How do I debug a Windows PowerShell module in Visual Studio?

It's possible to debug your cmdlet directly without needing a separate project.

Note that the .exe paths below are for the "native" application versions — 32-bit (Windows) Powershell on 32-bit Windows, 64-bit (Windows) Powershell on 64-bit Windows — and assume Windows is installed to C:.

Project configuration

For .NET (Core) projects in Visual Studio 2022

1. Open the properties of your class library project.

2. Under the Debug section, click the Open debug launch profiles UI link.

3. In the Launch Profiles window, click Create a new profile (first button in the upper-left) and select Executable.

4. Configure the new launch profile as follows:

   • Executable: C:\Program Files\PowerShell\7\pwsh.exe
   • Command line arguments: -NoLogo -Command "Import-Module '.\MyModule.dll'; Get-TestCommand;"

   

5. Close the Launch Profiles window.

6. Click the downward-pointing arrow in the Start Debugging toolbar button and select the new launch profile.

For .NET Framework projects in Visual Studio 2022, or all .NET projects in Visual Studio 2019 and older

Open the properties of your class library project and configure the Debug tab as follows:

• Start Action
  • Start external program: C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe or C:\Program Files\PowerShell\7\pwsh.exe
• Start Options
  • Command line arguments: -NoLogo -Command "Import-Module '.\MyModule.dll'; Get-TestCommand;"

Debugging in action