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How to Change PowerShell Execution Policy in Windows 10

The document provides a guide on how to change the PowerShell execution policy in Windows 10, explaining the default Restricted policy that prevents script execution. It outlines six different execution policies, including All Signed, RemoteSigned, Unrestricted, Bypass, and Undefined, detailing their functionalities. The steps to change the execution policy using PowerShell commands are also included, emphasizing the use of the RemoteSigned policy for a balance of security and usability.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

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How to Change PowerShell Execution Policy in Windows 10

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Home » How To » How to Change PowerShell Execution Policy in Windows 10

How to Change PowerShell Execution Policy in

Windows 10
By Bashkarla / How To Subscribe To WindowsLoop

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PowerShell lets you automate almost anything on a Windows system. By default, when you try before anyone else.

to execute a custom or downloaded PowerShell script, it will throw the “Script cannot be
loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system” error. E-Mail address

This error happens because of the Restricted execution policy. In order to execute scripts, you
need to set different execution policy. In case you are wondering, here’s how to change the
PowerShell execution policy in Windows 10.

Jump to:

Know more about execution policies

Change execution policy via PowerShell

What Are Execution Policies?

You can think of execution policies like a condition. A condition needs to be met to execute
certain configurations or scripts. If not, the configuration or script will not run as expected.

Now, even though an execution policy can block certain configuration files or scripts from
running, the policies are not a security measure. In fact, they can be easily bypassed. In
Microsoft words, execution policies are just basic rules. These rules prevent you from
unintentionally violating the policies.

PowerShell has six different execution policies. They are as follows.

1. Restricted Execution Policy

As you can tell from the name itself, Restricted policy is the most limited policy. The policy is
applied by default on all Windows 10 PCs. Under this policy, you can only run individual
commands. You cannot run any PowerShell scripts, configuration files, or module script files.
2. All Signed Execution Policy
When set, the All Signed policy only lets you run signed PowerShell scripts. This condition
applies to your own custom scripts too. If the script publisher is not yet classified as trusted or
untrusted, you will be prompted to choose one.

3. RemoteSigned Execution Policy

RemoteSigned policy lets you run both the scripts downloaded from the internet and the ones
you create. While the scripts created on your local computer require no digital signature,
scripts downloaded from the internet require a digital signature from a trusted publisher. That
being said, if there is no digital signature for the downloaded scripts, you can still run them by
manually unblocking the script using Unblock-File cmdlet. For Windows servers,
RemoteSigned is the default execution policy.

4. Unrestricted Execution Policy

The name says it doesn’t it? Under the Unrestricted policy, you can run both downloaded and
your own scripts created on the local computer without any restrictions. However, PowerShell
will display a warning message when running scripts or configurations downloaded from the
internet. Unrestricted is the default policy for the non-Windows system.

5. Bypass Execution Policy

Bypass policy is a step higher than Unrestricted. Under this policy, no script or configuration
file is blocked. In fact, this policy will not even show any warning messages whatsoever.
Generally, this policy is used as part of a larger application that has its own policies and
security implementations. General users should almost never apply this policy.

6. Undefined Execution Policy

Undefined policy means that there is no execution policy in the current scope. If all the scopes
are undefined, then the effective policy is Restrictive. If you read earlier, Restrictive is the
default policy for all regular Windows systems (Pro and Home).

Now that you know what the execution policies actually mean, follow the below steps to
change PowerShell execution policy in Windows 10. The blow steps work in Windows 7 and
Windows 8 too, no matter the PowerShell version.

Change Execution Policy in PowerShell

1. To change the execution policy in PowerShell, you need to have administrator privileges. So,
search for PowerShell in the start menu, right-click on it and select “Run as Administrator”.

2. The first thing you need to do is to check the current execution policy. That way, you will
know whether you need to change the execution policy or not. So, execute the below
command and PowerShell will instantly tell which execution policy is currently active. As you
can see, in my case, it is Restricted.

Get-ExecutionPolicy

3. To change or set the execution policy, execute the below command. Of course, if you’d like
to use some other execution policy, replace RemoteSigned with the name of other execution
policies.

Note: If you are regular home or power user who wishes to execute custom or downloaded
PowerShell scripts, I’d recommend you go with the RemoteSigned execution policy.
RemoteSigned execution policy offers a good balance between basic security and ease of use.

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

4. As soon as you execute the above command, you will be asked to confirm your action. Type
A in the PowerShell window and press Enter to confirm the execution policy change.

5. To verify the policy change, execute the Get-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet again and you should
see it return RemoteSigned.

That is all. It is simple to change the PowerShell execution policy.

If you like this article, do check how to zoom in and out in PowerShell and how to run
PowerShell scripts on schedule in Windows 10.

How to Enable PowerShell Scripts How to Disable PowerShell How to Find Out Windows
Execution on Windows 10 Completely on Windows 10 (GPO) Update Size via PowerShell in
Windows 10

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2 thoughts on “How to Change PowerShell Execution Policy in

Windows 10”

AMNA
MAY 28, 2021 AT 4:06 PM

what to do if it says
C:\Windows\system32>Get-ExecutionPolicy
‘Get-ExecutionPolicy’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

BASHKARLA
MAY 28, 2021 AT 5:55 PM