How to Open Notepad++ from PowerShell
Introduction
Having the ability to open Notepad++ from PowerShell is extremely useful. It can save you time and energy by allowing you to quickly edit text files without opening the program manually.
In this article, we’ll walk through how to use PowerShell commands to open Notepad++.
Solution
Using Start-Process
Once you are in PowerShell environment, you can type in Start-Process followed by the path of your Notepad++ executable file.
In this case, we are going to open Notepad++ where the executable file is physically located at C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe, you would type following script into PowerShell.
Start-Process 'C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe'
The Start-Process command will launch Notepad++. Simply type in the name of the program that you want to open, and it should launch almost immediately.
Using Invoke-Item
Another useful command is Invoke-Item which can also be used to open specific item from within PowerShell. To use this command, simply enter it followed by the path of the Notepad++.
Invoke-Item 'C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe'
This will automatically launch Notepad++.
Using Call Operator (&)
Call Operator & can also be used to open Notepad++. The pattern is the same with previous example where the operator must be followed by the path to Notepad++ executable file.
& 'C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe'
Conclusion
Using Windows PowerShell commands makes opening Notepad++ incredibly easy and efficient, just remember we can use Start-Process, Invoke-Item or Call Operator & command to open the application.