Run a program hidden in Windows 10

Do you know that you can start an application hidden in Windows? Sometimes you need to because some apps can run in the background doing their task without interrupting your workflow. You might want to run an app hidden from a batch script, let it do its work and not show any window. In this article, we will see all ways to run a program hidden in Windows 10.
Windows 10 run hidden bannerThere are several ways to start an application hidden in Windows 10. It can be done without third party tools and with the help of some useful third party tools. Here are the easiest ways to do it.

In the article, we will hide Notepad as an example. You can use the same method to hide any other app you want.

Method 1. Using VBScript

This is the old and "traditional" way to start apps hidden. It works in every Windows version where VBScript is available. All modern Windows versions have VBScript support.

Open your favorite text editor and paste the following text.

Dim WShell
Set WShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WShell.Run "Notepad.exe", 0
Set WShell = Nothing

Save it to a file with the .VBS extension. When you double click it, it will start Notepad hidden.

To call it from a batch file, execute it as follows:

wscript ""path\to\your vbs file.vbs"

Here, the Run method of the Wscript.Shell object runs a program in a new process. The second parameter is 0, which tells it to run the application hidden.
If you need to run an application with some command line arguments, the syntax is as follows:

WShell.Run "path\to\app.exe /argument1 /argument2", 0

If the application path contains spaces, add quotes to the beginning and to the end of the path. For example:

WShell.Run """" & "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" & """", 0

You can verify that the app is running by opening Task Manager. You will see Notepad.exe running but no window will be shown for it.

Method 2. Using PowerShell

PowerShell in Windows 10 and earlier versions comes with a built-in cmdlet Start-Process which can be used to start programs hidden too.
The syntax is as follows:

Start-Process -WindowStyle hidden -FilePath Notepad.exe

If you save this text in a file with a .PS1 extension, then you can call it from a batch file as follows:

powershell -executionPolicy bypass -file "path\to\my file.ps1"

Method 3. Using a third party tool

There are a number of third party tools which can use to manipulate window states. The only problem with such third party tools is that they often trigger false positives in antivirus software. If you need to use a third party tool, I suggest you to play with these:
Quiet

The syntax is as follows:

Quiet.exe "path\to\executable file.exe"

NirCmd by NirSoft
NirCmd is a powerful console tool which can do a lot of useful tricks. One of its options is the ability to start a process hidden.
The syntax is as follows:

nircmd exec hide "C:\Windows\Notepad.exe"

That's it. If you use some alternative way to start an app hidden in Windows 10, feel free to share it in the comments.

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Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

17 thoughts on “Run a program hidden in Windows 10”

  1. This works with Notepad, but it can’t find any files elsewhere. I put in proper path with quotations. Nothing doing. Have you tried running it with other installed applications?

      1. Just replace notepad with any other program that has an actual path. Like “C:\Program Files (x86)\VSO\ConvertX\6\ConvertXtoDvd.exe”. I run the script and it says it can’t find it. I run VBS every day. I even put it on root drive. Not that I want to run above invisibly, but I was just trying it out.

        1. I figured out what is the problem.
          If path contains spaces, like in your case in “Program Files”, you need to use extra quotes in the Run method arguments. See this image:

          Added this to the article.

  2. :( doesn`t work on wind 10 :( need for one game to hide HxD.exe
    app start after using cmd, PowerShell but I can see it in in task manager
    fu.. why hidetoolz doesn`t work on new windows? :(

    1. this is because your app is relaunches itself with a new instance quickly, so it appears visible.
      #notabug

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