Fix “Running Scripts Is Disabled on This System” in PowerShell

To fix “running scripts is disabled on this system” in PowerShell, set the execution policy to RemoteSigned for your account. It doesn’t need admin rights:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

The error means the effective policy is Restricted, which is the default on Windows client PCs. Below I reproduce it, check every policy scope, and show fixes from a single run to a permanent change, tested in PowerShell 7.6 and 5.1.

What the error looks like

I started a window with the Restricted policy and ran a simple script. PowerShell refused to load it:

$shell = (Get-Process -Id $PID).Path
$output = & $shell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Restricted -File C:\psfaqs\Scripts\Get-Greeting.ps1 2>&1 |
    ForEach-Object { $_.ToString() } | Out-String
$text = ($output -replace "$([char]27)\[[0-9;]*m", '' -replace '\s+', ' ')
'Result: Failed.'
[regex]::Match($text, 'File \S+ cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system\.').Value

Output:

Result: Failed.
File C:\psfaqs\Scripts\Get-Greeting.ps1 cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system.

Restricted allows commands you type but no script files at all, not even ones you wrote yourself.

Check your execution policy at every scope

The policy can be set in five places, and the first one that isn’t Undefined wins, from top to bottom:

$env:PSExecutionPolicyPreference = $null
$shell = (Get-Process -Id $PID).Path

& $shell -NoProfile -Command { Get-ExecutionPolicy -List } |
    ForEach-Object { '{0,-13} {1}' -f $_.Scope, $_.ExecutionPolicy }

Output:

MachinePolicy Undefined
UserPolicy    Undefined
Process       Undefined
CurrentUser   RemoteSigned
LocalMachine  RemoteSigned

PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1 keep their LocalMachine policies separately, so they can differ, as they do on my PC. Check the shell you actually use.

Scope	Who sets it	Lasts
MachinePolicy / UserPolicy	Group Policy	Until the policy changes; you can’t override it
Process	-ExecutionPolicy or -Scope Process	Only the current PowerShell process
CurrentUser	You, no admin needed	Permanently, for your account
LocalMachine	An administrator	Permanently, for everyone on the PC

Fix 1: Allow scripts for your account

RemoteSigned runs scripts you create locally and requires a signature only for scripts downloaded from the internet. It’s the right choice for most people:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

On Windows 11, the same setting is in Settings > System > For developers, under PowerShell. If a downloaded script still won’t run afterward, see the file is not digitally signed.

Fix 2: Allow scripts for the current window only

-Scope Process changes the policy just for this PowerShell session, which is handy on locked-down PCs. It’s gone when you close the window:

$shell = (Get-Process -Id $PID).Path
& $shell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Restricted -Command {
    Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process -Force
    "Process scope is now: $(Get-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process)"
    & C:\psfaqs\Scripts\Get-Greeting.ps1
} 2>$null

Output:

Process scope is now: RemoteSigned
Hello from Get-Greeting.ps1

Fix 3: Bypass the policy for one script

To run a single script from a shortcut, scheduled task or another shell, pass -ExecutionPolicy Bypass on the command line:

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File C:\Scripts\Get-Greeting.ps1

$shell = (Get-Process -Id $PID).Path
& $shell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File C:\psfaqs\Scripts\Get-Greeting.ps1

Output:

Hello from Get-Greeting.ps1

Use pwsh.exe instead of powershell.exe for PowerShell 7. Running scripts from the command line covers passing parameters.

Fix 4: Change it for every user on the PC

From an elevated window, set the LocalMachine scope:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope LocalMachine

If Get-ExecutionPolicy -List shows a value under MachinePolicy or UserPolicy, Group Policy controls it and your change won’t take effect. Ask your IT team in that case. Microsoft explains the precedence in about_Execution_Policies and the parameters in the Set-ExecutionPolicy reference.

Is changing the execution policy safe?

The execution policy isn’t a security boundary; it’s a safety net against running scripts by accident. RemoteSigned keeps that net for downloaded files, so it’s a sensible default. Avoid Unrestricted and permanent Bypass.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related script fixes:

• Set the execution policy
• Fix the file is not digitally signed
• Unblock downloaded files
• Run a script from the command line