ARCHIVED: In Windows, how can I complete a task or run a program as administrator while logged in as a regular user?
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Completing a task with administrative rights
In Windows 7 and Vista, when you begin a task requiring administrative privilege (e.g., installing or upgrading software, configuring certain operating system parameters), you will be prompted to enter the username and password for your administrative local account.
Running a program as administrator
- In Windows 7 or Vista, if a particular software program on your
computer requires you to be logged in as an administrator, right-click
it from the
Startmenu, and selectRun as administrator.In Windows XP, navigate to the program you wish to launch with different privileges. Click it once to select it, and then hold down the
Shiftkey and right-click the program. You'll see a contextual menu from which you can selectRun as...and then choose a different account. - In Windows 7 or Vista, from the
Startmenu, in the "Search programs and files" field (in Windows XP, from theStartmenu, selectRun...), enter the following command: runas /user:username cmdReplace
usernamewith the name of the account you want to use. You can replacecmdwith any command you'd like to run (if it contains spaces between characters, enclose it in double quotes). ClickOK. When prompted, enter the password for the account you've chosen. This method will start a new command shell in a new session, from which you can launch programs.
For more on this topic, see Wikipedia's User Account Control page.
Last modified on October 09, 2012.
