27/6/2020 Run applications as administrator by default in Windows 10 - Super User

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Run applications as administrator by default in Windows 10

Asked 4 years, 7 months ago Active 1 year ago Viewed 149k times

I have just got a new laptop with Microsoft Windows 10. My previous laptop ran Windows 7.

I'm trying to get applications to "run as administrator" by default, so that I'm not constantly having
46 trouble saving/overwriting files, etc. The priority here is to be able to modify my own files on an
external hard drive; I wouldn't have expected that I'd have to do anything special to be able to do
this. My user account on the laptop is an "Administrator" account, and I have set the User Account
Control setting to "Never notify". I thought that this would achieve the effect I want (as also
26 suggested in this related question in relation to Windows 7).

Here's a screenshot of my setting to disable UAC in Windows 10:

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Still, Notepad++ (for one) is not automatically starting with administrative rights. What else do I
need to do, or what am I overlooking?

Thanks

PS. I'm aware that what I'm trying to do is a security risk, but that's not the point of this question;
whether I should or should not do something is different to whether I can or cannot do something.

windows-10 administrator uac runas

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:17 asked Nov 18 '15 at 12:30

Community ♦ osullic
1 699 2 8 11

2 Considering you cannot fully disable UAC in Windows 8 and above I am not sure how you followed the
related question's answer. You can normally do this by setting the shortcut to the application in question
to always run as an Administrator. You do understand what you are asking is a HUGE security risk on
your part, always running stuff as an Administrator, is how the randsomware malware encrypts your files
(the process requires Administrator permissions ). – Ramhound Nov 18 '15 at 12:36

2 If you’re “constantly having trouble saving/overwriting files, etc”, you should probably rethink the way you
use your computer. This type of stuff just doesn’t happen, ever, when normally using a computer. –
Daniel B Nov 18 '15 at 14:31

@Daniel It may be something simple that I've overlooked, but without running Notepad++ as administrator,
I don't seem to be able to overwrite simple text files that I have on an external hard drive. I consider this to
be "normally using a computer". I know I could right-click the Notepad++ icon to run as administrator, but
I generally run Notepad++ by right-clicking on a text file and using the Explorer context menu to open in
Notepad++ and that doesn't seem to run Notepad++ with admin rights. – osullic Nov 18 '15 at 16:31

@osullic You should change the access control lists on those files so your account has Full Control.
Running as elevated admin all the time is way overkill. – Ben N Nov 18 '15 at 16:37

Thanks @Ben, that sounds like a better solution. How do I change the access control lists? Is that by
right-clicking on a file/folder and changing permissions in the Security tab? – osullic Nov 18 '15 at 17:11

5 Answers Active Oldest Votes

Updated answer: solving the problem instead of answering the question.

To change the ACLs on the external drive, open its properties and go to the Security tab:
29

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Notice that Authenticated Users doesn't have "Full control"; only Administrators does, and you're
not really a member of Administrators unless elevated. Click Advanced.

(The owner will probably be Administrators.) Click Add.

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Click "Select a principal", and type your username in the box. Check "Full control", then click OK.

Now that we're back in the advanced ACL editor, check the box that replaces child item ACLs. Click
OK and accept the warning. Click OK on the properties window, wait for the operation to complete
(if there is one), and you're done.

The original (dangerous) answer follows below the line.

Danger! This is almost certainly a bad plan, for reasons explained in Ramhound's comment.

Run gpedit.msc to open the Local Group Policy Editor. Expand Computer Configuration, Windows
Settings , Security Settings , Local Policies , and Security Options . Four settings need to be updated:

1. Set "User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin
Approval Mode" to Elevate without prompting.
2. Set "User Account Control: Detect application installations and prompt for elevation" to
Disabled.
3. Set "User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode" to Disabled.
4. Set "User Account Control: Only elevate UIAccess applications that are installed in secure
locations" to Disabled.

The LGPE automatically saves all changes, so exit it and reboot.

Again, this is a very insecure configuration that you're creating here.

edited Nov 18 '15 at 17:23 answered Nov 18 '15 at 14:24

Ben N
34.1k 15 118 164

4 I should add doing what is suggest will break ALL Windows Store applications in Windows 10. This
includes the default applications like Calculator and the new way to access the control panel. –
Ramhound Nov 18 '15 at 14:27

@osullic - It is widely encountered but in 99% of the cases an application only requests elevated
permission when its required and most people are fine with that. This will come at a shock to you.
Running with Full Control set to certain directory will still present problems. – Ramhound Nov 18 '15
at 17:41

I don't get the security point.. Even a Win95 Tool like "Ghostmouse" (started without Admin rights) can
move my cursor to a program, right-click on something > Run as Admin and even click the promt
afterwards.. So why wouldn't some shady virus be able to do the same? – dersimn Dec 5 '17 at 13:50

By using 1 @setec
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control; some folders are restricted and initially owned by TrustedInstaller. – Ben N May 14 '18 at 17:03
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27/6/2020 Run applications as administrator by default in Windows 10 - Super User
1 To avoid the problem with UWP apps refusing to run I changed another 2 in gpedit: - Admin Approval
Mode for the Built-in Administrator account *Disabled - Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode
*Disabled And then just for completeness: - Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation
*Disabled The sole remaining time I still had a problem was PIN (akka Hello) activation. For that I just
gave it all defaults back, ran it and then switched again. So for a fresh box, people my want to activate
PIN first and then do these changes. – ZXX Oct 27 '18 at 5:16

It looks like there are a few options to run an application as administrator by default that you can try.

1. Right-click the application's Shortcut >> Go to Properties >> Click the Advanced button on the
18 Shortcut tab >> Check the "Run as administrator" box >> Click OK. -

2. Right-click the application >> Go to Properties >> Click the Compatibility tab >> Check "Run
this program as an administrator" >> Click OK. -

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Note: While trying my second option (above), I had one application that didn't initially have the "Run
this program as an administrator" checkbox. I had to do the following to get the checkbox to appear
and to always run as an administrator:

1. Click the "Run compatibility troubleshooter" button

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Clickyou acknowledge
the that you
"Troubleshoot have read
Program" and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our
option
Terms of Service.
3. Check the "The program requires additional permissions" checkbox.
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27/6/2020 g Run applications as administrator by default in Windows 10 - Super User

4. Click "Next" and click the "Test the program..." button (to verify the program runs properly).
5. Click "Next" and click the "Yes, save these settings for this program"

Bill Garrison confirmed that the solution found at How can I run ALL my Apps “as administrator” by
default in Windows 7? works for Windows 10. There is at least one other method, you can set UAC
to the lowest setting, but doing so also causes the Windows 10 native apps (like the calculator) to
fail.

Below is the quoted answer:

Add User To Administrators Group And Remove From Users Group:

1. Log In As Administrator
2. Go To Run ( WinKey + R )
3. Type "control userpasswords2"
4. Select Your Account And Click On "Properties"
5. Select "Group Membership" Tab
6. Select "Administrators"
7. Click OK And OK

Disable Approval Mode

1. Log In As Administrator
2. Go To Run ( WinKey + R )
3. Type "secpol.msc"
4. Go To Local Polices > Security Options
5. Find "User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation"
6. Open It Click Disable It And Click Ok.
7. Restart Computer( Very Important Log Off Doesn't Work )

edited Jun 12 at 13:48 answered Jul 22 '16 at 13:53

Community ♦ majestzim
1 289 2 6

2 This is not running everything as admin. You have to repeat it for every application that you want. See
answers from @fritzmg or mine on how to run everything as admin. – Dio Phung Mar 24 '17 at 0:46

To disable UAC completely, the EnableLUA property of

17 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

in the registry needs to be changed to 0 . This disables the "administrator in Admin Approval Mode"
user type, thus allowing all administrator users to run their processes as administrators by default.

See also: EnableLUA | msdn.microsoft.com

By using After doing

our site, youthat, your programs/processes
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Administrator mode
Cookie Policy by default
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and ourthat
your user is an Administrator), i.e. you will not be having (so much) trouble saving files to certain
Terms of Service.
locations, without launching the respective program specifically as Administrator first.
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27/6/2020
, g Run applications
p as administrator by default in Windows 10 - Super User
p g p y

(from Always run programs as administrator in Windows 10 | Super User)

// ah sorry, this is a duplicate of @ben-n 's original answer - only difference is doing it via the
Registry instead of gpedit.msc

edited Mar 22 '18 at 12:56 answered Aug 14 '16 at 12:18

Drakonoved fritzmg
314 1 3 14 341 3 10

If a search lead you here, and you want to "run (certain) applications as administrator by default" -
even when it is launched by an associated file type or anything other than a special shortcut, you
9 have to use the registry. Those compatibility tabs on the file properties dialog are no longer
available in windows 10, and other registry hacks for older windows versions have also been
removed.

Microsoft purposely doesn't want to make this easy to do anymore.

If you don't already know why you shouldn't do this, you should stop
now.

For Why you should or shouldn't do this you need to look elsewhere.

Below you will learn how.

Create a new string value in one of these existing keys: (create the "Layers" key also - if
necessary)

(for current account only)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers
(for all users)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers

The name of the new string value should be the path (without quotes) to the application you want to
always launch elevated.

For example:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual

Studio\2017\Professional\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe"
(but WITHOUT quotes!)

The value of this key should be

~ RUNASADMIN

it should look like this:

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After you set the key value and name correctly, you are done! Launch the app using an associated
file and you'll see the elevation prompt.

edited May 31 '19 at 16:35 answered Sep 22 '17 at 18:19

DanO
2,554 1 15 17

Can you add reference for For Why you should or shouldn't do this you need to look elsewhere. what this
refers here, your solution or setting UAC ? – Morse Sep 20 '18 at 18:11

2 Prateek, UAC is a security measure. You can probably guess that bypassing it makes your PC less
secure. If you don't already know that, your are in no position to determine if bypassing it is really the
right thing for you to do. So I am asking you not to use the instructions for making dynamite that follow.
The goal is to have you recognize that your are out of your depth and turn back safely - not give you
further false confidence. – DanO Nov 5 '18 at 18:06

Just run Powershell as Administrator, then enter this:

5 Set-ItemProperty -Path
"HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" -Name "EnableLUA"
-Value "0"

shutdown -r -t 0

answered Mar 24 '17 at 0:45

Dio Phung
749 1 10 26

1 Take note: on Windows 10, if you disable UAC, some built-in apps (Maps, Edge, Calculator) refused to
run. – Dio Phung Feb 1 '18 at 22:58

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