How to run a PowerShell script without displaying a window?

How is it possible to run a [PowerShell][1] script without displaying a window or any other sign to the user?

In other words, the script should run quietly in the background without any sign to the user.

Extra credit for an answer that does not use third party components :)

[1]:

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Here's an approach that that doesn't require command line args or a separate launcher. It's not completely invisible because a window does show momentarily at startup. But it then quickly vanishes. Where that's OK, this is, I think, the easiest approach if you want to launch your script by double-clicking in explorer, or via a Start menu shortcut (including, of course the Startup submenu). And I like that it's part of the code of the script itself, not something external.

Put this at the front of your script:

$t = '[DllImport("user32.dll")] public static extern bool ShowWindow(int handle, int state);'
add-type -name win -member $t -namespace native
[native.win]::ShowWindow(([System.Diagnostics.Process]::GetCurrentProcess() | Get-Process).MainWindowHandle, 0)

Here's a one-liner:

mshta vbscript:Execute("CreateObject(""Wscript.Shell"").Run ""powershell -NoLogo -Command """"& 'C:\Example Path That Has Spaces\My Script.ps1'"""""", 0 : window.close")

Although it's possible for this to flash a window very briefly, that should be a rare occurrence.

I think that the best way to hide the console screen of the PowerShell when your are running a background scripts is [this code][1] ("[Bluecakes][2]" answer).

I add this code in the beginning of all my PowerShell scripts that I need to run in background.

# .Net methods for hiding/showing the console in the background
Add-Type -Name Window -Namespace Console -MemberDefinition '
[DllImport("Kernel32.dll")]
public static extern IntPtr GetConsoleWindow();

[DllImport("user32.dll")]
public static extern bool ShowWindow(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 nCmdShow);
'
function Hide-Console
{
$consolePtr = [Console.Window]::GetConsoleWindow()
#0 hide
[Console.Window]::ShowWindow($consolePtr, 0)
}
Hide-Console

> If this answer was help you, please vote to ["Bluecakes" in his answer in this post.][1]




[1]:

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[2]:

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I was having this problem when running from c#, on Windows 7, the "Interactive Services Detection" service was popping up when running a hidden powershell window as the SYSTEM account.

Using the "CreateNoWindow" parameter prevented the ISD service popping up it's warning.

process.StartInfo = new ProcessStartInfo("powershell.exe",
String.Format(@" -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy unrestricted -encodedCommand ""{0}""",encodedCommand))
{
WorkingDirectory = executablePath,
UseShellExecute = false,
CreateNoWindow = true
};

You can use the [PowerShell Community Extensions](

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) and do this:

start-process PowerShell.exe -arg $pwd\foo.ps1 -WindowStyle Hidden

You can also do this with VBScript: <s>http://blog.sapien.com/index.php/2006/12/26/more-fun-with-scheduled-powershell/</s>

* [Schedule Hidden PowerShell Tasks](

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) (Internet Archive)

* [More fun with scheduled PowerShell](

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) (Internet Archive)

(Via [this forum thread](

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"How to run powershell script without console?").)

I have created a small tool passing the call to any console tool you want to start windowless through to the original file:

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After compiling just rename the executable to "<targetExecutableName>w.exe" (append a "w"), and put it next to the original executable.
You can then call e.G. powershellw.exe with the usual parameters and it wont pop up a window.

If someone has an idea how to check whether the created process is waiting for input, ill be happy to include your solution :)

I was having this same issue. I found out if you go to the **Task** in **Task Scheduler** that is running the **powershell.exe** script, you can click "**Run whether user is logged on or not**" and that will never show the powershell window when the task runs.

Here's a fun demo of controlling the various states of the console, including minimize and hidden.

```
Add-Type -Name ConsoleUtils -Namespace WPIA -MemberDefinition @'
[DllImport("Kernel32.dll")]
public static extern IntPtr GetConsoleWindow();
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
public static extern bool ShowWindow(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 nCmdShow);
'@

$ConsoleMode = @{
HIDDEN = 0;
NORMAL = 1;
MINIMIZED = 2;
MAXIMIZED = 3;
SHOW = 5
RESTORE = 9
}

$hWnd = [WPIA.ConsoleUtils]::GetConsoleWindow()

$a = [WPIA.ConsoleUtils]::ShowWindow($hWnd, $ConsoleMode.MAXIMIZED)
"maximized $a"
Start-Sleep 2
$a = [WPIA.ConsoleUtils]::ShowWindow($hWnd, $ConsoleMode.NORMAL)
"normal $a"
Start-Sleep 2
$a = [WPIA.ConsoleUtils]::ShowWindow($hWnd, $ConsoleMode.MINIMIZED)
"minimized $a"
Start-Sleep 2
$a = [WPIA.ConsoleUtils]::ShowWindow($hWnd, $ConsoleMode.RESTORE)
"restore $a"
Start-Sleep 2
$a = [WPIA.ConsoleUtils]::ShowWindow($hWnd, $ConsoleMode.HIDDEN)
"hidden $a"
Start-Sleep 2
$a = [WPIA.ConsoleUtils]::ShowWindow($hWnd, $ConsoleMode.SHOW)
"show $a"
```

ps1 hidden from the Task Scheduler and shortcut too

mshta vbscript:Execute("CreateObject(""WScript.Shell"").Run ""powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass & 'C:\PATH\NAME.ps1'"", 0:close")