How do I start PowerShell from Windows Explorer?

Is there a way to start PowerShell in a specific folder from Windows Explorer, e.g. to right-click in a folder and have an option like "Open PowerShell in this Folder"?

It's really annoying to have to change directories to my project folder the first time I run MSBuild every day.

Solution 1:

In Windows Explorer, just go to the Address Bar at the top (keyboard shortcuts: Alt+D or Ctrl+L) and type powershell or powershell_ise and press Enter. A PowerShell command window opens with the current directory.

Solution 2:

Just to add in the reverse as a trick, at a PowerShell prompt you can do:

ii .

or

start .

to open a Windows Explorer window in your current directory.

Solution 3:

If you're on Windows 8, or later, you can simply use the built-in File → "Open Windows PowerShell".

Or Alt + F followed by R.

Solution 4:

As an alternative to the answer above, which requires you to type the PowerShell command (powershell.exe) each time, you can create a context menu entry just like with the "Open command window here" context menu.

There are three registry keys where these commands go. Each key controls the context menu of a different Windows Explorer object. The first one is the one you asked about:

• HKCR\Directory\Background\shell - This is the context menu for the Explorer window itself (that is, the context menu that is displayed when no item is selected, such as when right-clicking in an empty area of the window).
• HKCR\Directory\shell - This is the context menu of the folders in Windows Explorer.
• HKCR\Drive\shell - This is the context menu for the drive icons in the root of Windows Explorer.

For each of these registry keys, you can add a subkey that will add an "Open PowerShell window here" command to the context menu, just as you have an "Open command window here" context menu.

Here is a copy of my OpenPowerShellHere.reg file, which puts the command in the context menu of each of the Explorer objects, the window background, the folder, and the drive icon:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;
; Add context menu entry to Windows Explorer background
;
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\powershell]
@="Open PowerShell window here"
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\powershell\command]
@="C:\\Windows\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe -NoExit -Command Set-Location -LiteralPath '%V'"

;
; Add context menu entry to Windows Explorer folders
;
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\powershell]
@="Open PowerShell window here"
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\powershell\command]
@="C:\\Windows\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe -NoExit -Command Set-Location -LiteralPath '%V'"

;
; Add context menu entry to Windows Explorer drive icons
;
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\powershell]
@="Open PowerShell window here"
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\powershell\command]
@="C:\\Windows\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe -NoExit -Command Set-Location -LiteralPath '%V'"

So, with your favorite text editor, open a new file named OpenPowerShellHere.reg. Copy the exact text of the code above, paste it into the new file, and save it. (I would have included a copy of the file, but I couldn't figure out if attachments were possible.) If you want to exclude the command from one of the entry, just comment out the appropriate section with semicolons. My comments show you each section.

After you save the file, run it by double-clicking on it. When it asks, tell it to proceed. As soon as you run it, the context menu entries will show up!

Here is my Explorer window context menu. I've highlighted the console and PowerShell commands. As you can see, you can also add a context menu entry to run an elevated command window, i.e., Run as Administrator.

Note: Context menu entries are displayed alphabetically, based on their Registry keys. The key name for the elevated command shell is "runas", which is why it comes after the PowerShell entry.

Note: If you have an explorer window open, you may need to close it and reopen it to get the changed to take effect.

Note: In Windows 7, the HKCR\Directory\Shell does not work if you use the toolkit on the side of the explorer

(ie. Clicking Documents under the Libraries header)

you must navigate using Computer -> C: -> to -> Some -> Target -> Directory