diff --git a/lib/internal/child_process.js b/lib/internal/child_process.js
index 49edaba5b558e9..cc34e71ab1153c 100644
--- a/lib/internal/child_process.js
+++ b/lib/internal/child_process.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ const {
   StringPrototypeSlice,
   Symbol,
   SymbolDispose,
+  TypeError,
   Uint8Array,
 } = primordials;
 
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@ const {
   UV_ENFILE,
   UV_ENOENT,
   UV_ENOSYS,
+  UV_EPERM,
   UV_ESRCH,
 } = internalBinding('uv');
 
@@ -418,7 +420,13 @@ ChildProcess.prototype.spawn = function(options) {
 
     this._handle.close();
     this._handle = null;
-    throw new ErrnoException(err, 'spawn');
+    if (err === UV_EPERM) {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-restricted-syntax
+      throw new TypeError('The "shell" option must "true" when ' +
+                          'spawning a batch executable');
+    } else {
+      throw new ErrnoException(err, 'spawn');
+    }
   } else {
     process.nextTick(onSpawnNT, this);
   }
diff --git a/src/process_wrap.cc b/src/process_wrap.cc
index 649747fdbf2034..a88c0ee1056946 100644
--- a/src/process_wrap.cc
+++ b/src/process_wrap.cc
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ class ProcessWrap : public HandleWrap {
     // are not escaped (and sometimes cannot be unambiguously escaped),
     // hence why they are rejected here.
     if (IsWindowsBatchFile(options.file))
-      err = UV_EINVAL;
+      err = UV_EPERM;
 
     // options.args
     Local<Value> argv_v =
diff --git a/src/spawn_sync.cc b/src/spawn_sync.cc
index d03803fe3abc5b..0e25d51621760a 100644
--- a/src/spawn_sync.cc
+++ b/src/spawn_sync.cc
@@ -770,7 +770,7 @@ Maybe<int> SyncProcessRunner::ParseOptions(Local<Value> js_value) {
   // are not escaped (and sometimes cannot be unambiguously escaped),
   // hence why they are rejected here.
   if (IsWindowsBatchFile(uv_process_options_.file))
-    return Just<int>(UV_EINVAL);
+    return Just<int>(UV_EPERM);
 
   Local<Value> js_args =
       js_options->Get(context, env()->args_string()).ToLocalChecked();