Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-15

How to Fix: "Open PowerShell window here" gives "Application not found" error although `powershell.exe` should be find-able in `PATH`

Windows PowerShell issue with "Application not found" error despite being in PATH.

Quick Answer: Check for conflicting system file scans or registry modifications that may have altered the powershell.exe path.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 💡 Why You Are Getting This Error
  2. 🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps
  3. ✨ Wrapping Up

The 'Open PowerShell window here' context menu entry is not working on Windows 10 version 22H2 (19045.3086), resulting in an 'Application not found' error despite powershell.exe being present in the PATH variable.

This issue can be frustrating for users who rely on this feature, and resolving it requires a combination of registry modifications and understanding of the underlying system behavior.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • The primary cause of this error is likely due to corrupted or incomplete registry entries related to the PowerShell context menu. The 'Application not found' error occurs when the Windows operating system cannot find the powershell.exe executable in the PATH variable, despite it being present.
  • Another possible reason for this issue could be related to a recent Windows update or system change that affected the PowerShell context menu configuration.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Manually editing registry entries

  1. Step 1: Open regedit (as administrator) and navigate to Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\PowerShell\command. Right-click on this entry and select 'Modify'.
  2. Step 2: In the Edit String dialog box, enter the full path to powershell.exe, including any necessary command-line arguments (e.g., -noexit -command Set-Location -literalPath '%V'). Click OK to save the changes.
  3. Step 3: Repeat the above steps for the Background\shell\PowerShell\command entry to ensure both registry entries have a complete path.

Using Process Explorer to modify the PATH variable

  1. Step 1: Open Process Explorer and navigate to the explorer.exe process. In the Details tab, click on 'Environment' and look for the PATH variable.
  2. Step 2: Locate the entry for C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0 in the PATH variable list. Right-click on this entry and select 'Modify'.
  3. Step 3: In the Edit String dialog box, add the full path to powershell.exe (including any necessary command-line arguments) to the end of the existing string. Click OK to save the changes.
  4. Step 4: Repeat the above steps for any additional entries in the PATH variable that may be missing or incomplete.

✨ Wrapping Up

To resolve the 'Application not found' error, manually edit the registry entries related to the PowerShell context menu and ensure they contain a complete path to powershell.exe. Alternatively, use Process Explorer to modify the PATH variable and add any necessary entries.

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