Command Precedence in Powershell

PowerShell uses the following precedence rules when it runs commands for all items loaded in the current session:

Powershell decides what to run based on this order of precedence:

• Alias
• Function
• Cmdlet
• External executables, on Windows in this order:
  • .com
  • .exe
  • .bat
  • .cmd

THEREFORE, if you type 'doit' at a prompt in powershell, it will look for:

• An alias called doit
• A function, doit
• A cmdLet called doit
• An exectuable on the PATH called doit.com
• An exectuable on the PATH called doit.exe
• An batch file on the PATH called doit.bat
• An batch file on the PATH called doit.cmd

...and it will stop looking and run the first one it finds.

See also

• Alias: a guide to powershell and aliases
• PATH: getting it, adding to it and managing it
• Environment variables -- view/edit them on windows