Save-Help

The Save-Help cmdlet downloads the newest help files for PowerShell modules and saves them to a directory that you specify. This feature lets you update the help files on computers that don't have access to the internet, and makes it easier to update the help files on multiple computers. This cmdlet was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

Beginning in Windows PowerShell 4.0, you can use Save-Help to download help files for modules that are installed on remote computers. It's also possible to save a PSModuleInfo object using Export-Clixml on a computer that doesn't have internet access, import the object on a computer that does have internet access, and then run Save-Help on the PSModuleInfo object. Once you have the saved help, you can copy it to the remote computer and install it by running Update-Help. This process can be used to install help on computers that don't have any kind of network access.

Without parameters, a Save-Help command downloads the newest help for all modules in the session and for modules that are installed on the computer in a location listed in the PSModulePath environment variable. This action skips modules that don't support Updatable Help without warning.

The Save-Help cmdlet checks the version of any help files in the destination folder. If newer help files are available, this cmdlet downloads the newest help files from the internet, and then saves them in the folder. The Save-Help cmdlet works just like the Update-Help cmdlet, except that it saves the downloaded content, instead of extracting the help files and installing them on the computer.

The saved help for each module consists of one help information (HelpInfo XML) file and a cabinet or ZIP archive (.cab or .zip) for the help files in each language. On Windows, the command downloads the cabinet files. On Linux and macOS, the command downloads ZIP files.

To save the help files for modules in the PowerShell installation folder ($PSHOME\Modules), start PowerShell by using the Run as administrator option. You must be a member of the Administrators group on the computer to download the help files for these modules.

To install saved help files, run Update-Help with the SourcePath parameter to specify the folder containing the saved Help files. Update-Help extracts the help files from the archive and installs them on in the appropriate location.

This example shows three different ways to use Save-Help to save the help for the DhcpServer module from an internet-connected client computer, without installing the DhcpServer module or the DHCP Server role on the local computer.

# Option 1:
# 1. Run Invoke-Command to get the PSModuleInfo object for the DhcpServer module,
# 2. Save-Help on the PSModuleInfo object to save the help files to a folder on
#    the local computer.

$mod = Invoke-Command -ComputerName RemoteServer -ScriptBlock {
    Get-Module -Name DhcpServer -ListAvailable
}
Save-Help -Module $mod -DestinationPath C:\SavedHelp


# Option 2:
# 1. Open a PSSession to the remote computer that's running the DhcpServer module
# 2. Get the PSModuleInfo object from the remote computer
# 3. Save-Help on the PSModuleInfo object

$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName "RemoteServer"
$mod = Get-Module -PSSession $session -Name "DhcpServer" -ListAvailable
Save-Help -Module $mod -DestinationPath C:\SavedHelp


# Option 3:
# 1. Open a CimSession to the remote computer that's running the DhcpServer module
# 2. Get the PSModuleInfo object from the remote computer
# 3. Save-Help on the PSModuleInfo object
$cimsession = New-CimSession -ComputerName "RemoteServer"
$mod = Get-Module -CimSession $cimsession -Name "DhcpServer" -ListAvailable
Save-Help -Module $mod -DestinationPath "C:\SavedHelp"

This example shows how to install help for a computer that is not network connected. For this example, the first computer isn't connected to an accessible network. Files must be copied to it using removable media. The second computer is connected to the internet and can download the help files.

# On the first computer, get the PSModuleInfo object for the module and save it to
# removable media.

Get-Module -Name "DhcpServer" -ListAvailable |
    Export-CliXml -Path E:\UsbFlashDrive\DhcpModule.xml

# Move the removable media to a computer that has internet access, and then import the
# PSModuleInfo object. Run Save-Help on the imported PSModuleInfo object and save the help
# files to the removable media.

$moduleInfo = Import-CliXml E:\UsbFlashDrive\DhcpModule.xml
Save-Help -Module $moduleInfo -DestinationPath E:\UsbFlashDrive\SavedHelp

# Finally, move the removable media back to the first computer and install the help.

Update-Help -Module DhcpServer -SourcePath E:\UsbFlashDrive\SavedHelp

This command downloads the newest help files for all modules on the local computer. It saves the help files in the \\Server01\Fileshare01 folder.

Save-Help -DestinationPath \\Server01\FileShare01

This command downloads the newest help files for the ServerManager module, and then saves them in the \\Server01\Fileshare01 folder.

$saveHelpSplat = @{
    Module = 'ServerManager'
    DestinationPath = '\\Server01\FileShare01'
    Credential = 'Domain01/Admin01'
}
Save-Help @saveHelpSplat

When a module is installed on the computer, you can type the module name as the value of the Module parameter, even if the module isn't imported into the current session.

The command uses the Credential parameter to supply the credentials of a user who has permission to write to the file share.

These commands download the newest help files for the CustomSQL module and save them in the \\Server01\Fileshare01 folder.

Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server02 { Get-Module -Name CustomSQL -ListAvailable } |
    Save-Help -DestinationPath \\Server01\FileShare01 -Credential Domain01\Admin01

Because the CustomSQL module isn't installed on the computer, the sequence includes an Invoke-Command command that gets the module object for the CustomSQL module from the Server02 computer and then pipes the module object to the Save-Help cmdlet.

When a module isn't installed on the computer, Save-Help needs the module object, which includes information about the location of the newest help files.

This command saves help for the core PowerShell modules in four different UI cultures. The language packs for these locales don't have to be installed on the computer.

$saveHelpSplat = @{
    Module = 'Microsoft.PowerShell*'
    UICulture = 'de-DE', 'en-US', 'fr-FR', 'ja-JP'
    DestinationPath = "D:\Help"
}
Save-Help @saveHelpSplat

Save-Help can download help files for modules in different UI cultures only when the module owner makes the translated files available on the internet.

This command saves help for all modules that are installed on the computer. The command specifies the Force parameter to override the rule that prevents the Save-Help cmdlet from downloading help more than once in each 24-hour period.

Save-Help -Force -DestinationPath \\Server3\AdminShare\Help

The Force parameter also overrides the 1 GB restriction and circumvents version checking. Therefore, you can download files even if the version isn't later than the version in the destination folder.

The command uses the Save-Help cmdlet to download and save the help files to the specified folder. The Force parameter is required when you have to run a Save-Help command more than one time each day.

PSModuleInfo

You can pipe a module object to this cmdlet.

None

This cmdlet returns no output.

• To save help for modules in the $PSHOME\Modules folder, start PowerShell by using the Run as administrator option. Only members of the Administrators group on the computer can download help for modules in the $PSHOME\Modules folder.
• The saved help for each module consists of one help information (HelpInfo XML) file and one cabinet (.cab) file for the help files each UI culture. You don't have to extract the help files from the cabinet file. The Update-Help cmdlet extracts the help files, validates the XML, and then installs the help files and the help information file in a language-specific subfolder of the module folder.
• The Save-Help cmdlet can save help for modules that aren't installed on the computer. However, because help files are installed in the module folder, the Update-Help cmdlet can install updated help file only for modules that are installed on the computer.
• If Save-Help can't find updated help files for a module, or can't find updated help files in the specified language, it continues silently without displaying an error message. To see which files were saved by the command, specify the Verbose parameter.
• Modules are the smallest unit of updatable help. You can't save help for a particular cmdlet, only for all cmdlets in module. To find the module that contains a particular cmdlet, use the ModuleName property together with the Get-Command cmdlet, for example, (Get-Command \<cmdlet-name\>).ModuleName
• Save-Help supports all modules and the core PowerShell snap-ins. It doesn't support any other snap-ins.
• The Update-Help and Save-Help cmdlets use the following ports to download help files: Port 80 for HTTP and port 443 for HTTPS.
• The Update-Help and Save-Help cmdlets aren't supported on Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE).