Replace Command Prompt with PowerShell in Win+X Menu

Microsoft has released Windows 8.1 which comes as an update to the Windows 8. This new version has many new added features that were missing in the Windows 8. For example, Microsoft has finally decided to bring back the Start button in Windows 8.1 after seeing the disappointment of users arising from the missing Start Menu. This Start button is not much of help – all it does is open the Start Screen. If you right-click on it, it opens the Win + X administrator menu. In Windows 8.1, you can adjust whether to show command prompt or PowerShell in the Win + X menu when you right-click on the Start button. Here is how:

Replace Command Prompt with PowerShell in Win+X Menu

  1. First of all, switch to the Windows desktop by pressing the Win + D key combination.
  2. Once you are in the desktop mode, right-click on the Taskbar and select Properties from the context-menu.

    Replace Command Prompt with PowerShell in Win+X Menu

  3. This would open the Taskbar and Navigation Properties window. Switch to the Navigation Tab in this window and check the checkbox labeled Replace command prompt with PowerShell in the menu when I right-click the lower-left corner as shown in the picture below:

    Replace Command Prompt with PowerShell in Win+X Menu

  4. Click on the OK button to save the settings.

After this when you press the Win + X hotkey or click on the Start button, you will be shown the usual administrator menu but this time the command prompt would be replaced with PowerShell.