When working with PowerShell execution policies, you might encounter a scenario where the Set-ExecutionPolicy command appears to execute successfully for the CurrentUser scope, but subsequent checks with Get-ExecutionPolicy -List show no change. Here's what's happening under the hood:

# Typical failed scenario
PS C:\> Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope CurrentUser
PS C:\> Get-ExecutionPolicy -List

        Scope ExecutionPolicy
        ----- ---------------
MachinePolicy       Undefined
   UserPolicy       Undefined
      Process       Undefined
  CurrentUser       Undefined
LocalMachine    Unrestricted

Before proceeding with solutions, let's verify potential causes:

# Check Group Policy settings
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell" -Name "ExecutionPolicy" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell" -Name "ExecutionPolicy" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Check registry permissions (CurrentUser scope)
Test-Path -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell"
$acl = Get-Acl "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell"
$acl.Access | Format-Table IdentityReference,FileSystemRights,AccessControlType,IsInherited -AutoSize

1. Registry Direct Modification

When the standard cmdlet fails, modifying the registry directly often works:

# For CurrentUser scope
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell" -Name "ExecutionPolicy" -Value "Unrestricted" -Force

# Verification
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell" -Name "ExecutionPolicy"

2. PowerShell Process Elevation

Sometimes the issue stems from insufficient permissions during registry write operations:

# Run PowerShell as Administrator even for CurrentUser scope
Start-Process powershell -Verb RunAs -ArgumentList "-NoExit -Command &{Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope CurrentUser -Force}"

3. Profile Script Workaround

As a temporary measure, you can bypass the execution policy for your session:

# Add to your PowerShell profile
if ((Get-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser) -ne "Unrestricted") {
    Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope Process -Force
}

For environments where changes don't persist, consider creating a scheduled task that runs at login:

$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute 'powershell.exe' -Argument '-NoProfile -Command "Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope CurrentUser -Force"'
$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -AtLogOn
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "SetPSExecutionPolicy" -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -RunLevel Highest -Force

If the issue persists, examine detailed system events:

# Check PowerShell operational logs
Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational" -MaxEvents 50 |
    Where-Object {$_.Id -eq 40962 -or $_.Id -eq 40963} |
    Format-List TimeCreated,Message

# Check for registry virtualization
reg query HKCU\Software\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell /v ExecutionPolicy

When attempting to set PowerShell's ExecutionPolicy for the CurrentUser scope, you might encounter situations where the setting doesn't persist. This typically manifests as follows:

PS C:\> Get-ExecutionPolicy -List

        Scope ExecutionPolicy
        ----- ---------------
MachinePolicy       Undefined
   UserPolicy       Undefined
      Process       Undefined
  CurrentUser       Undefined
 LocalMachine    Unrestricted

Even after running Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope CurrentUser, the CurrentUser scope remains Undefined.

Several factors could prevent ExecutionPolicy from applying to CurrentUser:

• Group Policy restrictions (even if not immediately visible)
• Insufficient permissions in the registry
• Corrupted PowerShell profile
• Registry key ownership issues

Try this step-by-step troubleshooting:

# First, check for effective Group Policies
Get-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Get-Item -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Then attempt to force the setting
Start-Process powershell -Verb RunAs -ArgumentList "Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope CurrentUser -Force"

# Verify the registry key directly
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell" -Name ExecutionPolicy

If the standard approach fails, manually modify the registry:

# Backup the current key first
$regPath = "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell"
if (!(Test-Path $regPath)) {
    New-Item -Path $regPath -Force | Out-Null
}
$current = Get-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name ExecutionPolicy -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($current) {
    $backupValue = $current.ExecutionPolicy
}

# Set the value directly
Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name ExecutionPolicy -Value "Unrestricted" -Type String -Force

# Verify the change
Get-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name ExecutionPolicy

If you still can't modify CurrentUser scope, consider these alternatives:

# Use Process scope for current session
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope Process

# Or bypass the policy for specific scripts
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ".\script.ps1"

After applying any changes, always verify with:

Get-ExecutionPolicy -List
Get-ChildItem -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1" -Recurse | 
    Where-Object {$_.Property -contains "ExecutionPolicy"} | 
    Select-Object PSPath, Property