diff --git a/packages/plugin-dev/src/node/hosted-instance-manager.ts b/packages/plugin-dev/src/node/hosted-instance-manager.ts
index 52119ce8a99c2..41a6ee32c718d 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-dev/src/node/hosted-instance-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-dev/src/node/hosted-instance-manager.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import * as request from 'request';
 import URI from '@theia/core/lib/common/uri';
 import { ContributionProvider } from '@theia/core/lib/common/contribution-provider';
 import { HostedPluginUriPostProcessor, HostedPluginUriPostProcessorSymbolName } from './hosted-plugin-uri-postprocessor';
-import { environment } from '@theia/core';
+import { environment, isWindows } from '@theia/core';
 import { FileUri } from '@theia/core/lib/node/file-uri';
 import { LogType } from '@theia/plugin-ext/lib/common/types';
 import { HostedPluginSupport } from '@theia/plugin-ext/lib/hosted/node/hosted-plugin';
@@ -293,6 +293,10 @@ export abstract class AbstractHostedInstanceManager implements HostedInstanceMan
                 }
             };
 
+            if (isWindows) {
+                options.shell = true;
+            }
+
             this.hostedInstanceProcess = cp.spawn(command.shift()!, command, options);
             this.hostedInstanceProcess.on('error', () => { this.isPluginRunning = false; });
             this.hostedInstanceProcess.on('exit', () => { this.isPluginRunning = false; });