The Issue and How to Solve It: Running Scripts is Disabled on Your System

In the world of software development, encountering errors is a common occurrence. One such error that developers often face, especially when working with Angular or other JavaScript frameworks, is the dreaded “File cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system” error. This error can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to run a simple command like ng serve. But fear not! In this article, we’ll explore the root cause of this issue and provide a step-by-step guide to solving it.

Understanding the Issue

The error message you’re seeing is related to PowerShell’s execution policy. By default, Windows is configured with a restrictive execution policy to prevent the execution of potentially harmful scripts. This is a security feature designed to protect your system from malicious code. However, this can also prevent legitimate scripts, like those used by Angular CLI, from running.

The error message typically looks like this:

File C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\npm\ng.ps1 cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system. For more information, see about_Execution_Policies at https:/go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=135170.

This message indicates that the execution policy on your system is set to a level that prevents the execution of the ng.ps1 script, which is necessary for running Angular CLI commands.

Why Does This Happen?

PowerShell’s execution policy is a safety feature that controls the conditions under which PowerShell loads configuration files and runs scripts. The default policy, Restricted, prevents all scripts from running. This is why you’re encountering the error when trying to run ng serve.

How to Solve It

To resolve this issue, you need to change the execution policy to allow the execution of scripts. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: Open PowerShell as Administrator

1. Press Win + X on your keyboard.
2. Select “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” or “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the menu.
3. If you’re using Windows Terminal, you can open it as an administrator.

Step 2: Change the Execution Policy

You can change the execution policy to allow running scripts. There are several levels of execution policies:

• Restricted: No scripts are allowed to run (default).
• AllSigned: Only signed scripts are allowed to run.
• RemoteSigned: Downloaded scripts must be signed by a trusted publisher.
• Unrestricted: All scripts are allowed to run.

To allow running scripts, you can set the execution policy to RemoteSigned or Unrestricted:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

or

Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope CurrentUser

• -Scope CurrentUser ensures that the policy change only affects the current user, not the entire system.

Step 3: Verify the Execution Policy

You can verify the current execution policy by running:

Get-ExecutionPolicy -List

This will show the execution policy for different scopes (MachinePolicy, UserPolicy, Process, CurrentUser, LocalMachine).

Step 4: Run the ng serve Command Again

After changing the execution policy, try running the ng serve command again. It should now work without any issues.

Step 5: Revert the Execution Policy (Optional)

If you want to revert the execution policy back to its original state after running your Angular project, you can set it back to Restricted:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Restricted -Scope CurrentUser

Important Notes

• Security Consideration: Be cautious when changing the execution policy, especially to Unrestricted, as it can expose your system to potential security risks. Always ensure that you trust the scripts you are running.
• Temporary Change: If you want to temporarily change the execution policy for a single session, you can use:
  Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process

  This will only affect the current PowerShell session.

Encountering the “running scripts is disabled on this system” error can be a roadblock, but it’s one that’s easily overcome with a few simple steps. By understanding the root cause of the issue and knowing how to adjust the execution policy, you can get back to developing your Angular projects without any hassle. Remember to always consider the security implications of changing execution policies and revert them when necessary to keep your system secure.

Happy coding!