How can I open PowerShell from the context menu without holding Shift in Windows 11?

I recently upgraded to Windows 11 and noticed that my usual method of opening PowerShell from the context menu by holding Shift is a bit cumbersome. I find myself using PowerShell quite frequently for various tasks, and holding down the Shift key every time I need to access it is starting to feel unnecessary and inconvenient. I want to streamline my workflow by adding PowerShell directly to the context menu, making it more readily accessible without any additional key presses. This change would save me time and effort in the long run, but I’m not sure how to go about implementing it. Can anyone guide me through the steps needed to accomplish this customization in Windows 11?
5 Answers

It’s great that you’re looking to optimize your workflow. Here is a detailed guide to adding PowerShell to the context menu without holding Shift on Windows 11:
- Open the Registry Editor by pressing
Win + R
, typingregedit
, and pressing Enter. - Navigate to:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell
. - Right-click on
shell
and create a new key namedOpen PowerShell Here
. - Within the
Open PowerShell Here
key, create another key namedcommand
. - Set the default value of the
command
key topowershell.exe -NoExit -Command Set-Location -LiteralPath '%V'
. - To further polish the context menu, you can customize the icon by creating a new string value named
Icon
within theOpen PowerShell Here
key and setting it topowershell.exe
. This provides a visual cue making it easily identifiable.
These steps ensure you have quick access to PowerShell directly from the context menu without extra key presses.

Adding PowerShell to the context menu without needing to hold Shift is quite simple, and I’m glad to help. Here is what you need to do:
- Press
Win + R
to open the Run dialog. - Type
regedit
and press Enter to open the Windows Registry Editor. - Navigate to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell
. - Right-click on
shell
and create a new key namedOpen PowerShell Here
. - Right-click the new key, select New > Key, and name it
command
. - Double-click on the default value in the
command
key and set its data topowershell.exe -NoExit -Command Set-Location -LiteralPath '%V'
. - Close the Registry Editor.
Now you should see “Open PowerShell Here” when you right-click on the desktop or within a folder.

When I upgraded to Windows 11, I too found the default method for accessing PowerShell from the context menu by holding Shift somewhat cumbersome. Here’s a concise guide to remove the necessity of holding Shift:
- You need to access the Registry Editor. Do this by pressing
Win + R
, typingregedit
, and pressing Enter. - Once the Registry Editor is open, navigate to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell
. - Right-click on the
shell
folder, selectNew > Key
, and name itPowershell
. - Right-click on the newly created
Powershell
key, selectNew > Key
again, and name this sub-keycommand
. - Click on the
command
key. In the right pane, double-click the(Default)
entry and inputpowershell.exe -NoExit -Command Set-Location -LiteralPath '%V'
.
Close your Registry Editor, and the next time you right-click on the desktop or inside any folder, you should see an option to open PowerShell directly from the context menu.

To add PowerShell to the context menu without pressing Shift, follow these instructions:
- Open the Registry Editor by typing
regedit
in the Run dialog. - Go to this path:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell
. - Inside
shell
, create a new key namedOpen PowerShell Here
. - Within this new key, create another key named
command
. - Set the default value of this
command
key topowershell.exe -NoExit -Command Set-Location -LiteralPath '%V'
.
This simple tweak ensures you can easily access PowerShell from your context menu in Windows 11.

I can relate to your situation as I prefer having quick access to my tools as well. Fortunately, modifying the context menu in Windows 11 involves editing the registry, which is straightforward but requires careful steps. Here’s how you can achieve this:
- Open the Run dialog by pressing Win + R.
- Enter
regedit
and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor. - Navigate to the following path:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell
. - Right-click
shell
, and from the context menu, chooseNew > Key
. Name this keyPowerShellHere
. - Right-click the newly created
PowerShellHere
key, then chooseNew > Key
, and name itcommand
. - Select the
command
key. In the right pane, double-click(Default)
and set the value topowershell.exe -NoExit -Command Set-Location -LiteralPath '%V'
. - Close the Registry Editor.
These steps will add a “PowerShell Here” option in your context menu that does not require the Shift key.