PowerToys/doc/dsc/modules/EnvironmentVariables.md

description, ms.date, ms.topic, title

description	ms.date	ms.topic	title
DSC configuration reference for PowerToys EnvironmentVariables module	10/18/2025	reference	EnvironmentVariables Module

EnvironmentVariables Module

Synopsis

Manages configuration for the Environment Variables utility, a quick editor for system and user environment variables.

Description

The EnvironmentVariables module configures PowerToys Environment Variables, a utility that provides an enhanced interface for viewing and editing Windows environment variables. It offers a more user-friendly alternative to the standard Windows environment variable editor.

Properties

The EnvironmentVariables module supports the following configurable properties:

LaunchAdministrator

Controls whether the Environment Variables editor launches with administrator privileges by default.

Type: boolean
Default: false
Description: When enabled, the editor will always attempt to launch with elevated permissions, allowing editing of system-wide environment variables.

Examples

Example 1 - Enable admin launch with direct execution

This example configures the Environment Variables editor to always launch with admin rights.

$config = @{
    settings = @{
        properties = @{
            LaunchAdministrator = $true
        }
        name = "EnvironmentVariables"
        version = "1.0"
    }
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 -Compress

PowerToys.DSC.exe set --resource 'settings' --module EnvironmentVariables --input $config

Example 2 - Configure with DSC

This example enables administrator launch through DSC configuration.

dsc config set --file environmentvariables-config.dsc.yaml

# environmentvariables-config.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Configure Environment Variables editor
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/EnvironmentVariablesSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          LaunchAdministrator: true
        name: EnvironmentVariables
        version: 1.0

Example 3 - Install and configure with WinGet

This example installs PowerToys and configures Environment Variables for admin launch.

winget configure winget-envvars.yaml

# winget-envvars.yaml
$schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PowerShell/DSC/main/schemas/2023/08/config/document.json
metadata:
  winget:
    processor: dscv3
resources:
  - name: Install PowerToys
    type: Microsoft.WinGet.DSC/WinGetPackage
    properties:
      id: Microsoft.PowerToys
      source: winget
  
  - name: Configure Environment Variables
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/EnvironmentVariablesSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          LaunchAdministrator: true
        name: EnvironmentVariables
        version: 1.0

Example 4 - Standard user mode

This example configures for standard user access (no elevation).

dsc config set --file envvars-user.dsc.yaml

# envvars-user.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: User-level Environment Variables
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/EnvironmentVariablesSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          LaunchAdministrator: false
        name: EnvironmentVariables
        version: 1.0

Example 5 - Test admin launch configuration

This example tests whether admin launch is enabled.

$desired = @{
    settings = @{
        properties = @{
            LaunchAdministrator = $true
        }
        name = "EnvironmentVariables"
        version = "1.0"
    }
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 -Compress

$result = PowerToys.DSC.exe test --resource 'settings' --module EnvironmentVariables --input $desired | ConvertFrom-Json

if ($result._inDesiredState) {
    Write-Host "Admin launch is enabled"
}

Use cases

System administration

Configure for system-wide environment variable management:

resources:
  - name: Admin configuration
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/EnvironmentVariablesSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          LaunchAdministrator: true
        name: EnvironmentVariables
        version: 1.0

Development workstations

Configure for user-level variable management:

resources:
  - name: Developer configuration
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/EnvironmentVariablesSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          LaunchAdministrator: false
        name: EnvironmentVariables
        version: 1.0

See also

• Settings Resource
• PowerToys DSC Overview
• Hosts
• PowerToys Environment Variables Documentation