How to run an EXE file in PowerShell with parameters with spaces and quotes

Just add the & operator before the .exe name. Here is a command to install SQL Server Express in silence mode:

$fileExe = "T:\SQLEXPRADV_x64_ENU.exe"
$CONFIGURATIONFILE = "T:\ConfSetupSql2008Express.ini"

& $fileExe  /CONFIGURATIONFILE=$CONFIGURATIONFILE

This worked for me:

& 'D:\Server\PSTools\PsExec.exe' @('\\1.1.1.1', '-accepteula', '-d', '-i', $id, '-h', '-u', 'domain\user', '-p', 'password', '-w', 'C:\path\to\the\app', 'java', '-jar', 'app.jar')

Just put paths or connection strings in one array item and split the other things in one array item each.

There are a lot of other options here: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/7703.powershell-running-executables.aspx

Microsoft should make this way simpler and compatible with command prompt syntax.

You can use:

Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Program Files\IIS\Microsoft Web Deploy\msdeploy.exe" -ArgumentList "-verb:sync -source:dbfullsql="Data Source=mysource;Integrated Security=false;User ID=sa;Pwd=sapass!;Database=mydb;" -dest:dbfullsql="Data Source=.\mydestsource;Integrated Security=false;User ID=sa;Pwd=sapass!;Database=mydb;",computername=10.10.10.10,username=administrator,password=adminpass"

The key thing to note here is that FilePath must be in position 0, according to the Help Guide. To invoke the Help guide for a commandlet, just type in Get-Help <Commandlet-name> -Detailed . In this case, it is Get-Help Start-Process -Detailed.

I was able to get my similar command working using the following approach:

msdeploy.exe -verb=sync "-source=dbFullSql=Server=THESERVER;Database=myDB;UID=sa;Pwd=saPwd" -dest=dbFullSql=c:\temp\test.sql

For your command (not that it helps much now), things would look something like this:

msdeploy.exe -verb=sync "-source=dbfullsql=Server=mysource;Trusted_Connection=false;UID=sa;Pwd=sapass!;Database=mydb;" "-dest=dbfullsql=Server=mydestsource;Trusted_Connection=false;UID=sa;Pwd=sapass!;Database=mydb;",computername=10.10.10.10,username=administrator,password=adminpass

The key points are:

• Use quotes around the source argument, and remove the embedded quotes around the connection string
• Use the alternative key names in building the SQL connection string that don't have spaces in them. For example, use "UID" instead of "User Id", "Server" instead of "Data Source", "Trusted_Connection" instead of "Integrated Security", and so forth. I was only able to get it to work once I removed all spaces from the connection string.

I didn't try adding the "computername" part at the end of the command line, but hopefully this info will help others reading this now get closer to their desired result.

I use this simple, clean and effective method.

I place arguments in an array, 1 per line. This way it is very easy to read and edit. Then I use a simple trick of passing all arguments inside double quotes to a function with 1 single parameter. That flattens them, including arrays, to a single string, which I then execute using PS's 'Invoke-Expression'. This directive is specifically designed to convert a string to runnable command. Works well:

# function with one argument will flatten 
# all passed-in entries into 1 single string line
Function Execute($command) {
    # execute:
    Invoke-Expression $command;
    # if you have trouble try:
    # Invoke-Expression "& $command";
    # or if you need also output to a variable
    # Invoke-Expression $command | Tee-Object -Variable cmdOutput;
}

#  ... your main code here ...

# The name of your executable app
$app = 'my_app.exe';
# List of arguments:
# Notice the type of quotes - important !
# Those in single quotes are normal strings, like 'Peter'
$args = 'arg1',
        'arg2',
        $some_variable,
        'arg4',
        "arg5='with quotes'",
        'arg6',
        "arg7 \ with \ $other_variable",
        'etc...';
    
# pass all arguments inside double quotes
Execute "$app $args";
  

You can run exe files in powershell different ways. For instance if you want to run unrar.exe and extract a .rar file you can simply write in powershell this:

$extract_path = "C:\Program Files\Containing folder";
$rar_to_extract = "C:\Path_to_arch\file.rar"; #(or.exe if its a big file)  
C:\Path_here\Unrar.exe x -o+ -c- $rar_to_extract $extract_path;

But sometimes, this doesn't work so you must use the & parameter as shown above: For instance, with vboxmanage.exe (a tool to manage virtualbox virtual machines) you must call the paramterers outside of the string like this, without quotes:

> $vmname = "misae_unrtes_1234123"; #(name too long, we want to change this)
> & 'C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe' modifyvm $vmname --name UBUNTU;

If you want to call simply a winrar archived file as .exe files, you can also unzip it with the invoke-command cmdlet and a Silent parameter /S (Its going to extract itself in the same folder than where it has been compressed).

> Invoke-Command -ScriptBlock { C:\Your-path\archivefile.exe /S };

So there are several ways to run .exe files with arguments in powershell.

Sometimes, one must find a workaround to make it work properly, which can require some further effort and pain :) depending on the way the .exe has been compiled or made bi its creators.

Cmd can handle running a quoted exe, but Powershell can't. I'm just going to deal with running the exe itself, since I don't have it. If you literally need to send doublequotes to an argument of an external command, that's another issue that's been covered elsewhere.

1) add the exe folder to your path, maybe in your $profile

$env:path += ';C:\Program Files\IIS\Microsoft Web Deploy\'
msdeploy

2) backquote the spaces:

C:\Program` Files\IIS\Microsoft` Web` Deploy\msdeploy.exe

For the executable name, the new-alias cmdlet can be employed to avoid dealing with spaces or needing to add the executable to the $PATH environment.

PS> new-alias msdeploy "C:\Program Files\IIS\Microsoft Web Deploy\msdeploy.exe"
PS> msdeploy ...

To list or modify PS aliases also see

PS> get-alias
PS> set-alias

From Jeffery Hicks Aarticle

Other answers address the arguments.

If you just need to run a file in the current directory and don't feel like spelling out the entire path use Get-Location:

& "$(Get-Location)\example.exe" arg1 arg2 arg3

Note the & at the start. Spaced arguments are to be placed after the quotes.

I had the following code working perfect on my laptop:

& $msdeploy `
-source:package="$publishFile" `
-dest:auto,computerName="$server",includeAcls="False",UserName="$username",Password="$password",AuthType="$auth" `
-allowUntrusted  `
-verb:sync  `
-enableRule:DoNotDeleteRule `
-disableLink:AppPoolExtension  `
-disableLink:ContentExtension  `
-disableLink:CertificateExtension  `
-skip:objectName=filePath,absolutePath="^(.*Web\.config|.*Environment\.config)$" `
-setParam:name=`"IIS Web Application Name`",value="$appName"

Then when I tried to run that directly on one server I started getting those errors "Unrecognized argument ...etc.... All arguments must begin with "-". "

After trying all possible workarounds (no success), I found out that Powershell on the server (Windows 2008 R2) was version 3.0, while my laptop has 5.0. (you can use "$PSVersionTable" to see version).

After upgrading Powershell to latest version it started working again.

To transfer a batch script using exiftool.exe to a powershell script I had the challange to give '-s, "-s and even ${Filename} to the command and on the other hand fill out variables in these parameters.

For a start: The replacement in using 'echochars' is brilliant. It clearly shows what is grouped as a single parameter and what ends up as the next parameter.

In powershell it is similar to perl (and unix scripting): the used quotes have their meaning.

• strings between "-s. The string will be interpreted (variables filled)
• Strings between '-s. The string will not be interpreted (or verry limited)
• the escape character is ` (the back-quote). The next character looses its special meaning. Comparable with the \ (back stroke) on unix/linux/perl.

Some examples:

${ExifArgs} += "-if `"`${FileName} !~ /desktop.ini/i`""
${ExifArgs} += '-dateFormat "%Y\%Y%m\%Y%m%d_%H%M%S"'
${ExifArgs} += ('"' + "-FileName<${NewFotos}\${SourceName}\" + '${DateTimeOriginal}_${ImageWidth}x${ImageHeight}_${Model;s/ //g}_${FileName;s/^.*([0-9]{4})[^0-9].*$/\1/}.%e' + '"')

A call to echoargs with the above, produces the next output (numbers are hacked for privacy):

Arg 11 is <-if>
Arg 12 is <${FileName} !~ /desktop.ini/i>
Arg 13 is <-dateFormat>
Arg 14 is <%Y\%Y%m\%Y%m%d_%H%M%S>
Arg 15 is <-FileName<D:\Pictures\NewFotos\${DateTimeOriginal}_${ImageWidth}x${ImageHeight}_${Model;s/ //g}_${FileName;s/^.*([0-9]{4})[^0-9].*$/\1/}.%e>

See how the first line produces arg 11 and 12: the outher "-s are removed to store the entire line in the array. The inner "-s, quoted by the `-s are there to keep the argument together (while the -if is the previous argument)

The second shows arg 13 and 14: the use of "-s between '-s. No need to escape using `-s.

In the last line (producing arg 15): the single string is constructed by using powershell ()-s and +-s to concatenate a couple of strings to a single string. It uses both " and ' delimited strings to have som ${}-s filled out by powershell and some for exiftool. And yes, some powershell special characters are transvered into the archuments.