Add 'Open Powershell here as admin' option to folder context menu

Question

I have been looking for a way to open an elevated Powershell prompt from Windows Explorer directly, via the context menu of the folder I want to open the prompt in.
I'm using Windows 10 and all the examples I've seen so far have been for older versions of Windows. I previously had this working on Windows 8.1, but the update to 10 broke it. I even got this working on Windows 10 briefly, but an update broke it again (Dec 2015).

Does anyone know the correct way to add this feature to Windows? Or is it doomed to be overwritten by future updates to Windows?

Answer 1

This is the only way I know of to currently add this feature to context menus in Windows Explorer:

[Run this script in an elevated powershell prompt]

$menu = 'Open Windows PowerShell Here as Administrator'
$command = "$PSHOME\powershell.exe -NoExit -NoProfile -Command ""Set-Location '%V'"""

'directory', 'directory\background', 'drive' | ForEach-Object {
    New-Item -Path "Registry::HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\$_\shell" -Name runas\command -Force |
    Set-ItemProperty -Name '(default)' -Value $command -PassThru |
    Set-ItemProperty -Path {$_.PSParentPath} -Name '(default)' -Value $menu -PassThru |
    Set-ItemProperty -Name HasLUAShield -Value ''
}

This script taken from the following link:

http://www.powershellmagazine.com/2013/06/25/pstip-how-to-start-an-elevated-powershell-from-windows-explorer/

I'm 99% certain that this was the way I did it before the latest Windows patch 'removed' my registry setting (it also removed some other customisations, like numlock boot status, but that is less annoying).

If anyone knows a better approach; i.e. that won't be volatile, then please let me know and I'll accept that answer.

Answer 2

For people who want to open Powershell in elevated Windows Terminal, here is Astravagrant's modified answer.

[Run this script in an elevated powershell prompt]

$menu = 'Open in Terminal as Admin'
$command = 'wt.exe -p "Windows PowerShell" -d "%V"'

'directory', 'directory\background', 'drive' | ForEach-Object {
    New-Item -Path "Registry::HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\$_\shell" -Name runas\command -Force |
    Set-ItemProperty -Name '(default)' -Value $command -PassThru |
    Set-ItemProperty -Path {$_.PSParentPath} -Name '(default)' -Value $menu -PassThru |
    Set-ItemProperty -Name HasLUAShield -Value ''
}

I modified $command to open wt.exe (Windows Terminal).

-p "Windows PowerShell" flag allows you to choose WT's profile name you want to use. If you want to open WT with default profile, remove -p "..." flag.

-d "%V" flag refers to current folder location

Answer 3

I've been doing it like this. It is part of a little menu I made. Edit it to your liking:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\OAPS.Tools]
"ImpliedSelectionModel"=dword:00000001
"Icon"="imageres.dll,-5373"
"ExplorerCommandHandler"="{BF0AC53F-D51C-419F-92E3-2298E125F004}"
@="Admin Pshell Here"

Answer 4

Here is a copy of the reg file I use to add both CMD and POWERSHELL to the BACKGROUND context menu of any folder in Windows 10:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;Add_Open_CMD_and_Powershell_to_Context_Menu.reg

;Right-Click Background only

;CMD Prompt

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\01MenuCmd] "MUIVerb"="Command Prompts" "Icon"="cmd.exe" "ExtendedSubCommandsKey"="Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuCmd"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\01MenuCmd] "MUIVerb"="Command Prompts" "Icon"="cmd.exe" "ExtendedSubCommandsKey"="Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuCmd"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuCmd\shell\open] "MUIVerb"="Command Prompt" "Icon"="cmd.exe"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuCmd\shell\open\command] @="cmd.exe /s /k pushd \"%V\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuCmd\shell\runas] "MUIVerb"="Command Prompt Elevated" "Icon"="cmd.exe" "HasLUAShield"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuCmd\shell\runas\command] @="cmd.exe /s /k pushd \"%V\""

; PowerShell

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\02MenuPowerShell] "MUIVerb"="PowerShell Prompts" "Icon"="powershell.exe" "ExtendedSubCommandsKey"="Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuPowerShell"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\02MenuPowerShell] "MUIVerb"="PowerShell Prompts" "Icon"="powershell.exe" "ExtendedSubCommandsKey"="Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuPowerShell"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuPowerShell\shell\open] "MUIVerb"="PowerShell" "Icon"="powershell.exe"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuPowerShell\shell\open\command] @="powershell.exe -noexit -command Set-Location '%V'"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuPowerShell\shell\runas] "MUIVerb"="PowerShell Elevated" "Icon"="powershell.exe" "HasLUAShield"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\ContextMenus\MenuPowerShell\shell\runas\command] @="powershell.exe -noexit -command Set-Location '%V'"