🪟 Windows 11 25H2 Removes WMIC — Here’s What You Should Do
Microsoft has officially removed the wmic.exe command-line tool in Windows 11 version 25H2.
If you rely on it for checking system details, installed software, or BIOS information — it’s time to switch to PowerShell.
💡 What Was WMIC?
WMIC (Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line) was a classic tool for querying WMI data directly from Command Prompt.
It helped users and admins quickly pull system information, troubleshoot hardware, and manage configurations.
🧩 Is WMI Itself Gone?
No — just WMIC.exe.
The WMI engine still exists inside Windows, so anything that connects through PowerShell, .NET, or COM continues to work normally.
Your existing tools or scripts that rely on WMI APIs will not break.
Only the standalone WMIC command has been deprecated.
👥 Who’s Affected?
Anyone updating to Windows 11 25H2 or later who runs WMIC from the Command Prompt.
If you try running it now, you’ll see an error or “command not found” message.
⚙️ The Replacement — PowerShell Get-CimInstance
PowerShell provides full access to WMI data through modern cmdlets.
The best direct replacement for WMIC is:
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Bios
You can also query other WMI classes such as:
Win32_ComputerSystem– hardware detailsWin32_OperatingSystem– OS version infoWin32_LogicalDisk– storage detailsWin32_Product– installed software
Example:
To get the computer’s serial number:
(Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_BIOS).SerialNumber
🧰 What About wbemtest.exe?
No change — wbemtest.exe remains available for testing WMI queries manually.
Only wmic.exe is removed.
📋 Summary
| Feature | WMIC | PowerShell Replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Command-line access to WMI | ✅ (Removed in 25H2) | ✅ (Get-CimInstance) |
| Works in remote sessions | ✅ | ✅ |
| Supported going forward | ❌ | ✅ |
| Scriptable | Limited | Full PowerShell support |
🧭 Final Advice
If your automation scripts or .bat files still use WMIC, rewrite them in PowerShell.
For advanced integration, PowerShell also supports .NET and COM interfaces for deeper WMI access.
WMIC is gone — PowerShell is the future.
