How to Install the PnP PowerShell Module for SharePoint Online?

What is PnP PowerShell? The new PnP PowerShell module PnP.PowerShell is a cross-platform, .net framework-based PowerShell product that can run on any operating system that supports .net core, like Windows, Linux, macOS, etc., and provides 500+ cmdlets to work with Microsoft 365 environment (No support for On-Premises server products, As a side note!) cloud products like SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Planner, Security & Compliance, Azure Active Directory, and more. If you are administering Microsoft SharePoint, you know that PnP PowerShell is an essential tool for managing your environment. It’s an open-source component and community-provided library with active community members providing support, so there won’t be any SLA or direct support from Microsoft. This article will show you how to install the PnP PowerShell module for SharePoint Online.

To install the new PnP PowerShell module, You have to follow these steps:

1. Uninstall the Legacy SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline Module if installed already.
2. Install the New PnP PowerShell Module.
3. Register Azure AD Application and Grant Access to the tenant.

Let’s get started! Open the Windows PowerShell console as an Administrator and execute these steps to install PnP.PowerShell module.

Step 1: Uninstall the Legacy SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline Module

Check if the classic PnP PowerShell module is installed with the below command:

Get-Module SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline -ListAvailable | Select-Object Name,Version

This returns the Name and version of legacy PnP PowerShell installed on the machine (If any). Uninstall Any previous PnP PowerShell Modules for SharePoint Online installed:

Uninstall-Module SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline -Force -AllVersions

Step 2: Install the New PnP PowerShell Module

How do I install a new PowerShell module? To install the new PnP PowerShell module, use:

Install-Module PnP.PowerShell

How to install PnP PowerShell offline? If needed, You can also use setup files Download the PnP PowerShell Offline Installation package and install it with:

Install-Package C:\Path\File.nupkg

Step 3: Register a new Azure AD Application and Grant Access to the tenant

Register-PnPManagementShellAccess

The final step is granting the tenant access to the PnP Management Shell Multi-Tenant Azure AD Application. On executing the above cmdlet, you’ll be prompted to log in and provide consent for your tenant. You must log in with Global Admin (or Tenant Administrator) permissions and complete this step.

In case you are not a global admin, use: Register-PnPManagementShellAccess -ShowConsentUrl and share the URL you get from this cmdlet with the Tenant Admin, and they can complete this consent step from the URL you share.

Finally, You can verify the installation by getting a list of PnP PowerShell cmdlets:

Get-Command -Module PnP.Powershell

Connect SharePoint Online site using PnP PowerShell

How do I use PnP PowerShell in SharePoint Online? Once you are done with the above steps, You can connect to SharePoint Online through PnP PowerShell scripts with username and password as:

#Connect to PnP Online
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://Crescent.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/" -Credential (Get-Credential)

#Get All Lists
Get-PnPList

Connect-PnPOnline using MFA:

To connect to SharePoint Online using PnP PowerShell MFA (Multifactor authentication): Use the “-Interactive” switch instead of “Credentials” if your account is MFA enabled. Behind the scenes, each cmdlet executes a client-side object model code to achieve functions.

#Connect to SharePoint site
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://Crescent.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/" -Interactive

#Get All Lists
Get-PnPList

PowerShell to connect to OneDrive for Business

Microsoft OneDrive for Business – The cloud-based storage and file-sharing part of the Office 365 suite can be managed with PowerShell too. To access OneDrive for Business site from PowerShell, you will need to first connect to the OneDrive site by running the following cmdlet: Connect-PnPOnline. Once you are authenticated, you can then run any available cmdlets against your OneDrive for Business site just as you would any other SharePoint Online site. E.g., Let’s connect to OneDrive site and create a new folder:

#Parameters
$OneDriveSiteURL = "https://crescent-my.sharepoint.com/personal/salaudeen_crescent_com"
$FolderName = "Archives"
  
Try {
    #PowerShell to Connect to OneDrive for Business
    Connect-PnPOnline -Url $OneDriveSiteURL -Interactive
      
    #ensure folder in SharePoint Online using powershell
    Resolve-PnPFolder -SiteRelativePath "Documents/$FolderName"
}
catch {
    write-host "Error: $($_.Exception.Message)" -foregroundcolor Red
}

Update PnP PowerShell for SharePoint Online

How do I update PnP PowerShell? To update the PnP PowerShell, run:

Update-Module -Name "PnP.PowerShell"

This will download the latest PnP PowerShell module and install it on your local machine.

What version of PnP PowerShell do I have?

To check the installed version of PnP PowerShell in your system, use:

Get-InstalledModule -Name "PnP.PowerShell"

Uninstall PnP PowerShell Module

If you would like to remove the PnP PowerShell, you can run the following:

Uninstall-Module -Name "PnP.PowerShell"

Can I have both the New PnP PowerShell and the Classic PnP Modules?

If you want to use the PnP PowerShell module for SharePoint Server (On-Premises), You can install it along with Pnp.PowerShell module as:

Install-Module -Name SharePointPnPPowerShell2019 -AllowClobber

This script installs the SharePointPnPPowerShell2019 module and makes cmdlets available from this module. You can use “Import-Module SharePointPnPPowerShell2019” at the first line to instruct your script to load and use Cmdlets from this specific module. As a side note, the old SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline module is archived and no longer updated.

At times, You may need to use the CSOM PowerShell scripts with the combination of PnP PowerShell cmdlets, as we don’t have PnP PowerShell cmdlets for each and everything in SharePoint Online: How to Connect to SharePoint online using CSOM PowerShell?