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Auto Publish – main to live - 2025-08-27 22:00 UTC #12317

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105 changes: 71 additions & 34 deletions reference/7.5/Microsoft.PowerShell.Core/About/about_Environment_Variables.md
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
---
description: Describes how to access and manage environment variables in PowerShell.
Locale: en-US
ms.date: 09/05/2024
ms.date: 08/27/2025
online version: https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_environment_variables?view=powershell-7.5&WT.mc_id=ps-gethelp
schema: 2.0.0
title: about_Environment_Variables
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -122,38 +122,24 @@ The 'Foo' environment variable is set to: An example
An example!
```

In PowerShell, an environment variable can't be set to an empty string. Setting
an environment variable to `$null` or an empty string removes it from the
current session. For example:
Beginning in PowerShell 7.5, you can set an environment variable to an empty string. Setting an
environment variable to `$null` removes it from the current session. For example:

```powershell
$Env:Foo = ''
$Env:Foo | Get-Member -MemberType Properties
```
PS> $env:TEST = ''
PS> Get-ChildItem env:TEST

```Output
Get-Member : You must specify an object for the Get-Member cmdlet.
At line:1 char:12
+ $Env:foo | Get-Member
+ ~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : CloseError: (:) [Get-Member], InvalidOperationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : NoObjectInGetMember,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetMemberCommand
```

`Get-Member` returned an error because the environment variable was removed.
You can see that it doesn't return an error when you use it on an empty
string:
Name Value
---- -----
TEST

```powershell
'' | Get-Member -MemberType Properties
```
PS> $env:TEST = $null
PS> $env:TEST.Length
0

```Output
TypeName: System.String
PS> Get-ChildItem env:TEST

Name MemberType Definition
---- ---------- ----------
Length Property int Length {get;}
Get-ChildItem: Cannot find path 'TEST' because it does not exist.
```

For more information about variables in PowerShell, see [about_Variables][11].
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -208,6 +194,31 @@ Use the `Get-ChildItem` cmdlet to see a full list of environment variables:
Get-ChildItem Env:
```

Beginning in PowerShell 7.5, you can set an environment variable to an empty
string using the environment provider and `Set-Item` cmdlet. Setting an
environment variable to `$null` removes it from the current session. For
example:

```powershell
PS> Set-Item env:TEST 'Foo'
PS> Get-ChildItem env:TEST

Name Value
---- -----
TEST Foo

PS> Set-Item env:TEST ''
PS> Get-ChildItem env:TEST

Name Value
---- -----
TEST

PS> Set-Item -Path env:TEST -Value $null
PS> Get-ChildItem env:TEST
Get-ChildItem: Cannot find path 'TEST' because it does not exist.
```

For more information on using the **Environment** provider to manage
environment variables, see [about_Environment_Provider][04].

Expand All @@ -228,19 +239,45 @@ of `Bar` and then returns its value.
Bar
```

You can remove an environment variable with the `SetEnvironmentVariable()`
method by specifying an empty string for the variable's value. For example,
to remove the `Foo` environment variable:
Beginning in PowerShell 7.5, you can set an environment variable to an empty
string using the `SetEnvironmentVariable()` method and specifying an empty
string or `$null` for the variable's value. For example:

```powershell
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Foo','')
[Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('Foo')
```
PS> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Foo','Bar')
PS> Get-ChildItem env:Foo

```Output
Name Value
---- -----
Foo Bar

PS> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Foo','')
PS> Get-ChildItem env:Foo

Name Value
---- -----
Foo

PS> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Foo','bar')
PS> Get-ChildItem env:Foo

Name Value
---- -----
Foo bar

PS> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Foo',$null)
PS> Get-ChildItem env:Foo

Name Value
---- -----
Foo
```

> [!NOTE]
> Unlike the variable syntax and provider cases, assigning the value to `$null`
> using the `SetEnvironmentVariable()` method doesn't remove the environment
> variable.

For more information about the methods of the **System.Environment** class, see
[Environment Methods][01].

Expand Down
105 changes: 71 additions & 34 deletions reference/7.6/Microsoft.PowerShell.Core/About/about_Environment_Variables.md
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
---
description: Describes how to access and manage environment variables in PowerShell.
Locale: en-US
ms.date: 09/05/2024
ms.date: 08/27/2025
online version: https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_environment_variables?view=powershell-7.6&WT.mc_id=ps-gethelp
schema: 2.0.0
title: about_Environment_Variables
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -122,38 +122,24 @@ The 'Foo' environment variable is set to: An example
An example!
```

In PowerShell, an environment variable can't be set to an empty string. Setting
an environment variable to `$null` or an empty string removes it from the
current session. For example:
Beginning in PowerShell 7.5, you can set an environment variable to an empty string. Setting an
environment variable to `$null` removes it from the current session. For example:

```powershell
$Env:Foo = ''
$Env:Foo | Get-Member -MemberType Properties
```
PS> $env:TEST = ''
PS> Get-ChildItem env:TEST

```Output
Get-Member : You must specify an object for the Get-Member cmdlet.
At line:1 char:12
+ $Env:foo | Get-Member
+ ~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : CloseError: (:) [Get-Member], InvalidOperationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : NoObjectInGetMember,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetMemberCommand
```

`Get-Member` returned an error because the environment variable was removed.
You can see that it doesn't return an error when you use it on an empty
string:
Name Value
---- -----
TEST

```powershell
'' | Get-Member -MemberType Properties
```
PS> $env:TEST = $null
PS> $env:TEST.Length
0

```Output
TypeName: System.String
PS> Get-ChildItem env:TEST

Name MemberType Definition
---- ---------- ----------
Length Property int Length {get;}
Get-ChildItem: Cannot find path 'TEST' because it does not exist.
```

For more information about variables in PowerShell, see [about_Variables][11].
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -208,6 +194,31 @@ Use the `Get-ChildItem` cmdlet to see a full list of environment variables:
Get-ChildItem Env:
```

Beginning in PowerShell 7.5, you can set an environment variable to an empty
string using the environment provider and `Set-Item` cmdlet. Setting an
environment variable to `$null` removes it from the current session. For
example:

```powershell
PS> Set-Item env:TEST 'Foo'
PS> Get-ChildItem env:TEST

Name Value
---- -----
TEST Foo

PS> Set-Item env:TEST ''
PS> Get-ChildItem env:TEST

Name Value
---- -----
TEST

PS> Set-Item -Path env:TEST -Value $null
PS> Get-ChildItem env:TEST
Get-ChildItem: Cannot find path 'TEST' because it does not exist.
```

For more information on using the **Environment** provider to manage
environment variables, see [about_Environment_Provider][04].

Expand All @@ -228,19 +239,45 @@ of `Bar` and then returns its value.
Bar
```

You can remove an environment variable with the `SetEnvironmentVariable()`
method by specifying an empty string for the variable's value. For example,
to remove the `Foo` environment variable:
Beginning in PowerShell 7.5, you can set an environment variable to an empty
string using the `SetEnvironmentVariable()` method and specifying an empty
string or `$null` for the variable's value. For example:

```powershell
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Foo','')
[Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('Foo')
```
PS> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Foo','Bar')
PS> Get-ChildItem env:Foo

```Output
Name Value
---- -----
Foo Bar

PS> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Foo','')
PS> Get-ChildItem env:Foo

Name Value
---- -----
Foo

PS> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Foo','bar')
PS> Get-ChildItem env:Foo

Name Value
---- -----
Foo bar

PS> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Foo',$null)
PS> Get-ChildItem env:Foo

Name Value
---- -----
Foo
```

> [!NOTE]
> Unlike the variable syntax and provider cases, assigning the value to `$null`
> using the `SetEnvironmentVariable()` method doesn't remove the environment
> variable.

For more information about the methods of the **System.Environment** class, see
[Environment Methods][01].

Expand Down
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