PowerShell Stop-Job

last modified February 15, 2025

In this article, we will cover the Stop-Job cmdlet in PowerShell. This cmdlet stops background jobs running in PowerShell. It is useful for managing long-running tasks.

Job basics

A job in PowerShell is a background task that runs independently. Jobs allow you to run commands without blocking the console. Each job has a unique ID and state (Running, Completed, Failed). The Stop-Job cmdlet terminates running jobs.

Basic Stop-Job usage

The simplest way to use Stop-Job is with a job object. First, start a job with Start-Job. Then pass the job to Stop-Job. This immediately terminates the background task.

stopjob1.ps1

$job = Start-Job -ScriptBlock { Start-Sleep -Seconds 60 } Stop-Job -Job $job

This script starts a background job that sleeps for 60 seconds. The Stop-Job cmdlet stops it before completion. The job state changes to Stopped.

Stop job by ID

Jobs can be stopped using their unique ID numbers. First, list jobs with Get-Job to find the ID. Then pass the ID to Stop-Job. This is useful when managing multiple jobs.

stopjob2.ps1

Start-Job -ScriptBlock { Start-Sleep -Seconds 30 } Get-Job Stop-Job -Id 1

This starts a sleep job, lists all jobs, then stops job ID 1. The job ID is shown in the Get-Job output. IDs are assigned sequentially.

Stop multiple jobs

Multiple jobs can be stopped at once using pipeline input. First filter jobs with Get-Job, then pipe to Stop-Job. This is efficient for bulk job management.

stopjob3.ps1

Start-Job -ScriptBlock { Start-Sleep -Seconds 20 } Start-Job -ScriptBlock { Start-Sleep -Seconds 30 } Get-Job -State Running | Stop-Job

This starts two sleep jobs, then stops all running jobs. The pipeline passes each running job to Stop-Job. Both jobs are terminated.

Stop job by name

Jobs can be named when created and stopped by name. Use the -Name parameter with both Start-Job and Stop-Job. Named jobs are easier to manage in complex scripts.

stopjob4.ps1

Start-Job -Name “MyJob” -ScriptBlock { Start-Sleep -Seconds 40 } Stop-Job -Name “MyJob”

This creates a named job “MyJob” that sleeps for 40 seconds. The Stop-Job cmdlet stops it by name. Named jobs are easier to track.

Force stop a stuck job

Some jobs may not respond to normal stop requests. The -Force parameter can terminate stubborn jobs. This should be used as a last resort for unresponsive jobs.

stopjob5.ps1

$job = Start-Job -ScriptBlock { while($true) { } } Stop-Job -Job $job -Force

This starts an infinite loop job. The -Force parameter ensures termination. Forced stops may leave resources in an inconsistent state.

Stop remote jobs

Jobs running on remote computers can be stopped too. First create a remote job with Invoke-Command. Then stop it using the job object or ID.

stopjob6.ps1

$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 $job = Invoke-Command -Session $session -ScriptBlock { Start-Sleep -Seconds 50 } -AsJob Stop-Job -Job $job

This creates a remote session and starts a sleep job. The Stop-Job cmdlet terminates the remote job. Remote job management requires proper permissions.

Confirm before stopping

The -Confirm parameter prompts before stopping each job. This prevents accidental job termination. It’s useful in production environments.

stopjob7.ps1

Start-Job -ScriptBlock { Start-Sleep -Seconds 10 } Stop-Job -Id 1 -Confirm

This starts a sleep job, then prompts before stopping it. The confirmation shows the job details. Answer ‘Y’ to proceed or ‘N’ to cancel.

Stop all jobs

All jobs can be stopped at once using Get-Job with Stop-Job. This is a quick way to clean up all background tasks. Be careful as it stops every job.

stopjob8.ps1

Start-Job -ScriptBlock { Start-Sleep -Seconds 15 } Start-Job -ScriptBlock { Start-Sleep -Seconds 25 } Get-Job | Stop-Job

This starts two sleep jobs, then stops all jobs. The pipeline passes every job to Stop-Job. All background tasks are terminated.

Source

PowerShell documentation

In this article, we have covered the Stop-Job cmdlet in PowerShell.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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