At a PowerShell prompt, enter the executable name and its arguments, such as ping learn.microsoft.com. If the executable is in the current folder, call it with an explicit path such as ./tool.exe written in PowerShell’s Windows form, .tool.exe. Windows Terminal is the app that hosts PowerShell or another shell; the active shell interprets the command.
How PowerShell and Windows Terminal fit together
Windows Terminal is a terminal application for opening shells in tabs or panes. PowerShell and Command Prompt (cmd.exe) are shells: they interpret what you type and launch programs. Windows Terminal can host either shell, but it does not parse the command you enter; the active shell does. Microsoft describes PowerShell as able to run commands available on the system, including native executables. Microsoft’s PowerShell overview and Windows Terminal documentation explain the distinction.
Run an executable from a PowerShell prompt
- Open a PowerShell tab in Windows Terminal, or start PowerShell in another terminal host.
- Type the program name followed by its arguments. For example:
ping learn.microsoft.com - Press Enter. PowerShell starts the executable if it can resolve the name and the program is available.
A command name may resolve to an alias, function, cmdlet, or external executable. If you specifically want an executable in the current directory, use a path rather than relying on a bare name. PowerShell command precedence describes resolution order.
Run an executable in the current directory
PowerShell does not treat the current directory as an implicit source for executable commands. Prefix the filename with . to identify the current directory explicitly:
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.tool.exeFor a full path, enter that path instead. An explicit path makes clear which file you intend to run, rather than whichever same-named command PowerShell resolves first.
Pass paths and arguments safely
Quote paths that contain spaces
PowerShell parses the command line before launching a native program. Quote a path containing spaces, and use the call operator (&) when invoking a path stored in a variable:
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$exePath = 'C:Program FilesExampletool.exe'
& $exePath -VersionUse the target program’s documented argument syntax. Quoting rules are not identical across all native applications, and PowerShell’s native argument-passing behavior can vary with version and configuration. The newer behavior became mainstream in PowerShell 7.3; older versions and legacy mode can handle embedded quotes, empty arguments, or special characters differently. Check your version with $PSVersionTable.PSVersion and test the exact invocation when those cases matter. See about Parsing.
Use stop-parsing only for specific cases
The Windows-only --% stop-parsing token passes the remainder of a command to a native program with less PowerShell interpretation. It also prevents normal PowerShell interpretation of that remainder, so it is not a general substitute for careful quoting. Microsoft documents its behavior in about Parsing.
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Treat batch files as a special case
When PowerShell runs a .bat or .cmd file, it uses cmd.exe. Arguments are passed as raw command-line strings to that shell. Do not place untrusted input into such a command string; prefer a safer structured interface if the application provides one. See about Parsing.
Open a command in Windows Terminal
To ask Windows Terminal to open its default shell and run a command, invoke wt from PowerShell:
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wt ping learn.microsoft.comWindows Terminal’s command line also supports actions such as new-tab and selecting a shell for a tab. For example, its reference documents launching PowerShell or Command Prompt with a command. See Windows Terminal command-line arguments.
If wt is not recognized
- Check that the Windows Terminal app execution alias is enabled in Windows Settings.
- Check whether
%LOCALAPPDATA%MicrosoftWindowsAppsis included inPATH.
The wt.exe app execution alias is normally enabled by default, but either issue can prevent the command from resolving. Microsoft’s command-line reference covers the Terminal command.
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Take care with multiple Terminal actions
Semicolons can be separators in both PowerShell and Windows Terminal commands. Microsoft documents escaping semicolons or using --% for multi-action invocations, but cautions that these workarounds are not currently recommended because PowerShell may wait for the Terminal window to close before returning. For a straightforward launch, prefer a single action or use the Terminal UI to create additional tabs.
Choose direct invocation or Start-Process
For ordinary commands, run the executable directly. Use Start-Process when you need process-launch controls such as different credentials, a hidden console window, redirected standard streams, or a selected working directory. It starts a process asynchronously by default. Microsoft’s Start-Process reference explains its parameters.
For example, this parameter hashtable redirects the three standard streams for sort.exe:
$processOptions = @{
FilePath = 'sort.exe'
RedirectStandardInput = 'TestSort.txt'
RedirectStandardOutput = 'Sorted.txt'
RedirectStandardError = 'SortError.txt'
}
Start-Process @processOptionsWhen adding arguments through ArgumentList, follow the target process’s command-line parsing rules; the parameter’s quoting requirements are covered in the Start-Process reference.
Check output and whether the program succeeded
Native standard output appears in PowerShell’s Success stream, while standard error appears in its Error stream. A message on stderr does not by itself prove that the process failed: check the program’s exit code when success matters. In the documented general behavior, a native nonzero exit code makes $? false. Native error handling and redirection details differ across PowerShell versions, so do not assume $ErrorActionPreference handles native exit codes uniformly. See Microsoft’s PowerShell overview.
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