Install VMware PowerCLI Offline is an article that explains all procedures to install the VMware PowerCLI from the Offline package.
What is VMware PowerCLI?
VMware PowerCLI is a command-line and scripting tool built on PowerShell. It provides more than 7,000 cmdlets for managing and automating VMware vSphere, vSAN, NSX-T, vRealize Operations Manager, VMware Cloud on AWS, HCX, Site Recovery Manager, and Horizon environments.
In my opinion, every “VMware guy” needs to know at least a little PowerCLI. It turns repetitive manual tasks into repeatable scripts. 🙂 (We have an introduction article that covers the basics).
When you need the offline install
There are two ways to install PowerCLI: online and offline. The online install (Install-Module) is easier, but it requires Internet access. The offline install is for environments where the machine has no internet access — common for jump servers, management workstations in isolated networks, or air-gapped labs. This article covers the offline method.
Useful links
- VMware PowerCLI 13.1.0 main page: https://developer.vmware.com/web/tool/13.1.0/vmware-powercli
- Download VMware PowerCLI 13.1.0 (offline package): [download link]
- VMware PowerCLI User’s Guide: https://developer.vmware.com/docs/15315/powercli-user-s-guide/GUID-2F2AC097-C02C-4F05-81D9-D1D99CB7FED1.html
Step-by-step installation
1. Open PowerShell as administrator.
Open PowerShell on your local machine. I recommend running it with admin rights, because the next steps copy files into the system PowerShell module directory.
2. Download and extract the package.
Download the offline package and extract the .zip file to a temporary folder.
3. Check the PowerShell module paths.
To see the folders where PowerShell looks for modules, run:
$env:PSModulePathThis prints the list of directories PowerShell searches when you import a module. You will copy the extracted files into one of these directories.
For example:
4. Copy the extracted files.
In this example, we copy everything into:
C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules
5. Unblock the files.
Run:
Get-ChildItem -Path 'C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules' -Recurse | Unblock-FileWindows marks files downloaded from the internet as “blocked”. Unblock-File removes that flag, otherwise PowerShell may refuse to load the module.
6. Verify the modules were installed.
Run:
Get-Module VMware* -ListAvailable
This lists all the VMware modules PowerShell can now find. You should see the PowerCLI modules here.
7. Allow local scripts.
Run:
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
This sets PowerShell’s execution policy so that scripts created locally can run, while scripts downloaded from the internet still require a signature. It’s a balance between security and usability.
8. Configure the response to untrusted certificates.
Run:
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Prompt
Many lab environments use self-signed certificates. This tells PowerCLI how to behave when it encounters an untrusted certificate — in this case, prompt you. This is common when connecting to a lab vCenter.
9. Configure the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP).
In this example, we opt out:
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -ParticipateInCeip $false
10. Connect to your vCenter Server.
Run:
Connect-VIServer -Server vcenter8.vxrail.local -Protocol https -User administrator@vsphere.localReplace vcenter8.vxrail.local with the FQDN or IP address of your vCenter Server. This authenticates the session and stores it for subsequent PowerCLI commands.
After that, we can run some commands:
11. When you are done, disconnect.
Disconnect-VIServerThis closes the connection to vCenter cleanly.
Reference
The link below lists all supported tasks and commands to manage a vSphere environment with PowerCLI:
