Open a Folder Using PowerShell
-
Use
Invoke-Item
Cmdlet to Open a Folder Using PowerShell -
Use
start
to Open a Folder Using PowerShell -
Use
explorer
to Open a Folder Using PowerShell

Sometimes when working on PowerShell, you might need to open folders or files, and you exit the PowerShell window to open folders. You can easily navigate different folders and open them without leaving the PowerShell window.
This tutorial will teach you to open a folder or file using PowerShell.
Use Invoke-Item
Cmdlet to Open a Folder Using PowerShell
The Invoke-Item
command performs the default action on the specified item. For example, it opens an executable file in the application of its file type.
When a folder path is given, it opens that folder in the new File Explorer window.
Invoke-Item C:\New
If you provide .
as an argument will open the current working directory in File Explorer.
Invoke-Item .
Similarly, you have to specify a file path to open a file. The following command opens a text.txt
file in the C:\New
directory.
Invoke-Item C:\New\test.txt
If you find Invoke-Item
long, you can also use its alias ii
to open folders or files from PowerShell.
ii C:\New
Use start
to Open a Folder Using PowerShell
The start
is an alias for the Start-Process
cmdlet. It starts one or more processes on the local computer.
You have to specify an executable file or a file that a program can open on the computer. The following command opens a C:\Personal Website
folder on the computer.
start 'C:\Personal Website'
To open a current working directory, you can use .
.
start .
Use explorer
to Open a Folder Using PowerShell
Another way to open a folder from PowerShell is using explorer
or explorer.exe
in the console. It simply opens the specified folder or file in the Windows File Explorer.
explorer C:\pc\computing
You can also use .
to open the current folder in the File Explorer.
explorer .
We hope this article helps you understand how to open a folder or file from Windows PowerShell.
Related Article - PowerShell Folder
- Get the Size of the Folder Including the Subfolders in PowerShell
- PowerShell Compare Folders
- Set Folder Permissions in PowerShell
- Delete Empty Folders in PowerShell
- Recursively Set Permissions on Folders Using PowerShell