend on PowerShell 2.0 must take proactive measures to update their systems or implement workarounds to avoid potential disruptions.
Removal affects customers using legacy scripts and software
Customers utilizing older Microsoft server products such as Exchange, SharePoint, and SQL Server—applications that depend on PowerShell 2.0 scripting—will find themselves directly affected by this change. While legacy scripts attempting to invoke PowerShell 2.0 will default to PowerShell 5.1, which maintains backward compatibility for most commands and modules, it is advisable for users to update their systems to mitigate any risks of disruption.
Microsoft further recommends that customers migrate their scripts and tools to either PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7. Additionally, organizations should consider replacing outdated software that cannot operate without PowerShell 2.0 support, as some older third-party installers may encounter issues on newer Windows versions when trying to enable PowerShell 2.0 during installation.
By transitioning to the supported versions of PowerShell, users can enhance the safety and efficiency of their scripting processes. “If you have legacy scripts or software that explicitly depend on PowerShell 2.0, you’ll need to either update them or use a workaround to prevent disruptions,” Microsoft stated in a recent message center post.
