# PowerShell.exe isn't PowerShell It’s important to understand that Windows PowerShell is actually an untouchable, behind-the-scenes engine. You as a mere human being cannot easily interact directly with PowerShell. Instead, you need a host application. A host embeds the engine internally, and then gives you a way to interact with it. For example, PowerShell.exe is a host application. It is built around the same Windows console host (ConHost.exe) as the old Cmd.exe command-line shell, but it embeds the PowerShell engine. You type commands, and the host hands those to the engine for execution. The host is also responsible for displaying any results ? in this case, on-screen. Why is this distinction important? Because different hosts can behave in different ways. For example, the PowerShell ISE behaves a bit differently than the console host, and both of them behave very differently from Active Directory Administration Center ? another PowerShell host. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://devops-collective-inc.gitbook.io/the-big-book-of-powershell-gotchas/powershell.exe-isnt-powershell.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.