For compatibility reasons, Microsoft still includes and enables the older PowerShell 2.0 version in Windows 10 & 11. That way, even if you have older scripts they will run fine. However, it’s been so long since PowerShell 2.0 has been deprecated and unless you are in special situations, you will not encounter scripts or applications designed for version 2.0. Since having the deprecated software is considered a security risk, you can simply disable PowerShell 2.0 to keep your computer safe and secure. The good thing is, if you ever need this older version, you can enable it back with just a few clicks. In this tutorial, we’ll show two simple methods to disable PowerShell 2.0. Let’s get started.
Related: How to disable Command Prompt in Windows
Note: You need administrator rights to follow the below steps.
Disable PowerShell 2.0 Using Windows Features
Since PowerShell 2.0 is a deprecated feature, it is enabled as an optional feature. That means, disabling it is as easy as unchecking a checkbox. Here’s how.
1. First, open the start menu by clicking the Windows logo on the taskbar.
2. Search for Turn Windows features on or off and click on the top result to open the Optional Windows Features.
3. In this window, scroll down, and uncheck the Windows PowerShell 2.0 option
4. Click the OK button to save changes.
5. As soon as you click the OK button, Windows will make the necessary changes. Click the Close button and you are done.
That is it. You’ve disabled Windows PowerShell 2.0.
Enable PowerShell 2.0 Using Windows Features
Open the Optional Windows Features tool, scroll down, select the Windows PowerShell 2.0 checkbox, and click OK. This will enable the PowerShell 2.0 module.
Run This Command To Disable PowerShell 2.0
You can fully disable PowerShell 2.0 using a PowerShell command. Here’s how.
1. First, open the start menu, search for PowerShell, and then select the Run as administrator option. This action opens PowerShell with admin rights.
2. In the console window, run the below command by copying and pasting it.
Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName MicrosoftWindowsPowerShellV2Root3. As soon as you execute the command, Windows disables the PowerShell 2.0 module. From this point forward, you cannot run older scripts designed for PowerShell 2.0 or lower.
Enable PowerShell 2.0 Using PowerShell
If you want to enable PowerShell 2.0 back again, execute the below command. As you can see from the command, all we did was replace “Disable” with “Enable”.
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName MicrosoftWindowsPowerShellV2Root—
And there you have it! It’s that simple to disable PowerShell 2.0. Keep in mind that we are only disabling the deprecated PowerShell 2.0 but the regular PowerShell is still enabled. If you want, you can also disable the current version of PowerShell too.
If you need any help or have questions, comment below and we’ll help.
