--- title: "PowerShell Tee-Object: Redirect Output and Keep It in the Pipeline" description: "Learn how to use the PowerShell Tee-Object cmdlet to redirect output from a command while still keeping it in the pipeline." canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/tee-object/" --- # PowerShell Tee-Object: Redirect Output and Keep It in the Pipeline > Learn how to use the PowerShell Tee-Object cmdlet to redirect output from a command while still keeping it in the pipeline. Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/tee-object/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![PowerShell Tee-Object: Redirect Output and Keep It in the Pipeline](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/5d238ae5c824b514689ea51d-1.jpg) # PowerShell Tee-Object: Redirect Output and Keep It in the Pipeline [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0b9d42e21e5622713f8b693aa5c0f9244d5f7dd200ed29b8398f52dee5de337?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Adam Bertram](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/adam-bertram/)15 June 20192 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[PowerShell](/tag/powershell/) Table of Contents * [Using Tee-Object with a File](#using-tee-object-with-a-file) * [Using Tee-Object with a Variable](#using-tee-object-with-a-variable) * [Wrap up](#wrap-up) Tee-Object is one of those PowerShell cmdlets that’s always been there but rarely used. I can count on two hands in my nearly 10 years of PowerShell development work that I’ve needed or even thought to use this cmdlet but when I do, it works great! ## Using Tee-Object with a File What does `Tee-Object` do anyway? `Tee-Object` basically kills two birds with one stone. This cmdlet redirects output from a [PowerShell](https://adamtheautomator.com/tag/powershell/) command and either saves it to a file or to a variable while also returning the output to the pipeline. It allows a scripter to save the output and send the output across the pipeline all in one shot. Let’s say a developer wants to send some text to a file and then perform kind of task on that same text afterward. Perhaps we’re pulling a list of Windows services from a computer and saving that output to a text file to create a snapshot of the before state before we attempt to start the services. This task can be done in two separate steps or with a single one with `Tee-Object`. Without `Tee-Object`, this task may look something like this: ```powershell PS> $servicesToStart = 'wuauserv','WebClient' PS> Get-Service -Name $servicesToStart | Out-File -FilePath 'C:\ServicesBefore.txt' PS> Get-Service -Name $servicesToStart | Start-Service ``` This method works but there’s a better way with `Tee-Object` . The `Tee-Object` cmdlet has a `FilePath` parameter we can use to save the output to a file. Here’s what this same task would look like with `Tee-Object`. Notice how we’re using the pipeline to transfer the objects from one command to the next. ```powershell PS> $servicesToStart = 'wuauserv','WebClient' PS> Get-Service -Name $servicesToStart | Tee-Object -FilePath 'C:\ServicesBefore.txt' | Start-Service ``` This method always replaces the text in a file. If we would have rather appended the text in the file, we could have used the `Append` switch parameter. ## Using Tee-Object with a Variable The `Tee-Object` PowerShell cmdlet also has a variable parameter that, instead of sending output to a file, it sends the output to a variable. Instead of first assigning the output of `Get-Service` to the variable `$serviceStatusBefore`, we can simply use the `Variable` parameter on `Tee-Object` to create the variable and send the output there. Then, since `Tee-Object` always returns the input it receives back to the pipeline, we can use that as input to `Start-Service` as we did in the above example. ```powershell PS> $servicesToStart = 'wuauserv','WebClient' PS> Get-Service -Name $servicesToStart | Tee-Object -Variable 'serviceStatusBefore' | Start-Service PS> $serviceStatusBefore Status Name DisplayName ------ ---- ------------ Running WebClient WebClient Running wuauserv Windows Update ``` ## Wrap up `Tee-Object` is one of those PowerShell commands that aren’t necessarily required in your PowerShell code but make it cleaner and less dense. Using `Tee-Object` allows a developer to cut down on the number of lines of code yet performs exactly the same task. Granted, eliminating code _does_ sometimes make the code a little less readable but that’s up to the developer to decide on that tradeoff! Whenever you need to either save command output to a file or to a variable, take a look at the `Tee-Object` cmdlet. 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