How to Generate Random Number in PowerShell

Tagged: PowerShell

Introduction#

In this blog post, we will show you different ways to generate random number in PowerShell.

Solution#

Using Get-Random Cmdlet#

We can use Get-Random cmdlet to generate random number. The following example will generate random number x where 3 <= x < 17. In other words, the lower bound is 3 inclusive and the upper bound is 17 exclusive. So, we will never get 17 as the result.

Get-Random -Minimum 3 -Maximum 17

Using Random Class from .NET Framework#

PowerShell allows us to utilize .NET Framework, thus we can use Random class to generate random number. Similar to previous example, the following example will generate random number with 3 as inclusive lower bound and 17 as exclusive upper bound.

$rand = New-Object System.Random
$rand.Next(3, 17)

Conclusion#

In conclusion, to generate random number in PowerShell we can use Get-Random cmdlet and Random class from .NET Framework.