The Start-Process cmdlet starts one or more processes on the local computer. By default, Start-Process creates a new process that inherits all the environment variables that are defined in the current process. To specify the program that runs in the process, enter an executable file or script file, or a file that can be opened by using a program on the computer. If you specify a non-executable file, Start-Process starts the program that is associated with the file, similar to the Invoke-Item cmdlet. You can use the parameters of Start-Process to specify options, such as loading a user profile, starting the process in a new window, or using alternate credentials.