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Use the cmdlet that matches the Windows installation you are querying. On a Windows client, run Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online and read each returned State. On Windows Server, run Get-WindowsFeature | Where-Object Installed and inspect the installed rows or their InstallState. The client and ServerManager commands report different feature inventories, so choosing the right one is the essential first step.
Choose the command for your Windows edition
“Windows features” can mean two different management systems. Windows client editions expose optional operating-system components through the DISM PowerShell cmdlet Get-WindowsOptionalFeature. Windows Server uses the ServerManager cmdlet Get-WindowsFeature for server roles and features.
| Target | Command | Property or result to inspect |
|---|---|---|
| Optional features in the currently running Windows client | Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online |
State |
| One optional feature in the running client | Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName 'FeatureName' |
State |
| Optional features in a mounted offline client image | Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Path 'C:Mount' |
State |
| Installed roles and features on Windows Server | Get-WindowsFeature | Where-Object Installed |
Installed rows and InstallState |
The commands above query state; they do not enable or disable anything. Use -Online for the operating system that is currently booted. Use -Path for a mounted Windows client image. ServerManager can query a remote server with -ComputerName or an offline Server VHD with -Vhd.
Check all optional features on the running Windows client
1. Open PowerShell
Start PowerShell in the Windows installation whose optional components you want to inspect. The command is read-only. Microsoft’s administrative examples may use an elevated session, but a listing command should not be described as universally requiring elevation; access can vary with the specific environment and target.
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2. Query the online operating system
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online-Online means the running operating system, not an internet lookup. The cmdlet returns the optional features known to that installation together with their status information.
3. Read the State value
For each returned feature, inspect State. That value is the indicator you use to determine whether the component is enabled, disabled, or in another transition or servicing condition. Do not infer status from the feature name alone: a feature can be present in the inventory while its current state is not enabled.
When a state has changed or a servicing operation is pending, the cmdlet output also indicates whether a restart might be required. Treat that restart indication as part of the result rather than assuming every state change takes effect immediately.
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Make a long result easier to inspect
The default output can contain many rows. In an interactive session, let the result finish and then inspect the feature name alongside State. If you are checking one component, querying that component directly is less error-prone than scanning the entire list.
Inspect one Windows client feature by name
Use an exact feature name
Supply the feature name with -FeatureName:
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName 'Microsoft-Hyper-V-All'The returned object contains the feature’s State. This is useful when documentation, a deployment script, or an earlier inventory gives you the exact name and you need to verify only that component.
Search by a name pattern
If you know only part of the name, use a wildcard:
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName '*Hyper-V*'The wildcard asks PowerShell to return matching feature names so you can identify the precise entry and then read its state. A pattern is especially helpful when several related components share a naming prefix or suffix. Keep the quotation marks around the pattern so the wildcard is interpreted by the cmdlet rather than by another layer of command parsing.
What this check does not do
These commands do not install, remove, enable, or disable the selected feature. Running a query is therefore appropriate when you are auditing configuration, troubleshooting an application dependency, or documenting an image and do not want to change the system.
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An offline image is a Windows installation that is not the operating system currently running. It may be mounted while you service a deployment image or inspect another installation. Use the mount directory as the value of -Path:
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Path 'C:Mount'Replace C:Mount with the actual directory where the image is mounted. Do not combine this scenario with -Online: -Online asks about the current operating system, whereas -Path identifies the offline image you intend to inspect.
Confirm that you are examining the intended image
- Use the mount path belonging to the image under investigation.
- Keep the path quoted when it contains spaces or when you want the command to be unambiguous.
- Interpret the returned
Statevalues as the state recorded in that image, not as the state of the host computer.
This distinction matters during deployment work. A feature can be enabled in the running technician computer while remaining disabled in the image being prepared for another device, so querying the wrong target can produce a convincing but irrelevant result.
Check installed roles and features on Windows Server
List only installed entries
Windows Server uses ServerManager rather than the client optional-feature cmdlet. To answer “what is installed now,” run:
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Inspect the installation state
Review the installed rows and their InstallState. The row tells you which role or feature was returned, while InstallState provides the state used by ServerManager. Keep the terminology straight: on a client you read State; on ServerManager output you read the installed row and InstallState.
Why filtering is necessary
An unfiltered ServerManager listing answers a broader question: which roles and features are available to this server, including those that could be installed later. It does not mean every returned entry is active. If your question is “what is currently installed,” retain the filter. If your question is “what could this server install,” omit it intentionally and interpret the complete inventory as an availability list.
Query a remote server or an offline Server VHD
Remote Windows Server
ServerManager can target another server by using -ComputerName. The general form is:
Get-WindowsFeature -ComputerName 'ServerName' | Where-Object InstalledReplace ServerName with the computer name you are authorized to query. The same installed-entry filter applies: without it, the result includes features that are available but not installed on the target.
Offline Server VHD
To inspect a Server virtual hard disk instead of a running server, use -Vhd:
Get-WindowsFeature -Vhd 'C:ImagesServer.vhdx' | Where-Object InstalledUse the path to the VHD that contains the Server installation. The result describes the image in that virtual disk, not the host operating system where PowerShell is running.
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The remote and VHD parameters are ServerManager capabilities. Do not substitute them for the client image form: client optional features use -Path with a mounted image.
Client optional features versus Server roles and features
| Question | Windows client | Windows Server |
|---|---|---|
| Which management system applies? | DISM optional-feature cmdlet | ServerManager cmdlet |
| All components on the current system | Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online |
Get-WindowsFeature, optionally filtered |
| How to identify enabled or installed status | Read State |
Read installed rows and InstallState |
| Offline target | Mounted image with -Path |
Server VHD with -Vhd |
| Remote target | The supplied client command targets the local online OS or an image path | -ComputerName targets a remote server |
| Does the default listing include unavailable or uninstalled items? | Returns optional-feature entries and their states | Yes; filter with Where-Object Installed when you need installed items only |
This is why copying a ServerManager command into a client troubleshooting session, or using the client cmdlet to inventory Server roles, can lead to an incomplete or misleading answer. Identify the edition and target first, then choose the matching command.
A practical verification workflow
- Identify the target. Decide whether you are checking the running client, a mounted client image, a local Server installation, a remote server, or a Server VHD.
- Select the management family. Use
Get-WindowsOptionalFeaturefor client optional features. UseGet-WindowsFeaturefor Server roles and features. - Run a read-only query. Use
-Onlinefor the running client,-Pathfor a mounted client image,-ComputerNamefor a remote Server, or-Vhdfor an offline Server virtual disk. - Limit the result when you know the component. On a client, pass an exact
-FeatureNameor a wildcard pattern. On Server, keepWhere-Object Installedwhen the requirement is an installed-only inventory. - Read the correct status field. Use
Statefor client optional features. Use the installed rows andInstallStatefor ServerManager output. - Record restart information. If the client cmdlet reports that a restart might be required after a state change, include that condition in your change record or troubleshooting notes.
- Verify that no change was made. These inspection commands report configuration; they do not perform the enable or disable operation.
Common mistakes and how to correct them
Using the wrong cmdlet for the edition
Symptom: The output does not contain the roles or optional components you expected. Correction: Reclassify the target. Client optional features belong to Get-WindowsOptionalFeature; Server roles and features belong to Get-WindowsFeature.
Checking the host instead of an offline image
Symptom: The result reflects the technician computer rather than the image being prepared. Correction: Use -Path with the mounted client-image directory or -Vhd with the Server virtual-disk path. Reserve -Online for the currently booted operating system.
Interpreting availability as installation
Symptom: A Server feature appears in the listing, so it is assumed to be installed. Correction: Remember that ServerManager includes available entries. Run Get-WindowsFeature | Where-Object Installed and inspect InstallState for the installed inventory.
Searching with an imprecise name
Symptom: An exact-name query returns no useful match because the component name is not known. Correction: Start with the complete client listing or use a wildcard such as *Hyper-V* to discover matching names, then run an exact query for the entry you need.
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Running a state check that changes the machine
Symptom: A troubleshooting session unexpectedly starts servicing a feature. Correction: Use only the Get commands shown here for inspection. Do not substitute enable or disable commands when the requirement is to determine the current state.
Assuming every query needs elevation
Symptom: A general instruction tells every reader to launch an elevated console even though the task is only listing state. Correction: Separate read-only inventory from operations that change Windows. Microsoft’s DSC OptionalFeatureList example requires an elevated administrator session, but that example-specific requirement should not be generalized to every listing command without checking the target environment.
Examples by reader goal
“Is Hyper-V enabled on this Windows client?”
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName 'Microsoft-Hyper-V-All'Read the returned State. If you do not know the exact feature name, use Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName '*Hyper-V*' first and inspect each matching entry.
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“Which optional components are recorded in this mounted image?”
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Path 'C:Mount'Review State for the image at that mount path. This does not report the state of the host machine.
“Which roles and features are installed on this Server?”
Get-WindowsFeature | Where-Object InstalledUse the installed rows and InstallState rather than treating every available row as active.
“Which roles are installed on another Server?”
Get-WindowsFeature -ComputerName 'ServerName' | Where-Object InstalledThe query is directed at the named remote computer; the filter keeps the answer focused on installed entries.
“What is installed in a Server VHD?”
Get-WindowsFeature -Vhd 'C:ImagesServer.vhdx' | Where-Object InstalledInspect the returned installed rows and their InstallState for the virtual-disk image.
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A useful feature inventory records more than a command transcript. Note the Windows edition, whether the target was online or offline, the path or computer name used, the feature name or wildcard, the reported State or InstallState, and any restart indication. These details make it possible for another administrator to reproduce the same check and distinguish a client image result from a Server or host result.
Keep “available,” “installed,” and “enabled” separate in your notes. ServerManager’s complete list includes items available for installation, while the installed-only filter answers the narrower question. On the client side, the returned State is the authoritative status field for the optional-feature entry you queried.
Quick Recap
Quick reference
- Running Windows client:
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online - One client feature:
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName 'FeatureName' - Client feature search:
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName '*Pattern*' - Mounted client image:
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Path 'C:Mount' - Installed local Server roles/features:
Get-WindowsFeature | Where-Object Installed - Installed remote Server roles/features:
Get-WindowsFeature -ComputerName 'ServerName' | Where-Object Installed - Installed roles/features in a Server VHD:
Get-WindowsFeature -Vhd 'C:ImagesServer.vhdx' | Where-Object Installed - Status field: read
Statefor client optional features andInstallStatefor ServerManager results.
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