I stopped avoiding PowerShell after these 3 Windows tweaks

As a long-time Windows user who also uses Linux , something that crosses my mind a lot. Why do I not use PowerShell as much as I use the Linux Terminal ? It's not like PowerShell is scary or anything. After doing some analysis, I came to understand that it's more because of how I treat Windows and how PowerShell fits into it.

When I finally removed any obstacles to the matter, I found myself using PowerShell more and even enjoying the experience. In fact, it even made some tasks easier and felt more natural than using the GUI.

I made PowerShell easier to reach

Less friction, more usage

For a long time, PowerShell wasn't part of my normal Windows workflow because getting to it always felt like an extra step. I'd search for it from the Start menu when I needed it, use a command from a guide, then close it and move on.

One of the first things I changed was making PowerShell easier to access. I switched to using Windows Terminal more regularly and pinned it to my taskbar instead of leaving it buried among dozens of apps. I also started using options like "Open in Terminal "from File Explorer whenever I was working inside folders.

I started using the keyboard shortcuts I've been ignoring all this time. Pressing Win + X, then i, opens the Power Users menu and launches the Windows Terminal . Inside any folder in File Explorer, doing Shift + Right-Click on an empty space reveals the option "Open PowerShell window here." I also opened PowerShell by typing it in the Address Bar in File Explorer.

That sounds trivial until you realize how much convenience shapes what tools you actually use. If opening PowerShell takes more effort than clicking through File Explorer or digging around in Settings, chances are I'll stick with the GUI.

I noticed the difference pretty quickly. Tasks I would normally do through menus, such as checking IP configuration , killing a stuck process , or looking up system information , started moving to PowerShell simply because it was already open or easier to launch.

Making PowerShell look better

It made me want to stay longer

Even after I started opening PowerShell more often, I still didn't enjoy spending time in it. The default setup worked, but it felt plain and difficult to scan at a glance. So I did what most people eventually do: I customized the terminal.

The biggest change was setting up Oh My Posh , a prompt theme engine for PowerShell that adds contextual information directly into the prompt. I installed it using winget , paired it with a Nerd Font to render icons correctly, then configured a theme through my PowerShell profile so it loaded automatically every time I opened a session.

It turned PowerShell from a basic text prompt into something far more informative and cool-looking

I didn't stop there. I experimented with different color schemes in Windows Terminal, switched fonts, enabled transparency, and spent an embarrassing amount of time testing themes until I found something I liked. Windows Terminal makes most of these changes surprisingly accessible through Settings.

Aliases and profile tweaks turned PowerShell into a time saver

Tiny tweaks for a real workflow boost

Making PowerShell easier to open got me using it more often. Customizing the terminal made it more pleasant to work in. But aliases and profile tweaks were what actually changed how I used it.

At first, I kept typing the same commands repeatedly or looking up commands I knew I had used before. I'd runGet-ChildItem, forget the exact syntax for a process-related command, or copy something from command history because I couldn't remember it.

So I started making small adjustments to my PowerShell profile. If you haven't used one before, the PowerShell profile is essentially a script that runs every time PowerShell starts. You can use it to load modules, define aliases, create functions, or automate repetitive setup tasks.

My first changes were simple. I added aliases for commands I used regularly and created shortcuts for longer commands I was tired of typing. For example, I setgrepto runSelect-String, which gave me a quicker way to search text in files, especially since I was already used to the command from Linux tutorials.

PowerShell lets you create temporary aliases withSet-Alias, but I wanted them available in every session. So I added them to my PowerShell profile by opening the profile script with:

Then I saved my custom aliases there, alongside other startup tweaks. I also used the same profile file to automatically load tools and customizations whenever PowerShell launched.

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When PowerShell Became Normal

I didn't set out to become someone who uses PowerShell for everything. For a long time, it was just a tool I opened when I had no other choice. But the more I use it now, the more I realize that I can fix so many Windows problems with it .