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 Run Programs As Administrator In Windows 10

Windows runs programs in user mode by default. If you want to run programs in administrative mode, you will need to specify that explicitly in Windows 10. Running programs in Windows 10 as an administrator is easy. In this article, we discuss a few ways to run programs in administrative mode in Windows 10. You may use the method which is convenient for you.

Each method mentioned below will have its own advantages and disadvantages depending upon the situation you are in. For example, for a quick workaround, you may want to use a keyboard shortcut while at other times you may need a more permanent method of opening an app in admin mode. We will also discuss a method especially useful for power users and system administrators in which we can specify admin credentials one time and use applications without asking for password again and again. Let’s start.

4 Ways to run programs in administrative mode in Windows 10

The simplest way to run a program in administrative mode is to right-click the program and select “Run as administrator”. If the current user is not an administrator, Windows will as for the administrator username and password. Let’s check out what other options do we have to run programs in administrative mode.

Always run a specific program as administrator

To always run a specific program as administrator, we will create its shortcut on the Desktop and make changes to the shortcut. Please follow the instructions below:

1. From Start Menu, find your desired program. Right-click and select Open File Location.

Open file location from start menu

Right-click the program and go to Properties –> Shortcut.

Go to Advanced.

Check Run as Administrator checkbox.

Run as administrator option for program

Now when you run the program from Start Menu, it will run in administrative mode.

Keyboard shortcut to run a program in administrative mode

You can also run a program in administrator mode directly from Start Menu. Just find the program in Start Menu, press Ctrl + Shift keyboard keys and click on the program. This will open the program as an administrator. But you will always need to press Ctrl + Shift keys while opening the programs in admin mode.

Always run all programs as administrator

By not running programs as an administrator, Windows keeps the system secure by not allowing viruses and malware take admin access without user acknowledgement. But if you want to turn off this feature and always run all programs as administrator, please follow the steps below. This security feature is called User Access Control. Disabling UAC will also disable asking for administrative privileges.

1. Go to Start Menu search and search for “uac”. Select “Change User Account Control Settings”.

Finding UAC from Start Menu search
Move the slider to the bottom to turn off User Account Control.

Turning off UAC

After applying this, you will not be asked anything and all programs will run in administrative mode.

Use the Run dialog box to run applications with administrative privileges

There are some system programs which we start directly from Run dialog. For example, I always open command prompt or PowerShell using Run –> cmd.

If you are using Windows 10 Version 1803, the good news is that you will be able to open the programs in administrative mode directly from the Run dialog.

Just enter the command and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter. This will trigger Run dialog box to run applications with admin privileges.

Run programs as administrator using RunAs Tool

Windows built-in RunAs command allows a user to launch programs with different user credentials than the now logged in user. To use RunAs command, press Shift key and right-click on the program shortcut to show Run As Different User in the context menu. Run as different user context menu

But you have to repeat this step every time you launch that specific program. If you want to always run a program as a specific user then RunAsTool is for you.

RunAsTool is a portable app in which you can save admin user credentials and then app can automatically run programs listed in the app as the specific user all the time.

This is especially useful for system administrators who want to give administrative rights to standard users only for specific programs and applications.

1. Download RunAsTool
2. Unzip it in a folder
3. Run RunAsTool.exe or RunAsToolx64.exe depending upon your system architecture.
4. First time, it will ask you for administrator user credentials

Select Admin in RunAsTool
After giving the administrator password, you can drag and drop the applications you want to run as administrator.

Adding programs to RunAsTool

Now you can double-click any application from within RunAsTool to run directly in administrative mode without asking for administrator password.

RunAsTool is a portable app so you can easily keep it in a pen drive and run it on any computer within a Windows Active Directory Domain. It’s a life saver if you want to give network users administrator access to specific programs instead of giving them local admin privileges.

Conclusion

All the methods given above can be used for different purposes. As a power user or a system administrator, you must be aware of all these methods and can use them according to your situation. For a quick application, I use the keyboard shortcut + mouse click method. For domain users, I keep a copy of RunAsTool on a network drive and distribute it to users who want administrative access to specific programs.