Ever since Windows Vista introduced User Account Control, there has been a need to occasionally run some programs as administrator for doing some functions. If the UAC setting is set to the highest level in Windows, then you get a UAC prompt when you open an app as administrator. But when the UAC setting is at a lower level, signed Windows EXEs are elevated silently. Also, there are some scheduled tasks which run as administrator and you can also create your own shortcuts that run elevated but you don't get the UAC prompt for them. In this article, we will see all possible ways to run apps as administrator (elevated).
Tag: run as administrator
Add Run as administrator context menu item to MSI files
It is useful to have an open to run Windows Installer files (*.msi) as administrator. There are some desktop apps which have issues installing correctly when UAC is enabled. Also, when you install an MSI package in a limited user account, it requires an elevated command prompt and a number of additional actions. To avoid this, you can add a context menu command for MSI files to the File Explorer app which will allow you to run the selected MSI file as administrator. Here is how.
How to run an app as Administrator in Windows 10
Windows 10, like all Windows versions since Windows Vista, includes User Account Control or UAC which limits the user's rights even if he is a member of the Administrators group so that malicious apps or malware can't make unauthorized changes to your PC. However, there are a number of older desktop apps which don't work properly in Windows 10 unless they are run as administrator. Some users prefer to disable UAC entirely in Windows 10, but this is a bad idea from a security standpoint. Besides, when you disable UAC, you lose the ability to run Modern apps. The right way is to run certain apps as Administrator as and when it is required. Let me show you all the ways in which you can run desktop apps as administrator.
Open any program as administrator without UAC prompt
Often, you need to run apps elevated in Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8. Programs which require admin privileges show a UAC prompt. The Registry Editor app is a good example of such an app. If the application you are using frequently requires a UAC request every time you start it, it can be a bit annoying. In this article, we will see how to create a shortcut to run apps elevated without a UAC prompt in Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8.
How to check if a process is running as administrator (elevated) in Windows
Ever since Windows Vista introduced User Account Control, there has been a need to occasionally run some programs as administrator for doing some functions. If the UAC setting is set to the highest level in Windows, then you get a UAC prompt when you open an app as administrator. But when the UAC setting is at a lower level, signed Windows EXEs are elevated silently. Also, there are some scheduled tasks which run as administrator and you can even create your own shortcuts that run elevated but you don't get the UAC prompt for them. In this article, we will see how we can determine if a process is running as administrator.
