Top 4 Proven Solutions for Windows Cannot Find PowerShell.exe

Do you receive Windows cannot find powershell.exe while attempting to launch Windows PowerShell on your computer? Luckily, this post from MiniTool contains some troubleshooting tips to help you restore the missing Windows PowerShell. Without further ado, let’s dive into it right now.

Windows Cannot Find PowerShell.exe

Windows PowerShell is a mature automation tool to help administrators configure systems and automate administrative tasks. Usually, you can access it after simply typing powershell into the Windows search bar. However, some of you might be prompted by the Windows cannot find powershell.exe error message while trying to launch Windows PowerShell on your computer.

Tips:

Errors like Windows cannot find powershell.exe might be a sign of system instability and data loss is more likely to occur. To secure your valuable data, it’s highly recommended to create backups of your work documents or other files with MiniTool ShadowMaker. This PC backup software is well worth a go and keeps your data and system safe.

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Fix 1: Enable PowerShell in Windows Features

At first, please make sure that Windows PowerShell is enabled from Control Panel. Follow these steps:

Step 1. In Windows Search, type control panel and hit Enter.

Step 2. Tap on Programs > Programs and Features.

Step 3. Click on Turn Windows features on or off.

Step 4. Check Windows PowerShell 2.0 to enable or re-enable this feature and hit OK.

tick Windows PowerShell 2.0 in Windows Features

Step 5. Restart your computer.

Fix 2: Launch PowerShell via File Explorer

When your Windows cannot find powershell.exe in Windows Search, consider accessing its executable file directly via File Explorer. To do so:

Step 1. Press Win + E to open File Explorer.

Step 2. Navigate to the path below:

C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0

Step 3. Scroll down to locate the powershell.exe file and double-click on it.

double-click on powershell.exe file to launch Windows PowerShell manually

Tips:

If this method solves Windows cannot find powershell.exe, right-click on this executable file > select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut) to assign a shortcut for Windows PowerShell manually.

create a desktop shortcut for Windows PowerShell

Fix 3: Launch PowerShell via Command Prompt

Command Prompt is also a powerful program that can be used to carry out entered commands, perform advanced administrative functions, launch programs on your computer and so on, so it can also help you out when Windows cannot find powershell.exe. Follow these steps:

Step 1. Press Win + E to evoke the Windows Search bar.

Step 2. Type cmd to locate Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 3. In the command window, input start powershell and hit Enter.

run start powershell in Command Prompt to launch Windows PowerShell

Tips:

Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell are a little similar, but there are some differences between them. The latter is the advanced version of CMD and it has more functions and features. Each of them has its own benefits, so you can choose the appropriate tool according to the specific circumstances.

Fix 4: Update Windows PowerShell

Usually, Windows will update PowerShell automatically, but this process might be disrupted due to an unstable internet connection or other factors, triggering Windows cannot find powershell.exe. In this case, updating Windows PowerShell manually might work wonders. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Open Microsoft Store.

Step 2. In the search box, type powershell to find the program.

Step 3. Click on Update or Get and then wait for the process to complete.

Final Words

That’s all the information about Windows PowerShell not opening. If your Windows fails to find powershell.exe, try these solutions mentioned in this post one by one until the problem is fixed. Moreover, you should develop a habit of backing up crucial files on a regular basis with MiniTool ShadowMaker. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

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About The Author

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Position: Columnist

Aurelie is a passionate soul who always enjoys researching & writing articles and solutions to help others. Her posts mainly cover topics related to games, data backup & recovery, file sync and so on. Apart from writing, her primary interests include reading novels and poems, travelling and listening to country music.