Using the Save-Help function

Let's take a look at the following example to update the help files for the modules that has anything to do with Microsoft.PowerShell:

Get-Module –Name Microsoft.PowerShell*
Save-Help –Module Microsoft.PowerShell* –DestinationPath ` "C:\HelpFiles"
Update-Help-SourcePath "C:\Help" –Force
Update-Help -SourcePath "\\fileserver\HelpFilesShare" –Force

Once the help files are downloaded, each module contains a XML and CAB file. These can be updated per module or all at once. This is a basic task to perform.

In the previous example, we are first retrieving the modules, which are available, that have a name Microsoft.PowerShell followed by something. Then, the help files are downloaded for these modules and saved in a local folder called Help.

If we do not specify any modules, all the help files for PowerShell will be downloaded to the specified folder.

Finally, these help files are then imported to another server or client, simply where they are needed using the Update-Help cmdlet.

As shown in the preceding example, the Update-Help function can either be pointing at a local folder or a UNC path or share.

Be aware that when running the Update-Help cmdlet, you may require to use the Run as administrator option or else it might not have the access needed to import the files into the system:

A good idea would be to always keep these help files up to date and update them in the PowerShell profile to make sure that it's the current version.