How to Run a Program as a Different User (RunAs) in Windows 10?

In all supported Windows versions it is possible to run applications on behalf of another user (Run As) in the current session. This allows you to run a script (.bat, .cmd, .vbs, .ps1), an executable (.exe) or an application installation (.msi, .cab) with another user (usually elevated) privileges.

For example, you can use the RunAs to install apps or run MMC snap-ins under the administrator account in an unprivileged user session. The opportunity to run a program as a different user may be useful when an application is configured under another user (and stores its settings in another user’s profile, which the current user cannot access), but it must be started with the same settings in another user’s session.

In Windows 10 there are several ways to run a program/process on behalf of another user.

How to Run an App as Different User from File Explorer?

The easiest way to run an application on behalf of another user is to use the Windows File Explorer GUI. Just find an application (or a shortcut) you want to start, press the Shift key and right-click on it. Select Run as different user in the context menu.

[alert]Note. If the menu item “Run as different user” is missing, see the next section.

In the next window, specify the name and password of the user under whose account you want to run the application and click OK.

Open the Task Manager and make sure that the application is running under the specified user account.

“Run As Different User” Option is Missing in Windows 10

If there is no Run as different user option in the File Explorer context menu, open the Local Group Policy Editor ( gpedit.msc ) and make sure that the Require trusted path for credential entry policy is disabled (or not configured) in Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Credential User Interface.

Using the RunAs Command to Run a Program as Another User from CMD

You can use the Windows built-in cli tool runas.exe to run apps applications as a different user from the command prompt. The runas command also lets you to save the user’s password to the Windows Credential Manager so that you don’t have to enter it every time.

Open the command prompt (or the Run window by pressing Win+R). To start the Notepad.exe under the administrator account, run this command:

runas /user:admin «C:\Windows\notepad.exe»

runas /user:»antony jr» notepad.exe

In the next window, the prompt “Enter the password for admin” appears, where you have to enter the user’s password and press Enter.

Your application should open. In my case, this is cmd.exe. The window title says “running as PCName\username“:

For example, you can open the Control Panel under a different user:

runas /user:admin control

If you need to run a program under a domain user, use the following name format: UserName@DomainName or DomainName\UserName . For example, to open a text file using notepad on behalf of a domain user, use the command:

runas /user:corp\server_admin «C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe C:\ps\region.txt»

Sometimes you need to run a program as a domain user from a computer that is not joined to the AD domain. In this case, you need to use the following command (It is assumed that the DNS server specified in your computer’s network settings can resolve this domain name):

runas /netonly /user:contoso\bmorgan cmd.exe

If you don’t want to load user profile when starting the program as different user, use the /noprofile parameter. This allows the application to launch much faster, but may cause incorrect operation of programs that store app data in the user’s profile.

How to Use RunAs Without Password Prompt?

You can save the user credentials (with password) that you enter. The /savecred parameter is used for this.

runas /user:admin /savecred “C:\Windows\cmd.exe”

After specifying the password, it will be saved to the Windows Credential Manager.

The next time you run the runas command under the same user with the /savecred key, Windows will automatically use the saved password from the Credential Manager without prompting to enter it again.

To display a list of saved credentials in Credential Manager, use the following command:

rundll32.exe keymgr.dll, KRShowKeyMgr

However, using the /savecred parameter is not safe. Because a user, in which profile it is saved, can use it to run any command with these privileges and even change another user password. Also, it is easy to steal passwords saved in the Credential Manager so it is recommended to prevent a Windows from saving passwords (and never save the password of the privileged administrator accounts).

How to Create a Shortcut to Run As Different User?

You can create a shortcut on your desktop that allows you to run the program as a different user. Just create a new shortcut, and specify the runas command with the necessary parameters in the Location field

When you run such a shortcut, you will be prompted to enter a user password.

If you additionally specify the /savecred parameter in the runas shortcut, then the password will be prompted only once. The password will be saved in Credential Manager and automatically used when you running the shortcut without prompting for a password.

Such shortcuts are quite often used to run programs that require elevated permissions to run. However, there are safer ways to run a program without administrator privileges, or disable the UAC prompt for a specific application.

How to Run MMC Snap-Ins As a Different User?

In some cases, you have to run one of Windows management snap-ins as a different user. For example, you can use the following command to run the Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) RSAT snap-in as a different user:

runas.exe /user:DOMAIN\USER «cmd /c start \»\» mmc %SystemRoot%\system32\dsa.msc»

In the same way you can run any other snap-in (if you know its name).

Add “Run As” Option to Start Menu in Windows 10

By default in Windows 10 Start Menu items do not have the “Run As” option. To add the context menu “Run as different user”, enable the “Show Run as different user command on Start” policy in User Configuration -> Administrative Templates ->Start Menu and Taskbar section of the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).

Or, if the gpedit.msc is missing, create a new DWORD parameter with the name ShowRunasDifferentuserinStart and value 1 in the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer. You can use the following PowerShell command to add the reg parameter:

New-ItemProperty -Path «HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer» -Name ShowRunasDifferentuserinStart -Value 1 -PropertyType DWORD -Force

Update the Group Policy settings ( gpupdate /force ) and make sure that a new context menu More -> Run as different user has appeared for the programs in the Start menu.

Run command for user accounts and groups

Learn how to open Local users and Groups console from Run window. In this console, administrators can perform operations like creation/deletion of user accounts, resetting user password etc.

Execute the command lusrmgr.msc to open user accounts window from Run.

However, on Windows XP we need to run a different command.

On XP: nusrmgr.cpl

Also, we can use Netplwiz from Run window to launch user accounts window which shows only the local user accounts on the system.
If you are looking for a way to manage user accounts from command line then see the below posts.

It worked for me. In my machine i was unable to find «User Account» Shortcut. SO was searching it to open it from Run Window. Thanks for the Stuff.

How do you do it with windows 7. I tried the ‘nusrmgr.cpl’ to no avail.

This is changed in Windows 7. You can run compmgmt.msc and manage user accounts from there.

Run “control nusrmgr.cpl”

command to open user accounts is “LUSRMGR.MSC”

nusrmgr.cpl works for XP where as lusrmgr.msc works for Windows 7. Updated the post for Windows 7.

I have unintentionally closed (forced) exlorer.exe on a remote server & now I am unable to run explorer.exe back. It gives me blank screen everytime I try to login. It is a remote server (Windows 7). I need to access it urgently as I was treoubleshooting something.

Thanks in advance.

If explorer is killed, it can be restarted by running ‘explorer’ from command prompt. But I’m not sure if you have access to command window.

Press alt+ctrl+delete to open task manager and click on new task and type explorer.exe

hi everyone,
i have create the user accounts through lusrmgr in windows server 2012R2 but there is no user account at logon screen. thanks
regards,
Mohsin khan

Hello Mohsin, when a new user local or domain is created the first time you login, the user needs to invoked by clicking on the left lower corner and choose other user. for a domain user the user name will work, for a local user type .\user-name (.\ translates to local machine)

Hi , in an enterprise environment , how can I find out to how many computers one user is logged in ? Sometimes users have frequent account lock out for logging to more than one computer , is there a site that I can find out logs for the computers that the effected user logged in to ? thanks so much

6 ways to open the Run command window in Windows

The Run command window allows you to launch programs, open files and folders, and access internet resources in Windows. Just type a path or a quick command into the Windows Run box, and then click OK or press Enter to use a Run command. Although the Run shortcut is not as easy to find in recent Windows versions, the tool still exists, and there are plenty of ways to access it. This tutorial illustrates how to open Run in Windows 10 and Windows 7:

1. Open the Run command window with a keyboard shortcut

The fastest way to access the Run command window is to use the keyboard shortcut Windows + R. On top of being very easy to remember, this method is universal for all versions of Windows. Hold down the Windows key and then press R on your keyboard.

The Run window is immediately displayed in the lower-left corner of the screen.

2. Use Search to open the Run command window

As always in Windows, Search is a great idea to find just about anything. If you are using Windows 10, first type the word “run” inside the Search bar.

Then, click or tap on the relevant search result or press Open from the pane on the right.

In Windows 7, click the Start button and type the word “run” in the Start Menu Search box. Then, click the appropriate result to launch the Run command window.

3. Open the Run command window from the Start Menu

The Start Menu is a reliable way to access features on your Windows computer or device, including the Run window. In Windows 10, access the Start Menu by clicking or tapping on the Windows logo in the lower-left corner or by pressing the Windows button on your keyboard. Then, scroll down to the letter W, open the Windows System folder, and press Run.

In Windows 7, open the Start Menu and then access “All Programs -> Accessories -> Run” to launch the window.

Alternatively, you can also customize your Windows 7 Start Menu to permanently display a Run shortcut in the right-hand pane. To learn how to do that, read The complete guide to the Windows 7 Start Menu.

4. Use the Command Prompt (CMD) to open the Run window

Some of my colleagues love the CMD, so we decided to put this in for other fans, even if it’s not as easy to remember as the other ways illustrated in this article. To open the Windows Run, you can also launch the Command Prompt and enter the following:

explorer.exe Shell.

This method works both in Windows 10 and Windows 7.

5. Open the Run command window with PowerShell

Wondering how to open Run from PowerShell in Windows 10 and Windows 7? First, start PowerShell. Then, copy/paste or type in the following command:

(New-Object -ComObject “Shell.Application”).FileRun()

Press Enter on your keyboard, and the Run command window is immediately opened in the bottom-left corner.

6. Use the WinX power user menu to open the Run window in Windows 10

Windows 10 has a hidden power user menu that includes a shortcut for the Run command window. There are many ways to access this menu, the easiest being to use the Windows + X keyboard shortcut. Then, click or tap on Run or press R on your keyboard to open the Run box in Windows 10.

If the WinX power user menu interests you, you can learn more by reading: What is the WinX menu and how to open it.

What do you want to access using the Run window?

The Run command window was first introduced by Microsoft in Windows 95 and has been with us ever since. Some of us access it pretty often, but plenty of people don’t realize its potential and usefulness yet. We’re happy this feature caught your eye, but we are curious what brought you here. Are you looking for new ways to open the Windows Run command window or are you trying something new on your computer? Let us know in the comments.