Hidden mode in the Windows operating system is an option to run the program without explicit display (windows, taskbar icons, and so on). It is impossible to open the utility in this variant without using commands and scripts. In this article, we will figure out how to run a program in stealth mode in two ways.
Is there a risk?
Since the launch is not performed in the usual way, but through the command line or script in notepad, many users may have a security question. We hasten to assure you that these methods will not affect the performance and level of security of the computer / operating system. This is because running the program in stealth mode uses standard Windows tools, and not third-party software, which affects the operation of the system.
First way: command line
First, we need to open a command line application. Enter the name of the program in the search bar, and then open it with administrator rights through the secondary menu.
You will see a black window with a line for entering commands. The command should be entered here: Start-Process-WindowStyle hidden "path to the program executable file". Instead of the path, you need to insert a standard line of the form C: //ProgramFiles/GoogleChrome//chrome.exe - as an example of launching the Google Chrome browser in hidden mode. The main thing is to correctly indicate the location of the executable file.
To start a command, press Enter. After that, the necessary application will start, but you will not see external signs of its operation.
If we are talking about using the Windows 10 operating system, then the usual command line can be replaced with PowerShell. To start, open the Run window and enter the powershell command, then click OK to start the application.
A blue window appears with the same line for entering text. Again, enter the same command, as shown in the screenshot below and run it with the Enter key.
The second way: through the Notepad program
This option differs not only in the way the team is created through another program, but also in that in this case you do not have to enter the path to the program every time again. The fact is that when you create a VBS script, you save a separate file, which in the future can be easily launched by double-clicking the mouse.
So, we will figure out how to run the program in stealth mode through the Notepad program. To start, open this application. You can do this through the search bar in the "Start" menu or the "All Programs" section. After that, you need to enter the code of 4 lines, which is indicated in the screenshot.
Pay attention to the line WShell.Run "chrome.exe" - in quotation marks should be the name of the executable file of the program. As you can see, you don’t have to specify the path to the folder with the installed application.
To run the program in stealth mode, we save the file with the standard Notepad functionality, but in the line "File name" write the name and extension .vbs.
As a result, a file with this extension will appear in the folder. To enable the VBS script, just double-click on the file. If necessary, you can run the program in stealth mode in Windows as administrator. The final effect will be the same as with the command line. You can find the program in stealth mode only through the list of processes in the "Task Manager" utility.