Easily Running a Program as the Administrator

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 1, 2019)

When you run a program in Windows, that program is run using whatever user account you used when you logged in to the system. For instance, if I log in using an account named AWyatt, then any programs I run while logged in are executed using whatever security setting and environmental configuration I devised for the AWyatt account.

For some programs, though, you may need a greater level of access to the system. In fact, some programs—particularly those that may access or change system settings—can only be run by an administrator. Fortunately, it is not difficult to run a program as an administrator, regardless of what account I am currently using on the system.

To run a program as an administrator, simply right-click on the program's icon or menu link. You should see a Context menu. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. An example Context menu displayed when right-clicking.

Note the option to "Run as Administrator." If you choose this option, then the program is run using administrator rights. If you don't see the "Run as Administrator" option on the Context menu, it may mean one of three things:

  • The program doesn't require administrator rights in order to run properly.
  • You are already logged in as an administrator (which means that the program is run "as administrator" by default).
  • The program is somehow blocked by Windows from running with admin privileges.

 This tip (10138) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Storing a User's Location before Running a Macro

Macros are often used to process information in a workbook. If your macro makes changes in what is selected in the ...

Discover More

Getting Excel Dates into Outlook's Calendar

If you want to move information from Excel into Outlook, how you do it can be a bit tricky. Here's an example of how you ...

Discover More

Changing Fonts for AutoText Entries

If you use AutoText entries a lot, you may wonder if you can change the formatting stored with your existing entries. The ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Modifying How Windows Notifies You of Impending Changes

Part of the security system built into Windows involves notifying you when changes are about to occur to your system. ...

Discover More

Review and Clear Bing Search History

Search engines are a great way to gather information about the world around us. While a search engine presents ...

Discover More

Camera Privacy Settings

Using a web camera with your computer opens all sorts of opportunities. Set your computer's Camera Privacy Settings to ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is six minus 5?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

Newest Tips
Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.