How to create and run a PowerShell script file on Windows 10

On Windows 10, PowerShell lets you run commands and scripts to automate tasks and change settings on your computer, similar to Command Prompt. However, PowerShell is a more powerful command-line interface (CLI) that offers a more extensive set of tools and more flexibility. In addition, unlike Command Prompt, PowerShell is available across platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Regardless of the platform, a script is a collection of instructions written to a text file (using the special ".ps1" extension) that PowerShell understands and executes in sequence to run different actions.

The only problem is that the default security protocol prevents scripts from running on your computer. This means that when double-clicking a ".ps1" file, Windows 10 won't do anything, and if you try to run the script within PowerShell, you'll see the "cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system" error message. However, running scripts on your computer is not impossible. You only need to enable the correct execution policy.

This guide will walk you through the steps to write and run your first script file on PowerShell using Visual Studio Code, Notepad, and the PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE) console.

How to create PowerShell script file on Windows 10

You can create PowerShell script files using virtually any text editor or the legacy ISE console. However, the Visual Studio Code editor is the preferred option for writing scripts whenever possible.

Create a script with VS Code

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a free and extensible cross-platform code editor to edit virtually any programming language. And when adding the PowerShell extension, you get an interactive scripting editing experience, which even comes with  IntelliSense (code-completion) support.

You can still use the PowerShell ISE application, but Visual Studio Code with the PowerShell extension is meant to be the new default experience. Also, consider that the legacy experience won't get any new features and doesn't support PowerShell 7.x or higher releases.

Install VS Code

To install Visual Basic Code on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open the Visual Studio Download page.
2. Click the Windows button to download the installer.

3. Double-click the installer to begin the process.
4. Select the "I accept the agreement" option.
5. Click the Next button.
6. Confirm additional tasks as necessary.
7. Click the Next button again.

9. Click the Install button.
10. Click the Finish button.

Once you complete the steps, you can proceed to install the PowerShell extension.

Install PowerShell extension

To install the PowerShell extension on VS Code, use these steps:

1. Open VS Code.
2. Click the Extensions tab (Ctrl + Shift + X) from the left pane.
3. Search for PowerShell and select the top result.
4. Click the Install button.

5. Click the "Trust Workspace & Install" button.

After you complete the steps, you can start writing PowerShell scripts using Visual Studio Code on Windows 10.

Create PowerShell script with Visual Studio Code

To create a script with Visual Basic Code on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open VS Code.
2. Click the File menu and select the New File option.
3. Click the File menu and select the Save As option.

4. In the "File name" field, specify a name for the file with the .ps1 extension — for example, first_script.ps1.
5. Click the Save button.
6. Write a new or paste the script you want to run — for example, Write-Host "Congratulations! Your first script executed successfully"

• Quick note: The above script will result in an output on the screen that says: "Congratulations! Your first script executed successfully."

7. (Optional) Click the Run button on the top-right side (or press the F5 key) to run the script.

8. Click the File menu.
9. Click the Save option.

Create PowerShell script with Notepad

To create a PowerShell script with Notepad on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Notepad, and click the top result to open the app.
3. Write a new or paste your script in the text file — for example, Write-Host "Congratulations! Your first script executed successfully"

4. Click the File menu.
5. Select the Save As option.
6. Confirm a descriptive name for the script — for example, first_script.ps1.

7. Click the Save button.

Create PowerShell script with Integrated Scripting Environment

You can also use the built-in PowerShell ISE console to code your scripts on Windows 10.

The Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE) is a complex tool, but you can get started using these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Windows PowerShell ISE, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
3. Click the File menu.
4. Select the New option to create a new empty .ps1 file.
5. Write a new, or paste the script you want to run — for example, Write-Host "Congratulations! Your first script executed successfully"

6. Click the File menu.
7. Click the Save option.
8. Type a name for the script — for example, first_script.ps1.

9. Select the folder to save the script file.
10. Click the Save button.
11. (Optional) Click the Run button on the top-right side (or press the F5 key) to run the script.

Once you complete the steps using Notepad, Visual Studio Code, or PowerShell ISE, the script will be ready, but it will fail using the default system settings. The reason is that the default PowerShell settings are configured to block the execution of any script. (The only exception is if you run the script's contents within Visual Studio Code or PowerShell ISE.)

How to run PowerShell script file on Windows 10

On Windows 10, to run a script with PowerShell, you must change the execution policy.

To change the execution policy to run PowerShell scripts on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
3. Type the following command to allow scripts to run and press Enter: Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
4. Type A and press Enter (if applicable).
5. Type the following command to run the script and press Enter: & "C:\PATH\TO\SCRIPT\first_script.ps1"

In the above command, change "PATH\TO\SCRIPT" to the location of your script. For example, this command runs a script stored in the "Downloads" folder: & "C:\Users\username\Documents\first_script.ps1"

After you complete the steps, the script will run, and if it was written correctly, you should see its output on the screen without issues.

PowerShell includes four execution policies that apply to Windows 10:

• Restricted — Prevents any script from running.
• RemoteSigned — Allows scripts created on the computer, but scripts created on another device won't run unless they include a trusted publisher's signature.
• AllSigned — All the scripts will run, but only if a trusted publisher has signed them.
• Unrestricted — Runs any script without any restrictions.

You should only allow local scripts to run a script from a trusted source. If you don't plan to run scripts regularly, it's best to restore the default settings to block untrusted scripts using the same instructions outlined above, but in step 4, use the Set-ExecutionPolicy Restricted command.

More resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know