PowerShell is a more powerful command-line shell and scripting language than the Command Prompt. Since the release of Windows 10, it has become the default choice, and there are many ways to turn it on.
What is the difference between PowerShell and Command Prompt
PowerShell is more complicated to use, but it's much more powerful than the command prompt. That's why it's the scripting language and command-line interface of choice for power users and IT professionals, competing with other Linux and Unix-like shells.
PowerShell is a handy tool that uses cmdlets (pronounced "command-lets") that allow you to do some really cool things like automatically run Windows or automatically connect to a VPN when you launch certain apps.
While you can open PowerShell from the Start menu, this article contains some (probably) simpler, lesser-known ways to launch this tool.
Open PowerShell from the Superuser menu
When you press Windows+X, the superuser menu appears in the taskbar. It's an easy way to access multiple settings, utilities, and system programs from a single menu.
To open PowerShell from this menu, press Windows+X and then click on "Windows PowerShell" or "Windows PowerShell (Administrator)".
Note that due to the Windows 10 Creators Update, PowerShell appears in the Superuser menu by default. If you don't see it, your computer might not be up to date, or you might replace it with Command Prompt in the Settings menu.
Use Start Menu Search to open PowerShell
Probably one of the quickest ways to open PowerShell is through the Start menu search. Just click on the Start or Search icon and type "powershell" in the search box.
Now, click "Open" or "Run as Administrator" to open PowerShell as normal or with administrative privileges.
By scrolling through all the apps in the start menu
Since PowerShell is the default Windows 10 program, you can find its app icon in the "All Apps" section of the Start menu.
Just click on the start icon and then click on "All Apps" to expand the list of apps installed on your computer.
Scroll down, click on the Windows PowerShell folder, and select Windows PowerShell to open it.
To run PowerShell with administrator privileges, right-click the icon and click Run as Administrator in the context menu that appears.
From the Run dialog box
Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog box, and then type powershell in the text box. You can click OK (or press Enter) to open a regular PowerShell window, or Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open an elevated PowerShell window.
Launch PowerShell from the File Explorer file menu
If you need to open a PowerShell instance from a specific folder on your computer, you can use File Explorer to initialize it in the currently selected directory.
To do this, open File Explorer and navigate to the folder from which you want to open the PowerShell window.
Once there, click on "File", hover over "Open Windows PowerShell", and select one of the following options:
- Open Windows PowerShell: This will open the PowerShell window with standard privileges in the current folder.
- Open Windows PowerShell as Administrator: This will open a PowerShell window with administrator privileges in the current folder.
Note that this method does not work in the Quick Access directory. When you click on "File", you will notice that the option to open PowerShell is grayed out.
from the File Explorer address bar
To open PowerShell from the file browser address bar, open File Explorer. Click on the address bar, type "powershell", and press Enter.
PowerShell will open with the path to the current folder that has been set.
From the Task Manager
To open Task Manager, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc. In the window that appears, click Details.
Now, click on the file > run the new task.
Type powershell in the text box, and then click OK to continue.
If you want to run PowerShell with administrator privileges, make sure the Create this task with system administrative privileges option is checked.
From the right-click context menu
Another way to open Windows PowerShell from any location is by right-clicking on the context menu. However, if you just right-click on the folder, you won't see that option. Instead, press the Shift key while right-clicking. This will open the context menu and include the option to "Open PowerShell window here".
You can also modify the registry to permanently add PowerShell to the right-click context menu.
Create a PowerShell shortcut on your desktop
If you just want to click on the icon to open PowerShell, then it's easy to create one for the desktop.
To do this, right-click on an empty spot on your desktop. In the context menu, click New > Shortcut.
Right-click on an empty space on your desktop and go to "New" > "Shortcuts".
In the window that appears, type "powershell" in the text box, and then click "Next" to continue.
Name the shortcut and click "Done" to create it.
Now, whenever you double-click the icon, PowerShell will open.
If you want to open PowerShell with administrative privileges, right-click the shortcut and select Properties from the context menu.
Click Advanced.
Finally, select the box next to the "Run as administrator" option to allow the shortcut to run with the highest privileges.
Click OK in both windows to save your changes and close the properties window.
Keep in mind that multiple versions of PowerShell can be installed at the same time. If you want, you'll need to specify the version you want to use. For example, PowerShell 7 installs itself to "C:\Program Files\PowerShell\7", while the default PowerShell that comes with Windows is at "C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\f1.0".