Installing Windows features from the command-line with PowerShell

Many Windows features can be installed from the Settings UI, but for automation, scripting, and server work, PowerShell is usually more convenient. Windows 10 and Windows Server provide a set of cmdlets for installing optional features, roles, and components.

To list all available optional Windows features, run the following command:

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online

To enable one of the features (by name), run:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V-All

On Windows Server, roles and features are managed through the ServerManager module:

Get-WindowsFeature
Install-WindowsFeature Web-Server

Running these from scripts is a nice way to configure new servers quickly or ensure your development machine always has the tools you need. I also use these cmdlets when provisioning virtual machines that must be consistent across different environments.