Q: How can I check the version of Windows PowerShell installed on my machine?

A: To check the version of Windows PowerShell installed, run this cmdlet:

get-host

which will show the version of the PowerShell host.

Below is an example of output that displayed when I ran the cmdlet. 

PS C:\> get-host

Name             : Windows PowerShell ISE Host
Version          : 3.0
InstanceId       : ff53c294-38a7-4f48-b439-378843e45802
UI               : System.Management.Automation.Internal.Host.InternalHostUserInterface
CurrentCulture   : en-US
CurrentUICulture : en-US
PrivateData      : Microsoft.PowerShell.Host.ISE.ISEOptions
IsRunspacePushed : False
Runspace         : System.Management.Automation.Runspaces.LocalRunspace

Also, you can check the built-in variable $PSVersionTable for the actual PowerShell version. Here's the cmdlet:

$PSVersionTable

Below is an example of output returned when I entered the cmdt:

PS C:\> $PSVersionTable

Name                             Value
----                             -----
WSManStackVersion                3.0
PSCompatibleVersions             {1.0, 2.0, 3.0}
SerializationVersion             1.1.0.1
BuildVersion                     6.2.9200.16398
PSVersion                        3.0
CLRVersion                       4.0.30319.269
PSRemotingProtocolVersion        2.2