---
title: "Run Windows PowerShell from SQL Server Management Studio | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "06/13/2017"
ms.prod: "sql-server-2014"
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: scripting
ms.topic: conceptual
ms.assetid: 1f841825-da1f-4062-9a81-3cdbab03845b
author: stevestein
ms.author: sstein
manager: craigg
---
# Run Windows PowerShell from SQL Server Management Studio
  You can start Windows PowerShell sessions from **Object Explorer** in [!INCLUDE[ssManStudioFull](../includes/ssmanstudiofull-md.md)]. [!INCLUDE[ssManStudio](../includes/ssmanstudio-md.md)] launches Windows PowerShell, loads the `sqlps` module, and sets the path context to the associated node in the **Object Explorer** tree.  
  
## Before You Begin  
 When you specify running PowerShell for an object in **Object Explorer**, [!INCLUDE[ssManStudioFull](../includes/ssmanstudiofull-md.md)] starts a Windows PowerShell session in which the [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] PowerShell snap-ins have been loaded and registered. The path for the session is preset to the location of the object you right clicked in Object Explorer. For example, if you right-click the [!INCLUDE[ssSampleDBobject](../includes/sssampledbobject-md.md)] database object in Object Explorer and select **Start PowerShell**, the Windows PowerShell path is set to the following:  
  
```
SQLSERVER:\SQL\MyComputer\MyInstance\Databases\AdventureWorks2012>  
```  
  
## To run PowerShell from SQL Server Management Studio 
  
1.  Open **Object Explorer**.  
  
2.  Navigate to the node for the object to be worked on.  
  
3.  Right-click the object and select **Start PowerShell**.  
  
## Permissions  
 When opened from [!INCLUDE[ssManStudio](../includes/ssmanstudio-md.md)], PowerShell does not run with Administrator privileges which may prevent some activities such as calls to WMI.  
  
## See Also  
 [SQL Server PowerShell](sql-server-powershell.md)