AUWENFIELD NOTES
JOHNNY AUWENFORGE
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Select-String

Find matching text.

Before running this

This is a reference for PowerShell; commands do not run on this page. Use the matching shell on your own computer. Read the example, expected result and notes before trying it. New to terminals? Start with the shell basics.

Syntax

UPPERCASE words are placeholders to replace. Brackets in the syntax line describe optional arguments; do not type those brackets literally.

Select-String -Pattern PATTERN -LiteralPath FILE

Example

Select-String -SimpleMatch -Pattern ERROR -LiteralPath ./app.log

Expected result

Matching lines and their locations in an existing log file.

Notes and traps

Patterns are regular expressions unless -SimpleMatch is supplied.

Related commands

Related tasks may need different flags and have different semantics. Check the entry before translating a command between shells.

Official reference ↗

Updated 13 September 2026. Examples describe the expected behavior; not every platform is available for execution testing.