After installing the June 23, 2026 preview update KB5095093, I noticed that the application now appears as "Windows PowerShell ISE 5.1" instead of simply "Windows PowerShell ISE." I have not seen this naming before, and the update's release notes do not mention a change to the ISE. Has anyone else noticed the new display name? Was it always labeled this way in some locations, or did the update change the shortcut or Start menu entry?
3 Answers
Not every installation seems to have changed. Some systems still show “Windows PowerShell ISE,” so the new label is probably dependent on the Windows build, shortcut refresh, or installation state. I would not read it as evidence that Microsoft plans to update the ISE for newer PowerShell versions; the documented replacement remains Visual Studio Code with the PowerShell extension.
The change does appear to be real, at least on some systems. One likely explanation is that the update modified the Start menu shortcut or another internal registration used by Search. It may simply be an unnoticed build change rather than something important enough to appear in the release notes.
The ISE is tied specifically to Windows PowerShell 5.1, which is the last PowerShell version that includes it. PowerShell 6 and later use the cross-platform `pwsh` executable and do not support the ISE, so adding “5.1” makes the distinction clearer. It is probably a naming clarification rather than a sign that the ISE is being actively developed again.
I already knew the ISE was deprecated; the surprising part for me was seeing the name change after the update.
I found a shortcut at `C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsWindows PowerShellWindows PowerShell ISE 5.1.lnk`, including a similarly named 32-bit shortcut. That makes it look like the shortcut name itself was changed.