PowerShell Shell.Application To:Launch Windows Explorer

Scripting COM Shell Objects – Launch Windows Explorer

On this page I will show you how to create a COM object, which opens and then manipulates Windows Explorer.  ComObject, or plain COM, is a key PowerShell command that performs many of the jobs previously undertaken by VBScript.  For our task, we are going to persuade PowerShell to create a Shell.Application; from there we will manipulate the Explorer programmatically.

Topics for PowerShell’s Shell.Application

• PowerShell’s New-Object  -Com
• PowerShell Script Manipulating the Windows Explorer
• Research Shell.Application  Methods and Properties
• PowerShell 3.0 New-Object
• Summary of Com Shell Objects

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PowerShell’s New-Object -Com

All COM objects are created through the command: New-Object -COM.  There are dozens of options and possibilities for New-Object -COM, for our purpose we specifically need a Shell.Application type of object.  Let me take you step-by-step through the method.

1) Assuming You Have Installed PowerShell

Using the ISE (GUI) or the PowerShell command line issue these commands:

2) Create the object (Shell.Application)
The first step is to create an object and assign it to a variable, for example:

3) Let us put the object to work and open the Windows Explorer at the C:\

Learning Points

When I first experimented with this command I tried $ShellExp.open without the brackets – wrong.  Then I tried $ShellExp.Open() – no good.  Finally I remembered that the parenthesis style of brackets needs to enclose a value, $ShellExp.Open("C:\").  Eureka, success, the Windows Explorer launched anchored at the C:\.

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PowerShell Script Manipulating the Windows Explorer

The idea behind a second version of opening the Windows Explorer is to give you perspective.  By changing a few items, I hope that it gives you extra understanding, also more ideas for your own situation.  In the example below I have introduced a variable $Drive to hold the value for the folder, which you want explorer to view.  Note also how I have changed .open("D:") to .explore("C:\windows").  For this script to work, you need to have a \windows folder on your c: drive, fortunately, this is the default location for this system folder.

Research Shell.Application Methods and Properties

Let us investigate the methods and properties available to our shell object with Get-Member

In particular, lookout for the methods: ‘Open’ and ‘Explore’, because these are the methods that we are going to apply to our object.

Here Is -ComObject Example from Outlook

In this example we employ New-Object to create an Outlook Application.  The resulting object has a rich seam of properties and methods.

See More on PowerShell's Send-Email function »

Summary of -COM Shell Objects

Once you have discovered the straightforward technique of creating com objects, then you can specialise by creating a Shell.Application object.  After you have assigned the object to a variable, you can apply methods to perform useful tasks such as opening folders or exploring with Windows Explorer.  The secret of this method is adding a value in the brackets at the end of the command, for example, $ShellExp.Open("C:\").

See more Microsoft PowerShell tasks:

• PowerShell Home   • Shell Application   • New-Object   • PowerShell Add Printer   • PowerShell -com

• PowerShell Logon Script  • Map Network Drive  • PowerShell Create Shortcut  • Free CSV Import Tool

• Invoke-Expression   • Invoke-Command   • Invoke-Item   • PowerShell Expression v Command Mode

Please email me if you have a better example script. Also please report any factual mistakes, grammatical errors or broken links, I will be happy to correct the fault.