How do I log on as an administrator?

An administrator is someone who can make changes on a computer that will affect other users of the computer. Administrators can change security settings, install software and hardware, access all files on the computer, and make changes to other user accounts. To log on as an administrator, you need to have a user account on the computer with an Administrator account type.

If you are not sure if the account that you have on the computer is an administrator account, you can check the account type after you have logged on. The steps that you should follow will vary, depending on whether your computer is on a domain or a workgroup.

Type the user name and password for your account in the Welcome screen.

Open User Accounts by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking User Accounts, clicking User Accounts, and then clicking Manage User Accounts . If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Your user name is highlighted and your account type is shown in the Group column.

Type the user name and password for your account in the Welcome screen.

Open User Accounts by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking User Accounts and Family Safety, clicking User Accounts, and then clicking Manage another account . If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Your account type is displayed below your user name.

If your account type is Administrator, then you are currently logged on as an administrator.

If your account type is not Administrator, then you cannot log on as an administrator unless you know the user name password for another account on the computer that is an administrator. If you are not an administrator, you can ask an administrator to change your account type.

How to run apps as administrator on Windows 10

Source: Windows Central

On Windows 10, the ability to run an app as administrator is an essential skill that every user should know because, by design, apps operate in user mode to prevent potential unwanted system changes that may negatively affect the experience. However, sometimes, some trusted programs may require elevated permissions to work as intended, and knowing the steps to run them with appropriate permissions will come in handy.

Whatever your reason it might be, Windows 10 includes several methods to quickly start an app with elevated privileges using the Start menu, File Explorer, Command Prompt, and more.

But remember that this is only true for traditional desktop (Win32) programs since apps available through the Microsoft Store can’t run elevated.

In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the different ways to launch an app with administrator privileges to complete an elevated task.

How to run app as administrator using Stat menu

Using the Start menu, you have at least two quick ways to start an application as an administrator.

Start context menu

To run a program as administrator from the Start menu context menu, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Right-click the app (anywhere on the menu).

Select the More submenu, and click the Run as administrator option.

Source: Windows Central

Start menu keyboard shortcut

To start an app with admin right using the keyboard shortcut, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Use the Ctrl + Shift keyboard, and click the app from the list.
3. (Optional) Select app using the arrows keys.
4. Use the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keyboard shortcut.

How to run app as administrator using Search

If you use the search experience, you also have two ways to run apps with administrative permissions.

Search result menu

To open an app as an administrator from the search box, use these steps:

Open Start.

Quick tip: You can also open search directly from the taskbar (if available), or use the Windows key + S keyboard shortcut.

Click the Run as administrator option from the right side. (Sometimes, the option is hidden until you click the down-arrow button.)

Source: Windows Central

(Optional) Right-click the app and select the Run as administrator option.

Source: Windows Central

Search keyboard shortcut

To run a program from search with a keyboard shortcut, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for the app.
3. Use the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keyboard shortcut.

How to run app as administrator using desktop

On Windows 10, you can also start apps elevated from the desktop or taskbar.

Desktop context menu

To start an app with elevated privileges from the desktop, use these steps:

Use the Windows key + D keyboard shortcut to view the desktop.

Right-click app, and select the Run as administrator option.

Source: Windows Central

Taskbar context menu

To run apps elevated from the taskbar, use these steps:

1. Right-click the app in the taskbar.
2. Right-click the app name.

Select the Run as administrator option.

Source: Windows Central

How to run app as administrator using Run

To start a program as an admin user from the Run command, use these steps:

Open Start.

Search for Run and click the top result to open the app.

Quick tip: You can also open the Run command using the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut.

Type the name of the app. For example, explorer.exe.

Source: Windows Central

Use the Ctrl + Shift keyboard shortcut and click the OK button.

How to run app as administrator using Task Manager

To launch an app as an administrator from Task Manager, use these steps:

Open Start.

Search for Task Manager and click the top result to open the app.

Quick tip: Other alternative ways to open the experience include, right-clicking the taskbar and selecting the Task Manager option. Using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut, and using the Ctrl + Alt + Delete shortcut and clicking the Task Manager option.

Select the Run new task option.

Source: Windows Central

Check the Create this task with administrator privileges.

Source: Windows Central

How to run app as administrator using File Explorer

File Explorer includes at least two ways to launch apps as an administrator user.

Context menu

To open app elevated with File Explorer, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to the folder with the executable file.

Right-click the app and select the Run as administrator option.

Source: Windows Central

Ribbon menu

To run a program as an administrator with the ribbon menu, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to the folder with the executable file.
3. Select the app.
4. Click the Application Tools tab.

Click the Run as administrator button.

Source: Windows Central

Quick note: If you click the arrow button, then you can select to launch the app as admin or as a different user.

How to run app as administrator using Command Prompt

To run an app elevated from Command Prompt, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt and click the top result to open the console.

Type the following command to run an app with administrator privileges and press Enter:

`runas /user:»COMPUTER-NAME\ADMIN-USER» «C:\PATH\TO\PROGRAM.EXE»

In the command, make sure to update the syntax with your computer name and administrator user and with the correct path of the program.

For example, this command start PowerShell 7 with administrator privileges:

runas /user:»office-pc\user@email.com» «C:\Program Files\PowerShell\7\pwsh.exe»

Source: Windows Central

Confirm the password and press Enter.

If you want to run an app always as an administrator, you can use these steps.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

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how to start windows explorer as administrator with full administrator privilege

first of all,forgive me if i post my question on wrong section, i don’t which section should i put my question.

i noticed drag n drop feature not working if i open any program as administrator (via run as administrator) eventhough i logged on using administrator account.

but if i terminate explorer.exe in task manager and manually run new explorer.exe with «run as administrator», drag n drop feature works fine with any program that opened with «run as administrator»

so is it possible to start windows with full administrator privilege like when i manually open explorer.exe with «run as administrator»?, so that i don’t have any problem when using drag n drop feature

Thank you for Posting on the Microsoft Vista Community Forums.

You may try to enable the default administrator account first.

To enable follow the steps below:

1. Open a command prompt in administrator mode by right-clicking and choosing “Run as administrator”

2. Now type the following command: net user administrator /active:yes

You should see a message that the command completed successfully. Log out, and you’ll now see the Administrator account as a choice.

If the issue persists try to run SFC scan. The System File Checker tool to determine whether the issue that you are experiencing is caused by one or more system files that are used by Windows Vista, The System File Checker tool scans system files and replaces incorrect versions of the system files by using the correct versions.

To run the System File Checker tool, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then type cmd in the Start Search box.

2. Right-click cmd in the Programs list, and then click Run as administrator.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue

3. At the command prompt, the following line, and then press ENTER: sfc /scannow

When the scan is complete, verify whether the issue that you are experiencing is resolved. If the issue that you are experiencing is not resolved, use the procedure that is described in the «The System Restore tool» section.

Access the link below to know more information about System File Checker tool

If the issue persists, run online virus scan from the link below to verify if your computer is infected with Virus. If you find any files infected, try to remove it.

Thanks and Regards,

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

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