[Error] Dism.exe is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet

When you run a DISM.exe command-line in PowerShell, the command may not be recognized. The following error is shown when you do so:

dism.exe : The term 'dism.exe' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
At line:1 char:1
+ dism.exe
+ ~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (dism.exe:String) [], CommandNotFoundException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

When you open a Command Prompt and run DISM, you get this error:

'dism.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

However, the command may work correctly if you mention the full path to Dism.exe – i.e., C:\Windows\System32\Dism.exe

Cause

The above error occurs if Windows\System32 is not included in the system PATH variable. On the affected computer(s), the “Edit environment variable” dialog may show that the System32 folder is not included in PATH.

dism.exe not recognized - add system32 to PATH



Resolution

To resolve the “dism.exe is not recognized” error, add System32 to the %PATH% variable.

  1. Launch the System Properties dialog. To do so, right-click Start, and click Run. Type “sysdm.cpl” and click OK.
  2. Select the “Advanced” tab, and click “Environment Variables..”
  3. Under “System variables,” double-click “Path.”
  4. In the “Edit environment variable” dialog, add each of the directories listed below:
    path environment variable - system properties
  5. After adding %SystemRoot% and %SystemRoot%\System32, move them to the top of the list, as shown above.
  6. Click OK, OK, OK to close the dialog boxes.

That should resolve the issue.


One small request: If you liked this post, please share this?

One "tiny" share from you would seriously help a lot with the growth of this blog. Some great suggestions:
  • Pin it!
  • Share it to your favorite blog + Facebook, Reddit
  • Tweet it!
So thank you so much for your support. It won't take more than 10 seconds of your time. The share buttons are right below. :)

Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a consecutive ten-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award in the Windows Shell/Desktop Experience category, from 2003 to 2012. He loves to troubleshoot and write about Windows. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

Leave a Comment