PowerShell

Applies To: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 with SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8

Windows PowerShell™ is a task-based command-line shell and scripting language designed especially for system administration. Built on the .NET Framework, Windows PowerShell helps IT professionals and power users control and automate the administration of the Windows operating system and applications that run on Windows.

The PowerShell.exe command-line tool starts a Windows PowerShell session in a Command Prompt window. When you use PowerShell.exe, you can use its optional parameters to customize the session. For example, you can start a session that uses a particular execution policy or one that excludes a Windows PowerShell profile. Otherwise, the session is the same as any session that is started in the Windows PowerShell console.

Using PowerShell.exe

You can use the PowerShell.exe command-line tool to start a Windows PowerShell session in a Command Prompt window.

1. To start a Windows PowerShell session in a Command Prompt window, type PowerShell. A PS prefix is added to the command prompt to indicate that you are in a Windows PowerShell session.

2. To start a session with a particular execution policy, use the ExecutionPolicy parameter.

   PowerShell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Restricted
   

3. To start a Windows PowerShell session without your Windows PowerShell profiles, use the NoProfile parameter.

   PowerShell.exe -NoProfile
   

4. To start a session , use the ExecutionPolicy parameter.

   PowerShell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Restricted
   

5. To see the PowerShell.exe help file, use the following command format.

   PowerShell.exe -help, -?, /?
   

6. To end a Windows PowerShell session in a Command Prompt window, type exit. The typical command prompt returns.

For a complete list of the PowerShell.exe command-line parameters, see about_PowerShell.Exe.

Other Ways to Start Windows PowerShell

For information about other ways to start Windows PowerShell, see Starting Windows PowerShell.

Remarks

Windows PowerShell runs on the Server Core installation option of Windows Server operating systems. However, features that require a graphic user interface, such as the Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE), and the Out-GridView and Show-Command cmdlets, do not run on Server Core installations.

See Also

about_PowerShell.Exe about_PowerShell_Ise.exe Windows PowerShell Scripting with Windows PowerShell