HomePowershell TipsDiscover PowerShell's hidden formatting features

Discover PowerShell's hidden formatting features

May 22, 2025

Aleksandar Nikolić and Dr. Tobias Weltner

Discover PowerShell's hidden configuration variables! In tip #13, we delve into $ofs and $FormatEnumerationLimit two under-the-radar settings that impact array formatting and output display. Learn how to use them to enhance readability and prevent cutoffs in console displays. Unlock the full potential of your PowerShell outputs!

Find out more about hidden configuration variables

There are two important configuration variables in PowerShell that have great impact on formatting, yet arent always seen.

$ofs (output field separator) contains one space by default. It is the character(s) that PowerShell uses when automatically turning arrays into strings:

PS C:\> $lottery = 1..49 | Get-Random -Count 7



PS C:\> "Lottery Numbers: $lottery"

Lottery Numbers: 22 2 48 44 23 13 4



PS C:\> $ofs = ', '



PS C:\> "Lottery Numbers: $lottery"

Lottery Numbers: 22, 2, 48, 44, 23, 13, 4



PS C:\> $ofs = ','



PS C:\> "Lottery Numbers: $lottery"

Lottery Numbers: 22,2,48,44,23,13,4

$FormatEnumerationLimit defaults to 4. This is the number of array elements that PowerShell includes in any string conversion preview. Here is an example:

Get-Service | 

   Where-Object { $_.DependentServices.Count -gt 1 } |

   Select-Object -Property Name, Dep*

You get a list with services that have at least 2 dependent services. When you look closely at the results, you see that a maximum of 4 dependent services are visible. If a service has more, the list is cut off, and "" is shown:

NlaSvc               {NcdAutoSetup, AppVClient, netprofm}                       

nsi                  {WlanSvc, icssvc, Wcmsvc, upnphost...}                     

p2pimsvc             {PNRPAutoReg, p2psvc, PNRPsvc}                             

PNRPsvc              {PNRPAutoReg, p2psvc}                                      

ProfSvc              {XblGameSave, TokenBroker, UserManager, shpamsvc...}       

SamSs                {MSDTC, KAPSService, LanmanServer, KtmRm}

When you set $FormatEnumerationLimit to any other number, you can control this limit. Setting it to -1 disables any limit and always shows all elements:

  • PS C:\> $FormatEnumerationLimit = -1
PS C:\> $FormatEnumerationLimit = -1

Now all entries are visible:

NlaSvc               {NcdAutoSetup, AppVClient, netprofm}                                                           

nsi                  {WlanSvc, icssvc, Wcmsvc, upnphost, SSDPSRV, NcdAutoSetup, AppVClient, netprofm, NlaSvc, KND...

p2pimsvc             {PNRPAutoReg, p2psvc, PNRPsvc}                                                                 

PNRPsvc              {PNRPAutoReg, p2psvc}                                                                          

ProfSvc              {XblGameSave, TokenBroker, UserManager, shpamsvc, NaturalAuthentication, Appinfo}              

SamSs                {MSDTC, KAPSService, LanmanServer, KtmRm}

Except, with "nsi" in this example, there is still a "" and cut-off. This time, however, it was triggered by the console space constraints. To overcome these as well, youd need to add Format-Table:

Get-Service | 

   Where-Object { $_.DependentServices.Count -gt 1 } |

   Select-Object -Property Name, Dep* |

   Format-Table -Wrap -AutoSize 

Now the output finally lists all output without cutting off anything:

NlaSvc               {NcdAutoSetup, AppVClient, netprofm}                                                           

nsi                  {WlanSvc, icssvc, Wcmsvc, upnphost, SSDPSRV, NcdAutoSetup, AppVClient, netprofm, NlaSvc,       

                     KNDBWM, KAPSService, Netman, NcaSvc, SessionEnv, Netlogon, LanmanWorkstation, Killer Network   

                     Service, jhi_service, IpxlatCfgSvc, iphlpsvc, XboxNetApiSvc, IKEEXT, hns, Dnscache,            

                     WinHttpAutoProxySvc, Dhcp}                                                                     

p2pimsvc             {PNRPAutoReg, p2psvc, PNRPsvc}                                                                 

PNRPsvc              {PNRPAutoReg, p2psvc}                                                                          

ProfSvc              {XblGameSave, TokenBroker, UserManager, shpamsvc, NaturalAuthentication, Appinfo}              

SamSs                {MSDTC, KAPSService, LanmanServer, KtmRm}  

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