I used to avoid the command line as much as possible. PowerShell, especially, felt like one of those things you only touched if something had gone very wrong. It looks outdated, it’s not exactly welcoming, and at first glance it feels like you need to memorize a bunch of cryptic commands just to get anything done. But after spending some time with it, I realized it’s not nearly as complicated as it seems. Once you get past the interface, PowerShell is just a faster, more direct way to interact with Windows, and in some cases, it gives you access to things the normal interface simply doesn’t.

That’s the part that surprised me most. There are actually useful, everyday tasks Windows still doesn’t handle well or doesn’t expose at all in Settings or File Explorer. PowerShell quietly fills those gaps. You don’t need to become a scripting expert to take advantage of it either. A handful of commands unlock built-in Windows features you simply can’t access anywhere else, fixing gaps the interface leaves behind.

Find duplicate files Windows can’t detect

Use PowerShell to compare files and uncover exact matches

Windows still doesn’t give you a real way to find duplicate files. You can sort and search in File Explorer, but there’s nothing built in that actually compares files and confirms what’s identical. That becomes a problem fast if you’ve got years of downloads, photo backups, or copied folders. It’s one of those gaps that becomes obvious once you run into it.

PowerShell fills that gap by comparing files using hashes, which are essentially unique fingerprints based on a file’s contents. If two files have the same hash, they’re identical, even if the names are different. To try it, open the folder you want to scan in File Explorer, click the address bar, type powershell.exe, and press Enter. That launches PowerShell directly in that location, so you don’t have to deal with file paths.

From there, run a single command that scans every file, generates hashes, and groups matches:

Get-ChildItem -Recurse | Get-FileHash | Group-Object Hash | Where-Object {$_.Count -gt 1} | ForEach-Object {$_.Group | Select-Object Path}

This returns sets of duplicate files in seconds. The results will show matching files listed back-to-back, with each pair or group representing identical files stored in different locations. It’s not flashy, but it’s far more accurate than anything built into Windows, and once you use it, it’s hard to go back to doing this manually.

Remove built-in apps Windows won’t let you uninstall

Use PowerShell to find and remove hidden or stubborn apps

Windows gives you a way to uninstall apps, but only the ones it wants you to remove. Plenty of built-in apps either don’t show up in Settings at all or can’t be fully removed, especially across all users. That becomes frustrating if you’re trying to clean up a system or just get rid of things you’ll never use.

PowerShell gives you full visibility into every installed app package, including the ones Windows hides. To use it properly here, you’ll need to open PowerShell as an administrator. The easiest way is to press Start, type PowerShell, then right-click it and choose Run as administrator. Without admin access, some apps won’t show up or can’t be removed.

Once it opens, run:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers

This will show everything installed on the system, not just what appears in Settings. Once you find the app you want to remove, copy its PackageFullName and run:

Remove-AppxPackage -Package <PackageFullName>

It’s more manual than clicking Uninstall, but it gives you control the interface simply doesn’t, especially when dealing with apps the interface won’t touch.

See startup programs Windows doesn’t show you

Use PowerShell to reveal everything launching when your PC starts

Windows gives you a startup tab in Task Manager, but it only shows part of what actually runs when your system boots. Plenty of entries live outside that list, including scheduled tasks, registry-based launches, and other background processes that never show up in the usual interface. That makes it harder to understand what’s really slowing down your system or running behind the scenes. It’s another example of Windows giving you a simplified view instead of the full picture.

PowerShell gives you a complete view. Run this command:

Get-CimInstance Win32_StartupCommand

You’ll get a much more complete list of what’s configured to launch at startup, along with details like the command path and where it’s being triggered from. Once you have that list, you can scan for anything unfamiliar, track down its file location, and decide whether it should be there. If something looks suspicious or unnecessary, you can disable or remove it through Task Manager, the Registry, or the app itself. It’s not as polished as a GUI, but it gives you the full picture, which makes it much easier to understand and control what’s actually starting with your system.

PowerShell isn’t as intimidating as it looks

PowerShell might look outdated and a little intimidating at first, but once you get past that, it opens up parts of Windows you simply can’t access any other way. You don’t need to learn scripting or memorize dozens of commands to get real value out of it either. A few targeted commands can solve problems Windows still doesn’t address, give you better visibility into what your system is doing, and make everyday tasks a lot easier. It’s not about replacing the interface, it’s about filling in the gaps where Windows falls short.