9 Best Ways To Open PowerShell In Windows 10 and Windows 11

Being a more powerful scripting language and command-line shell than cmd, PowerShell is a valuable tool. It helps automate Windows when you launch specific programs. PowerShell is now well entrenched among Windows users and is a standard technique to open apps. 

I will assist you if you need help to open PowerShell In Windows 10 and Windows 11. The nine ways to launch PowerShell and the Command Prompt are covered in this article.

What Is Windows PowerShell?

PowerShell is an automation and infrastructure management framework from Microsoft. It is built into newer versions of Windows 10. It contains a set of commands and scripting languages.

Windows 10 users with advanced technical skills can use PowerShell to automate the management of their operating systems and programs.

9 Ways To Open PowerShell In Windows 10 11

1. Start PowerShell Using Start Menu Search
2. Launch PowerShell As Administrator From The Start Menu
3. Open PowerShell Using The Run Box
4. Create A PowerShell Shortcut On Your Desktop
5. Run PowerShell Using Its Executable File (File Explorer Address Bar)
6. Start Windows PowerShell Using The Winx Power User Menu
7. Use Task Manager To Start PowerShell
8. Open PowerShell From The Command Prompt (Cmd)
9. From The Right-Click Context Menu

1. Start PowerShell Using Start Menu Search

Using Windows Search to open PowerShell is the quickest method. Simply click or press the search box in Windows 10 and type “PowerShell” into it.

Select Windows PowerShell by clicking or tapping it.

• Simply click or press the matching button on the taskbar in Windows 10.
• Type PowerShell after that.
• On Windows PowerShell, click or tap.

• Click or press the button on the right side of the search window to run it as an administrator.

2. Launch PowerShell As Administrator From The Start Menu.

The “All Applications” area of the Start Menu includes the PowerShell application icon, a standard Windows 10 tool.

• Simply click the Start button, select “All Programs,” and then scroll through the list of programs currently running on your PC.
• To open it, scroll down and select the “Windows PowerShell” folder. Then, select “Windows PowerShell.”

• Right-click the icon and select “Run as Administrator” from the context menu that opens to run PowerShell with administrative rights.

In comparison to Windows 10, launching PowerShell from the Start Menu in Windows 11 is a little trickier.

• Use the Windows key on your keyboard to bring up the Start Menu, then select All Apps.
• You must search through the applications to discover Windows Tools. Just click it.
• This launches a fresh tab. Find the Windows PowerShell icon by scrolling down and clicking or tapping on it.
• Instead of clicking the icon to start the program as administrator, use the right-click (or tap and hold) function to display the menu.
• Click or tap Run as administrator after that.

3. Open PowerShell Using The Run Box

The easiest way to launch PowerShell is to use the Run box on the Start menu.

• Type “PowerShell” into the search box after entering Windows+R to display the Run dialog box.

• To open a PowerShell window, press Enter.
• To open Windows PowerShell as administrator, press Ctrl+Shift+Enter.

4. Create A PowerShell Shortcut On Your Desktop.

It’s simple to build a PowerShell icon on your desktop if you’d rather to just click it to launch PowerShell.

• Simply right-click a blank space on the Desktop. Choose Create > Shortcut from the context menu.

• Enter “PowerShell” in the text field of the ensuing window, and then click “Next” to proceed.
• After giving your shortcut a name, click “Finish” to make it.

• PowerShell will now launch whenever you double click the symbol.

Windows 11

• By selecting “Properties” from the context menu when you right-click the shortcut, you can launch PowerShell with administrative privileges.
• To provide the shortcut the most rights, check the box next to the “Run as Administrator” choice.
• Choose “Run as Administrator” from the menu.
• In both Windows, click “OK” to save your changes.

5. Run PowerShell Using Its Executable File (File Explorer Address Bar)

PowerShell can also be accessed through File Explorer.

• Go to “C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0” (or copy and paste the path into the address bar).

• You may find the 32-bit PowerShell executable there. 
• “C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0.” is where you can find the 64-bit version of PowerShell.
• Right-click PowerShell.exe and select “Run as administrator” to run the program in administrative mode.

6. Start Windows PowerShell Using The Win+X Power User Menu.

When you press Windows+X, the Power Users menu shows in the taskbar. It’s a simple method to get to many options, tools, and system applications from a single menu.

• On your desktop, in the bottom-left corner, you may also do this by right-clicking the Windows logo. There are two shortcuts for launching PowerShell, among others for various utilities.

• The two shortcuts for Windows Terminal have been included in Windows 11.
• When you click on one of them, Windows Terminal will start, and PowerShell will open there.

7. Use Task Manager To Start PowerShell

The Task Manager can also be used to launch PowerShell.

• By simultaneously pressing the Ctrl+Shift+Esc buttons on your keyboard, you can open Task Management.
• If the Task Manager opens in compact mode, select “More details” by clicking or tapping.
• Then select “Run new task” from the File menu by clicking or tapping it. 

• Enter or click OK after typing PowerShell in the “Create new task” window.

• Just select the box next to the input field and click OK to launch the app with administrator rights.

8. Open PowerShell From The Command Prompt (Cmd)

Another effective approach is to launch PowerShell from the Command Prompt. 

• Type the following command-line into the Command Prompt after it has opened, then press Enter.
  • Start PowerShell

• By launching the Command Prompt as administrator, you can launch PowerShell from there.

9. From The Right-Click Context Menu

Wherever you are, you can also launch Windows PowerShell by using the right-click context menu.

• Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
• Press Shift and then right-click on any folder.
• You won’t see the option if you just right-click the folder. Instead, while right-clicking, hold down Shift.

• The option to “Open PowerShell Window Here” is available when the context menu is opened.
• Moreover, PowerShell can be permanently added to the right-click context menu.