Auto-Launch an SSH Session on Windows 11

This guide shows how to make Windows 11 open a PowerShell window and run

ssh <ip-target>

every time the computer boots, without hard-coding the target IP in the script. The IP (or hostname) is stored in a persistent environment variable and the script is triggered by a Scheduled Task, which is more reliable than the classic Startup folder. An ip can commonly be (on a remote server): 'user@ip'. It has 7 simple steps

0: Prerequisites

Component	Status on Windows 11	Notes
OpenSSH Client	Usually pre-installed	ssh.exe must be in %PATH%.
PowerShell 7+	Recommended	The script runs fine on Windows PowerShell 5.1 too.
Local admin rights	Required once	To set the environment variable and create the Scheduled Task.too.

1: Define Environment Variable

By UI

• Press Win + I → System → About → Advanced system settings.
• Click Environment Variables… (bottom right).
• Under User variables click New…
  • Variable name: SSH_TARGET
  • Variable value: Any host u need (user@ip)
• OK → OK → Close Settings.

By PowerShell method (persistent)

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
  'SSH_TARGET',
  'user@ip',
  'User'
)

Log out or open a new terminal and verify:

PS> echo $Env:SSH_TARGET

2: Create a new PowerShell Script

Create a new script whenever you want (for example C:\Scripts\Connect-SSH.ps1)

$target = $Env:SSH_TARGET
if (-not $target) {
  Write-Error "Environment variable SSH_TARGET is not set."
  exit 1
}

Start-Process pwsh -ArgumentList @(
  '-NoExit',
  '-Command', "ssh $target"
)

3: Allow Scripts to Run

If your system blocks scripts, set a less restrictive policy once:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

RemoteSigned is generally safe for local scripts.

4: Create the scheduled task

• Press Win + S, search for Task Scheduled, right-click --> Run as administrator.
• In the right pane choose Create Task... (not Basic Task)

Tab	Setting	Value
General	Name	Open SSH Session
	Description	As you prefer.
	Security options	Run only when user is logged on (or whatever you want)
Triggers	New…	Begin the task: At log on
Actions	New…	Action: Start a program
		Program/Script: powershell.exe
		Add arguments: -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Scripts\Connect-SSH.ps1" (or your rute)
Settings	--	Keep the defaults or adjust as needed.

• Click OK, enter your password if prompted.

5: Test It

• Right-click the task → Run → A new PowerShell window should appear and immediately try to connect via ssh .
• Reboot or sign out/in to confirm the automatic launch.

6: Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
“Environment variable SSH_TARGET is not set.”	Make sure the variable exists for the account that runs the task. Re-log after creating it.
PowerShell window flashes and closes	Remove -NoExit temporarily, or add Pause to see the error.
Task never fires	Check the History tab in Task Scheduler. Make sure the trigger is At log on and the task is Enabled.
“Scripts disabled on this system”	Adjust Execution Policy (Section 4).

7: (optional) Remove/Disable

• To stop auto-launching, simply disable or delete the task in Task Scheduler.
• Remove the environment variable with:

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('SSH_TARGET', $null, 'User')

Enjoy hands-free SSH logins every time Windows 11 starts!

Recommended

If you are interested and like to customize your own shell in Windows, I invite you to check my 'personal' branch where I use WindowsTerminal instead of PS, with a customizable profile that I have previously built. For more information, you can also visit this public guide.