How to Silently Install Open-Shell

For Intune, SCCM, or PDQ deployments, Open-Shell is a practical machine-wide EXE package that requires admin rights and fits well into standardized Windows software rollouts. This guide is built for IT admins who need a reliable, repeatable approach using the verified silent install command, along with clear detection rule guidance for validation and ongoing management. Use it to streamline packaging, reduce user prompts, and deploy Open-Shell consistently across managed endpoints.

Open-Shell.Open-Shell-Menu.4.4.198.X64.exe /quiet /norestart

Overview

Silent install steps

Open-Shell installs through a PowerShell command, so run it in an elevated PowerShell session. Command Prompt cannot run this cmdlet.

Install with PowerShell

1. Download or stage the installer (Open-Shell.Open-Shell-Menu.4.4.198.X64.exe) to a local folder, for example C:\Installers.

2. Open PowerShell as Administrator — right-click Start (or press Win+X), then:
   • On Windows 10: choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).
   • On Windows 11: choose Terminal (Admin) — it opens Windows Terminal running PowerShell.

3. Run the silent install command:

Open-Shell.Open-Shell-Menu.4.4.198.X64.exe /quiet /norestart

PS C:\> Set-Location 'C:\Installers'PS C:\Installers> Open-Shell.Open-Shell-Menu.4.4.198.X64.exe /quiet /norestartInstalling Open-Shell 4.4.198…100%Installation complete — exit code 0.PS C:\Installers> ▋

Deployment Notes

Key facts to confirm before rolling this out to production machines — permissions required, scope of install, and reboot behavior.

Detection Rules

Configure your deployment tool with the detection rule below to confirm a successful install of Open-Shell. The same rule work for Microsoft Intune, SCCM, PDQ Deploy, and most RMM platforms — just paste the values into the matching fields.

MSI product code detection

PowerShell detection script

Prefer a script-based check? Use this as a custom detection script in Microsoft Intune (or any tool that supports detection scripts). It exits 0 when Open-Shell is detected and 1 otherwise.

$Code = '{E7FAF594-3859-4121-9030-EDB2880E562F}'
$Paths = @(
    "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\$Code",
    "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\$Code"
)
if ($Paths | Where-Object { Test-Path $_ }) { exit 0 }
exit 1

Silent Uninstall Steps

Remove Open-Shell silently from one machine or your entire fleet. The commands below uninstall without prompts and suppress automatic reboots so you control the timing.

Method 1: Uninstall with Command Prompt

Run the uninstall command from an elevated Command Prompt.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run the silent uninstall command.

msiexec /x "{E7FAF594-3859-4121-9030-EDB2880E562F}" /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress

Method 2: Uninstall with PowerShell

Run the same silent uninstall command through PowerShell.

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
2. Run the silent uninstall command.

Start-Process -FilePath "msiexec.exe" -ArgumentList '/x "{E7FAF594-3859-4121-9030-EDB2880E562F}" /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress' -Wait -NoNewWindow

Deployment Examples

Drop the snippet below into your deployment tool, Group Policy, or scheduled task. It wraps the silent install command for Open-Shell as a PowerShell script — copy, save, and run.

PowerShell script example

Save the following content as install-open-shell.ps1 in the same folder as the installer.

Set-Location -Path $PSScriptRoot
$Installer = 'Open-Shell.Open-Shell-Menu.4.4.198.X64.exe'
$Installer /quiet /norestart
exit $LASTEXITCODE

Frequently asked questions

Troubleshooting

If the install fails, exits with a non-zero code, or leaves no trace on the target machine, work through the checks below. Most issues come down to permissions, paths, or exit code handling.