How to open Internet Explorer for the desktop from command line in Windows 8?

Question

There are two different Internet Explorer versions in Windows 8. I would like to open Internet Explorer for the desktop from command line.

We can run it via Win+R → iexplore, but I would like to run it from the command prompt or PowerShell. Can it be done?

Answer 1

Using PowerShell, I found that Invoke-Item was a key command:

Invoke-Item "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"

Other factors:

1. The command only worked for me when I gave the full path to iexplore.exe.

2. You may run into script execution problems if you save the instruction and run from a .ps1 file. In that case, execute the following from an elevated PowerShell prompt:

   Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
   

Answer 2

The tried and true method in every relevant version of Windows:

iexplore.exe google.com

will open IE and navigate to google. I use invoke-item for some things, but this can be done from the run box (which the OP stated) which saves key strokes. It also works in cmd and powershell, b/c iexplore's path is in the PATH env variable.