Why does PowerShell briefly show up in Task Manager?

Windows can log events for newly created processes. You can run a PowerShell command to help find the program responsible for triggering PowerShell. Check out detailed guidance on process auditing. It's pretty handy!

You should definitely check your scheduled tasks. Sometimes, unexpected software can trigger PowerShell to run in the background. It's good practice to keep an eye on that.

It's not typically normal for PowerShell to appear like that, but it can happen for various reasons depending on your setup. Here are a few things to consider: Are you using your device for home or work? Do you play a lot of games? Have you installed any random software from the internet? Also, check if you have local admin rights. Take a peek at your startup items and scheduled tasks; something in there might be calling PowerShell. If you can, enable script block logging and check the event logs to see what’s actually being executed.

Consider installing Sysmon. It logs detailed events and can show you what's spawning the PowerShell process and what command it’s executing. Running that could provide some clarity.

Have you tried using tools like Process Explorer or Process Monitor? They can help you figure out what’s going on when PowerShell launches. Another option is to enable process creation logging to get more insights.