How to Fix Windows PowerShell Keeps Opening At Startup

PowerShell provides users with the ability to automate various administrative tasks and manage configurations on the system that are not accessible via the command prompt. It is similar to a command prompt but is advanced with more powerful commands and an associated scripting language. Recently, many users have reported a problem where PowerShell keeps popping up every time the user starts up the computer.

Some of the causes for this issue to happen are:

  • The system’s startup folder has Windows PowerShell
  • PowerShell may have been enabled in the Task Manager’s startup
  • Malware infected system
  • Some corrupted registry entries

If you are struggling with this issue of PowerShell opening up at a system startup then read this article. In this article, we have curated some fixes based on other users’ reviews that have helped them resolve this problem on their Windows PC.

 

Fix 1 – Disable PowerShell in Task Manager’s Startup

1. Press and hold the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys simultaneously to open the Task Manager.

2. Once the Task Manager window opens up, select the tab named Startup.

3. In the Startup tab, search for Windows PowerShell in the list of startup applications on your system.

Right-click on Windows PowerShell and choose the disable option to turn off the automatic startup for PowerShell.

 

Task Manager Powershell Disable Min

 

4. Restart your computer and check if the problem is resolved at the next system startup.

 

Fix 2 – Remove PowerShell Shortcut From System StartUp Folder

1. Click on the Windows Start button.

Here, in the Windows search box type or copy-paste the path below

%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp

2. Click on the search result to open the Windows StartUp folder.

 

Windows Programs Startup Folder Path Search Bar Min

 

3. Once the StartUp folder opens, check if you can see the Window PowerShell shortcut here.



If you see the shortcut, then select Windows PowerShell and tap on the Delete (bin) icon at the top of the File Explorer.

 

Windows Startup Folder Powershell Delete Min

 

4. After deleting this shortcut, you will see the Task Manager’s Startup tab also will not have Windows PowerShell.

Restart your system. Check if Windows PowerShell opens up at startup.

Fix 3 – Look in Task Scheduler

1 – Go to Windows search and then type Task Scheduler and click on it

Task Scheduler 1 Min

 

2 – Check Tasks which are scheduled to run at logon, or if you are facing Powershell popping up randomly, then you can look for tasks where multiple triggers are defined.

Select those tasks and click on Actions Tab at bottom.

 

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3 – If it contains a path to Powershell.exe, then disable or delete those tasks.

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Fix 4 – Uninstall powershell from your PC

If you do not use Powersehll and you are completely annoyed by this problem, you can choose to disable powershell feature from your PC.

1 – Search OptionalFeatures in windows search box

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2 – Now, Uncheck Windows Powershell and Click Ok

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3 – Restart PC

Fix 5 – Use Autoruns Program to Check if PowerShell Auto-starts

There is a small free process utility named Autoruns for Windows v14.09 provided by Microsoft. This utility will give you a list of all the programs that are programmed to run at system startup. Using this utility you can find out if PowerShell has been configured to run at startup elsewhere in the system.

 

1. Click on Autoruns for Windows v14.09 to download and use it on your PC.

2. On this page, click on the link Download Autoruns and Autorunsc.

 

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This downloads a compressed zip file onto your computer.

3. If you have used Google Chrome, click on the arrow next to the downloaded file at the bottom left.

Choose the option Show in folder.

 

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Basically, you need to open the location of the file on your PC.

4. Extract the contents of the zip file.

Right-click on it and choose Extract All… in the context menu that opens.

 

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Then, click on the Extract button to extract the contents of the compressed folder.

 

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5. On unzipping, it automatically opens the folder named Autoruns.

In this Autoruns folder, run the Autoruns64 as an administrator if you have a 64-bit system.

Right-click on Autoruns64 and choose the options Run as administrator.

 

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Click on Yes when prompted by User Account Control.

Wait for some time till all the auto-run processes are loaded.

6. In the Quick Filter search box at the top, type the text powershell.

You will see the Windows PowerShell entry here if PowerShell is configured to run at startup.

Make sure to uncheck the checkbox next to the PowerShell entry to disable the auto-start for it.

 

Autoruns Search Powershell Uncheck Min

 

Note: If you don’t see any entry related to Windows Powershell, it means there is no auto-start for this process anywhere in the system’s registry. Then, try performing the steps below:

  • After opening Autoruns64 as administrator and processes load, click on the Options menu.
  • Here, click on the option Hide Microsoft entries and make sure it is checked.

 

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  • In the list of processes, under the Image Path column scroll down and look for entries that have “File not found”.
  • Uncheck all these processes that have “File not found” in their Image Path.

 

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7. Restart your system and check if the issue is resolved.

 

Fix 6 – Perform a Clean Boot

 

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.

Type msconfig and hit Enter to open the System Configuration.

 

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2. Go to the Services tab in the System Configuration window.

Here, check the box associated with Hide all Microsoft Services.

Then, click on the Disable all button in the right corner.

 

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3. Move over to the Startup tab here.

Here, click on Open Task Manager.

 

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4. This opens the Startup tab in the Task Manager.

Here, disable all the unnecessary services/processes that are currently running on your system.

To disable, right-click on the service and choose Disable.

 

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5. Close the Task Manager and come back to the System Configuration window.

Here, click on Apply and then on OK to save the changes.

6. You will be prompted to restart your system to apply the changes. Click on Restart to reboot your PC immediately at that moment.

 

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7. Check if the problem is resolved at startup.

If PowerShell doesn’t open at startup, it means there is some service/process that was causing the issue. Try enabling the processes one at a time and check which one was the reason for this problem.

Once you have checked the service causing the issue make sure to change the System Configuration to normal startup.

 

Fix 7 – Perform a System Scan Using Windows Malware Remove Tool

Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) is the recommended tool to remove malware from Windows 11 PCs. This application is built-in and finds the most known and prevalent malware on the system and removes them.

1. Open the Run dialog with Windows and R keys.

Type mrt and hit Enter to execute the command.

 

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Click on Yes when prompted for permission by UAC.

2. The MSRT window opens up on executing the above command.

Click on Next in this window to scan and remove malicious software.

 

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3. On the next screen, you will be asked to choose a scan type.

Here, select the Quick Scan option.

Click on Next to start the scan.

 

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4. Wait for some time till MSRT performs the scan.

 

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Once the scan is complete, you will be shown the details of the scan. Take the necessary steps based on this scan result.

5. Once you have performed the necessary actions to remove the malware, restart your PC and check if PowerShell still pops up at startup.

 

Fix 8 – Disable PowerShell Temporarily

 

1. Hit the Windows key on your keyboard and type the text command prompt.

Right-click on Command Prompt in the search result and choose Run as administrator.

 

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When prompted by User Account Control, choose the option Yes.

2. Once the Command prompt opens as admin, type and execute the command given below.

Dism /online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:"MicrosoftWindowsPowerShellV2Root"

3. After the command execution completes, reboot your system. Check if this helped to fix the issue at the next startup.

 

Command Prompt Admin Uninstall Powershell Min

 



To re-enable PowerShell, execute the command below in the Command Prompt.

Dism /online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:"MicrosoftWindowsPowerShellV2Root"

 

Fix 9 – Create  a New Local Administrator Account

 

1. To open the Run dialog, just press and hold the Window and R keys together on your keyboard.



In the box that opens, type ms-settings:family-group and hit Enter.

 

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2. This opens the Family & other users page in Windows Settings.

Here, in the Other users section, click on the Add account button next to Add other user.

 

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3. You will see the Microsoft account window asking about the new user’s sign-in information.

Click on the link  I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.

 

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In the Create account window, click on Add a user without a Microsoft account.

 

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4. This opens a window to create a new user account.

You need to enter a username, and password and choose security questions.

Once you are done with this, click on Next.

 

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5. Once this account is created you need to change this local account to an administrator account.

Repeat Step 1 to go to the Family & other users page.

Click on the created account owner name to expand it. You will see the text Local account below the account owner’s name.

Next to Account options, click on the Change account type button.

 

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In the Change account type window, use the dropdown below Account type and choose Administrator.

Click on OK to confirm the change.

 

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6. Restart your computer.

At the next startup, log in with the newly created local admin account. Check if the problem is fixed.

Thanks for reading.

You will now be able to start your computer without the PowerShell popping up every time you perform a startup. We hope this article has been helpful in resolving the issue for you. Comment and let us know the fix that worked for you.