CmdID / PowerShell / Cmdlets / Get
Get-Random
Gets a random number, or selects objects randomly from a collection. PowerShell reference
From the PowerShell reference 5 parameters
What it does
Gets a random number, or selects objects randomly from a collection. The Get-Random cmdlet gets a randomly selected number. If you submit a collection of objects to Get-Random, it gets one or more randomly selected objects from the collection. Without parameters or input, a Get-Random command returns a randomly selected 32-bit unsigned integer between 0 (zero) and [int32]::MaxValue. You can use the parameters of Get-Random to specify the minimum and maximum values, the number of objects returned from a collection, or a seed number. CAUTION: Get-Random doesn't ensure cryptographically secure randomness. The seed value is used for the current command and for all subsequent Get-Random commands in the current session until you use SetSeed again or close the session. You can't reset the seed to its default value. Deliberately setting the seed results in non-random, repeatable behavior. It should only be used when trying to reproduce behavior, such as when debugging or analyzing a script that includes Get-Random commands. Be aware that the seed value could be set by other code in the same session, such as an imported module. PowerShell 7.4 includes Get-SecureRandom, which ensures cryptographically secure randomness.
Get-Random [-SetSeed <Int32>] [[-Maximum] <Object>] [-Minimum <Object>] [-Count <Int32>] [<CommonParameters>]Get-Random [-SetSeed <Int32>] [-InputObject] <Object[]> [-Count <Int32>] [<CommonParameters>]Get a random integer
Get-RandomIdentifyGet a random integer between 0 and 99
Get-Random -Maximum 100IdentifyGet a random integer between -100 and 99
Get-Random -Minimum -100 -Maximum 100IdentifyGet a random floating-point number
Get-Random -Minimum 10.7 -Maximum 20.93IdentifyGet a random integer from an array
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 | Get-RandomIdentifyGet several random integers from an array
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 | Get-Random -Count 3IdentifyRandomize an entire collection
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 | Get-Random -Count ([int]::MaxValue)IdentifyGet a random non-numeric value
"red", "yellow", "blue" | Get-RandomIdentifyUse the SetSeed parameter
# Commands with the default seed are pseudorandom
Get-Random -Maximum 100 -SetSeed 23
Get-Random -Maximum 100
Get-Random -Maximum 100
Get-Random -Maximum 100IdentifyGet random files
$Files = Get-ChildItem -Path C:\* -Recurse
$Sample = $Files | Get-Random -Count 50IdentifyIts page in the reference: Get-Random.
Parameters
-CountSpecifies the number of random objects to return. The default is 1.
When used with InputObject containing a collection:
- Each randomly selected item is returned only once.
- If the value of Count exceeds the number of objects in the collection, all objects in the
collection are returned in random order.-InputObjectSpecifies a collection of objects. Get-Random gets randomly selected objects in random order from the collection up to the number specified by Count. Enter the objects, a variable that contains the objects, or a command or expression that gets the objects. You can also pipe a collection of objects to Get-Random.-MaximumSpecifies a maximum value for the random number. Get-Random returns a value that's less than the maximum (not equal). Enter an integer, a double-precision floating-point number, or an object that can be converted to an integer or double, such as a numeric string ("100").
The value of Maximum must be greater than (not equal to) the value of Minimum. If the value
of Maximum or Minimum is a floating-point number, Get-Random returns a randomly selected
floating-point number.
On a 64-bit computer, if the value of Minimum is a 32-bit integer, the default value of Maximum is Int32.MaxValue.
If the value of Minimum is a double (a floating-point number), the default value of Maximum is Double.MaxValue. Otherwise, the default value is Int32.MaxValue.-MinimumSpecifies a minimum value for the random number. Enter an integer, a double-precision floating-point number, or an object that can be converted to an integer or double, such as a numeric string ("100"). The default value is 0 (zero).
The value of Minimum must be less than (not equal to) the value of Maximum. If the value of
Maximum or Minimum is a floating-point number, Get-Random returns a randomly selected
floating-point number.-SetSeedSpecifies a seed value for the random number generator. When you use SetSeed, the cmdlet generates pseudorandom numbers, which isn't cryptographically secure.
CAUTION: Setting the seed results in non-random behavior. It should only be used when trying to reproduce behavior, such as when debugging or analyzing a script that includes Get-Random commands. This seed value is used for the current command and for all subsequent Get-Random commands in the current session until you use SetSeed again or close the session. You can't reset the seed to its default value.