How to Implement a Pause Function in PowerShell Scripts

Adding a pause function to your PowerShell scripts can be useful for prompting users to press any key to continue. This guide will show you how to implement a simple pause function to incorporate user interaction within your scripts.

PowerShell Pause Function

To create a pause function in PowerShell, you can define a function that displays a message and waits for the user to press a key. Here is the function:

function Pause ($Message="Press any key to continue") {
    Write-Host -NoNewLine $Message
    $null = $Host.UI.RawUI.ReadKey("NoEcho,IncludeKeyDown")
    Write-Host ""
}

This function includes the following components:

• Write-Host -NoNewLine $Message: Displays the message without adding a new line.
• $null = $Host.UI.RawUI.ReadKey("NoEcho,IncludeKeyDown"): Waits for the user to press any key without echoing the key press.
• Write-Host "": Adds a new line after the key press.