Get-HotFix

PowerShell Cmdlet Deep Dive: Get-HotFix

Welcome back to Wahmans Powershell Blog! Today we’re taking a closer look at a super-helpful cmdlet that helps Windows admins quickly check what updates and patches have been applied to one or more systems: Get-HotFix.

What does it do?

Get-Hotfix retrieves the hotfixes (also known as updates or patches) that are installed on the local computer or remote computers. This is a great tool to include in system management, auditing, or troubleshooting scripts.

Example 1: Basic usage

Get all the hotfixes installed on your local machine:

Get-HotFix

This will return a list of all installed updates including the HotFixID, Description, InstalledBy, and InstalledOn fields. This is the easiest way to get a quick view of the updates applied to your system.

Example 2: Filter by HotFix ID

Perhaps you’re looking for a specific update to see whether it’s applied. Say you’re checking if the infamous KB5005565 is installed:

Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.HotFixID -eq 'KB5005565'}

This filters the list to only show the specific update if it exists.

Example 3: Check hotfixes on a remote computer

Want to verify installed updates on another system on your network?

Get-HotFix -ComputerName "SERVER01"

This will remotely query the machine named SERVER01 for its installed hotfixes. You may need appropriate permissions and network connectivity to retrieve this data.

Example 4: Export installed hotfixes across multiple computers

In larger environments, you might want to automate the gathering of hotfix information from multiple computers. Here’s a more advanced use case:

$computers = @("SERVER01", "SERVER02", "SERVER03")
foreach ($comp in $computers) {
    Get-HotFix -ComputerName $comp | 
        Select-Object @{Name='ComputerName';Expression={$comp}}, HotFixID, InstalledOn |
        Export-Csv -Path "C:\Reports\Hotfix_$comp.csv" -NoTypeInformation
}

This script loops over a list of computer names and exports each system’s hotfix list into a dedicated CSV file. Perfect for auditing or update compliance reports!

Wrapping up

Get-HotFix is a simple yet powerful command when managing updates across local or remote Windows systems. Whether you’re a beginner sysadmin or a PowerShell veteran, it has a place in your toolbox.

Happy scripting, and I will see you in the next post!