Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) removal from Windows

Original publish date: September 12, 2025

KB ID: 5067470

Change date	Change description
February 13, 2026	Revised the "Summary" section and removed the note as the information is now incorporated into this article. Added a timeline to indicate when the WMIC utility was deprecated, disabled, and removed from Windows. Added an "Additional resources" section.
January 28, 2026	Updated the "Applies to" section to "Windows 11, version 25H2"

Summary

This article provides guidance for migrating away from the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) utility. The WMIC utility is approaching its complete removal and retirement to help secure and harden your environment. The latest installations of Windows 11, version 24H2 and 25H2 already have the WMIC utility removed by default; it is only installable as a Feature on Demand (FoD). The WMIC utility will be fully removed in the next Windows feature update and will no longer be available as a Feature on Demand (FoD). It is strongly recommended to complete your migration as soon as possible.

Importantly, only the WMIC tool is being deprecated – Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) itself remains part of Windows. Microsoft recommends using PowerShell and other modern tools for any tasks previously done with the WMIC utility. This change will harden Windows by removing an outdated component without losing any management capabilities in Windows. By preparing now, you can help ensure a smooth transition from the outdated WMIC utility.

Timeline

2016: WMIC utility was deprecated in Windows Server 2012.

2021: WMIC utility was deprecated in Windows 10, version 21H2.

2022: WMIC utility is available in Windows 11, version 22H2 as a Feature on Demand (FoD), which was preinstalled and enabled by default.

2024: WMIC utility is disabled by default in Windows 11, versions 23H2 and 24H2. It is still available as a Feature on Demand (FoD).

2025: WMIC utility is removed, if already installed, when upgrading to Windows 11, version 25H2. However, you can add it back as a Feature on Demand (FoD).

2026: WMIC utility will be completely removed from Windows 11 in the next Windows feature update. It will not be available as a Feature on Demand (FoD).

Take action

If you have been using the WMIC utility for administrative tasks or in applications, we recommend you migrate away from the WMIC utility and use supported alternatives. Remember, Windows is not losing any functionality — continue to query and manage Windows systems using supported tools such as PowerShell or programmatic interfaces. Organizations with automated deployment or monitoring systems that rely on WMIC should validate and update their tooling to avoid disruptions.

Use PowerShell for WMI tasks. WMI in PowerShell includes built-in cmdlets for Windows Management Instrumentation that can do everything WMIC did (and more). Common WMIC queries can be directly replaced with PowerShell commands. For example, to return a list of process names:
- Replace the WMIC query: wmic path win32_process get Name.
- Use the PowerShell command instead: Get-CimInstance Win32_Process | Select-Object Name.
If you have batch files or scripts that call WMIC, plan to rewrite them using PowerShell cmdlets (such as Get-CimInstance, Get-WmiObject, Invoke-CimMethod, and so forth). If needed, run PowerShell from a CMD prompt using powershell -c "<command>" syntax. So, even in command-line contexts, you can invoke PowerShell commands to replace WMIC.
Consider programmatic alternatives. If you have applications or advanced scripts that use WMIC, you can achieve the same results by querying WMI through other means. For instance, you can use WMI’s COM API or .NET libraries (like System.Management in C#) to execute WMI queries directly in code. Scripting languages can also interact with WMI without WMIC. Any capability you used in WMIC is provided by the underlying WMI infrastructure, which you can access through PowerShell or programming interfaces. Microsoft documentation contains examples of how to perform WMI operations in code. Shifting to these methods will help ensure your tools continue to work after WMIC is gone.
Update documentation and processes. Update any internal IT documentation, support scripts, or user guides that reference WMIC commands to reflect the new approach. For example, if a support article tells users to run a WMIC command to gather information, rewrite it to use PowerShell or programmatic interfaces. This will help prevent confusion once WMIC is no longer available. Likewise, if any automated deployment or monitoring system in your environment uses WMIC, update it to use an alternative before the WMIC removal takes effect.

Frequently asked questions

WMIC stands for Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line. It is a legacy built-in Windows command-line tool that allows you to interact with the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) system via text commands.

No, WMI is not being removed. Only the WMIC command-line tool is being removed. The underlying Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) infrastructure remains a core part of Windows and is completely unaffected by this removal.

You will still be able to use WMI through:

PowerShell cmdlets (Get-CimInstance, Get-WmiObject, Invoke-CimMethod)
Programming interfaces (.NET System.Management, COM API)
Other scripting languages** that interact with WMI

Any script or application using WMI via other means (for example, a PowerShell script using Get-CimInstance or a C# program using WMI classes) will continue to work normally. **Only the wmic.exe command-line wrapper is being removed—not the WMI service itself.

WMIC will be removed starting with Windows 11, version 25H2. You can re-add it as a Feature on Demand (FoD).

WMIC will be completely removed in the next Windows 11 feature update in 2026. You cannot re-add it as a Feature on Demand (FoD).

You should update your scripts and tools to use PowerShell or another supported method as soon as possible. Anything you did with a WMIC command can be run with PowerShell. For example, the WMIC blog post shows how a typical WMIC query can be replaced with an equivalent PowerShell command using Get-CimInstance. If you have a batch file that calls WMIC, you can rewrite it as a PowerShell script or use PowerShell within the batch file. If your tools are more complex, you might use programming libraries for WMI.