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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13 ways to use “Run as administrator” in Windows 10

In Windows 10, knowing how to run programs as administrator is very important. By default, apps and games in Windows 10 run without administrator permissions, to prevent unauthorized changes to your system. However, there are times when some programs require administrator permissions to work properly or to run specific commands. Windows 10 offers you the ability to run programs as admin without having to disable anything. Here are all the methods to use “Run as administrator” on any desktop app in Windows 10:

First things first: About UAC and Run as administrator

In early versions of Windows, applications had system-wide privileges, which was a security risk. All of Microsoft’s operating systems from Windows Vista onward, including Windows 10, include UAC or User Account Control, a security feature that prevents unauthorized changes to the operating system. Trying to run an application as administrator is one of the changes that require administrative privileges. Before the selected program is launched, a UAC prompt is triggered, asking for permission. If you run the application from an account without administrator permissions, the UAC prompt asks you to enter an administrator password. Without the admin password, the program does not launch.

In Windows 10, you can only run a program with administrator permissions if it is a desktop app. Some of these applications, like security software, cannot run correctly without having administrative permissions. Windows apps that are installed from the Microsoft Store cannot be run with administrative privileges in Windows 10. Furthermore, they have the same level of permissions as a normal user account, so they are not allowed to make changes to advanced system settings or the Windows Registry.

You can learn more about the difference between desktop apps and UWP apps and figure out which ones you can “Run as administrator” by reading What is a Windows app? How is it different from a desktop app or a program?.

1. Run a program as admin from the contextual menu of its Start Menu shortcut or tile

In Windows 10, you can launch a program with administrative permissions by using the contextual menu of its Start Menu shortcut. First, open the Start Menu. Then, find the shortcut of the program you want to launch in the All apps list, and right-click or press-and-hold on it to open a contextual menu. Click, tap, or hover over the More option, and then click or tap on “Run as administrator.“

If you have a tile for your desktop app available in the Start Menu, right-click or press-and-hold on it to open a contextual menu. Access More and then click or tap on “Run as administrator.“

2. Run as administrator using “Ctrl + Shift + Click” on its Start Menu shortcut or tile

Open the Start Menu and locate the shortcut of the program you want to launch as administrator. Hold down both the Ctrl and the Shift keys on your keyboard and then click or tap on that program’s shortcut.

You can also use the “Ctrl + Shift + Click/Tap” shortcut on an app’s Start Menu tile to run it with administrator permissions in Windows 10.

During our tests, this method did not work every time, so if that is the case for you, either try again or consider running the app as administrator another way.

3. Run a program as administrator from its desktop shortcut

Find the desktop shortcut for the program you want to run as admin or create one yourself. Then, right-click or press-and-hold on it to open a contextual menu. Click or tap on the “Run as administrator” option.

4. Run a desktop app as administrator from its taskbar shortcut

In Windows 10, you can also run a desktop app with administrator permissions from its taskbar shortcut. Right-click or press-and-hold on the shortcut, and then right-click or press-and-hold again on the program’s name. Then, from the menu that opens, choose “Run as administrator.”

You can also use the “Ctrl + Shift + Click/Tap” shortcut on an app’s taskbar shortcut to run it with administrator permissions in Windows 10.

5. Run a program as administrator from its right-click menu

Although easier to find, shortcuts are not the only way to run a program as administrator in Windows 10. You can perform the same action from the main executable file’s contextual menu.

Open File Explorer and find the desktop app’s executable. Right-click or press-and-hold on it to open the contextual menu, and then click or tap on “Run as administrator.“

6. Use “Run as administrator” from File Explorer’s ribbon

Find the program’s main executable in File Explorer. Select it, and then click or tap on the Manage tab from the ribbon.

The option you need is displayed in the Run section of Application Tools. Click or tap on the upper half of the “Run as administrator” button to give the selected app admin permissions.

As an alternative, you can also press the lower half of the “Run as administrator” button and then click or tap on the “Run as administrator” option from the drop-down menu.

7. Run a desktop app as admin from the Search window

In the taskbar search field, type in the name of the program that needs to run with administrator permissions. Then, click or tap on the “Run as administrator” option displayed on the right side of the Search window.

Obviously, when you see the UAC prompt asking for permission to run the app as admin, click or tap Yes.

8. Run a program as administrator using “Ctrl + Shift + Enter” on its taskbar search result

Type the name of the program in your taskbar’s search field. If there are multiple results, use the arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight the program you want to run as administrator. Then, simultaneously press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys on your keyboard.

9. Run a program as administrator from the Run window

Open the Run window and type in the name of the executable for the program you want to run as administrator. Then hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys on your keyboard and click or tap on OK.

Alternatively, after typing in the name of the program’s main executable, press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys on your keyboard at the same time.

10. Run as admin from the Task Manager

Another way to launch a program as administrator in Windows 10 is to start it using the Task Manager. To begin, open the Task Manager. Then, if it opens up in its compact view, click or tap on the More details button.

In the expanded Task Manager, open the File menu and click or tap on “Run new task.“

This opens the “Create new task” window. You can use its Open field to enter the path to the program you want to launch as administrator, or you can click or tap on Browse to navigate to it. Then, make sure to check the “Create this task with administrative privileges.” option and click or tap on OK.

TIP: An advantage of using this method to launch programs as administrator is that you skip the UAC part of the process. That is because the app automatically inherits the permissions of the Task Manager – in our case, administrator permissions – so all you have to do is check the box to enable the option, as seen above. The option is missing if you only have standard user permissions on the device.

11. Run a desktop app as admin using the RunAs command in Command Prompt (CMD) or PowerShell

If the command line is your favorite way of asking your computer to do what you want, you can also access Command Prompt or PowerShell to run a program as administrator. Enter the following command in the CMD or PowerShell window, adjusting it to fit your needs:

runas /user:”your_computer_name\administrator_name” “C:\path\program.exe”

Replace your_computer_name with your computer’s name, administrator_name with the name of a user account that is an administrator on your system, and C:\path\program.exe with the complete path to the program that you want to run as administrator.

As seen in the image below, if you enter the command correctly, you are also asked to enter the administrator’s password. Then, press Enter on your keyboard once again.

TIP: Using this method to launch programs as administrators, you skip the UAC part of the process.

12. Always run a program with administrator permissions

To avoid constantly having to use the methods illustrated above on desktop apps accessed on a regular basis, you can set a program to always run with administrator permissions.

First, open File Explorer and find the main executable of the program you want to run. Right-click or press and hold on it to open the contextual menu. Then, click or tap on Properties.

In the Properties window, go to the Compatibility tab. At the bottom of the window, check the box next to the “Run this program as an administrator” option, and then click or tap on Apply or OK.

This setting is applied, and, from now on, the program always runs with administrator permissions. Follow the same steps if you want to disable the option. You can also edit the Properties of a program’s shortcut to avoid tampering with its main executable. To begin, right-click or press-and-hold on a program’s shortcut to access its contextual menu, and click or tap on Properties.

Then, in the shortcut’s Properties window, select the Shortcut tab. Click or tap on the Advanced button to open Advanced Properties.

In the Advanced Properties window, check the box next to “Run as administrator” and then click or tap OK.

Finally, you are returned to the Properties window, where you have to click or tap on OK or Apply, and you are done.

The settings are applied, and your program works with administrative permissions as long as you open it using the same shortcut. When you use the methods in this section, the UAC prompts you as soon as you try to launch the app.

13. Run a program with administrator permissions and without a UAC prompt

Using the Task Scheduler, you can run a program as administrator without being prompted by the UAC (User Account Control) every time. It is simple, and you don’t have to disable UAC, thus compromising Windows 10’s security. We put together a detailed step by step guide to help you: Use the Windows Task Scheduler to run apps without UAC prompts and admin rights.

Which method(s) do you plan to use?

In Windows 10, there are fewer apps that need to run with administrator permissions than in older versions of Windows. However, a few legitimate programs still require elevated privileges. The main thing to remember is that even if you are logged in with an administrator account, you regularly run apps as a standard user. This means that if you need to run a program that requires administrator permissions, you can just use one of the methods described above and then approve it in the UAC prompt. Which of the method(s) illustrated do you plan to use? Did you already use some of them? Let us know in a comment.