Windows PowerShell, developed by Microsoft, has been part of the Windows operating system since Windows 7.
The latest Windows 11 version includes PowerShell 5.1 by default, although the latest version of PowerShell is 7.5 (as of August 2025).
As you know, there are commands that can only be executed when PowerShell is running as an administrator.
The following are some of the easy ways to run Windows PowerShell as an administrator in Windows 11.
IMPORTANT: If you have signed into a standard user account, you must enter the administrator password to run PowerShell as an administrator.
Method 1 of 6
Open PowerShell as an administrator from the search in Windows 11
Step 1: In the Start menu or taskbar search field, type ‘PowerShell’ to see Windows PowerShell in the search results.
Step 2: Right-click the PowerShell entry and then click the ‘Run as administrator’ option to open PowerShell with administrator rights.
Click the ‘Yes’ button when you get the User Account Control prompt.
Method 2 of 6
Launch PowerShell as an administrator from the Run command in Windows 11
Step 1: Right-click the Windows logo button on the taskbar and then click ‘Run’ to open the Run dialog box.
Step 2: Type ‘PowerShell’ in the field and then simultaneously press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys.
Step 3: Click the ‘Yes’ button when you get the User Account Control prompt to run PowerShell as administrator.
Method 3 of 6
Another way to run PowerShell as an administrator from the search in Windows 11
Step 1: Type ‘PowerShell’ in the Start menu or taskbar search field.
Step 2: When you see the ‘PowerShell’ entry in the search results, click the ‘Run as administrator’ option on the right side.
Step 3: Click the ‘Yes’ button when you see the prompt.
Method 4 of 6
Keyboard shortcut to run Windows PowerShell as an administrator in Windows 11
Step 1: Type ‘PowerShell’ in the Start or taskbar search field to see its entry in the search results.
Step 2: Simultaneously press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys to run PowerShell as an admin.
Method 5 of 6
Use Task Manager to open PowerShell as an administrator in Windows 11
Step 1: In the Task Manager window, click the ‘Run new task’ button located in the toolbar.
Step 2: Type ‘PowerShell’ in the field, and then select the ‘Create this task with administrator privileges’ checkbox before clicking the ‘OK’ button.
Step 3: Click the ‘Yes’ button when you get the ‘UAC’ prompt.
Method 6 of 6
Launch PowerShell as an administrator from the File Explorer in Windows 11
Step 1: Open This PC in File Explorer.
Step 2: Double-click the drive where Windows 11 is installed and navigate to Windows > System32 > WindowsPowerShell > v1.0 folder.
Step 3: Finally, find the ‘powershell’(.exe file), right-click it, and then click the ‘Run as administrator, option.
Click the ‘Yes’ button when you get the prompt.
Our how to run Command Prompt as an administrator in Windows 11 guide might also interest you.
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