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Always run a program as an administrator

Some programs on your computer need to be run in administrator mode to function correctly. If you’re like me, I don’t like doing the same thing twice, if I can avoid it. In this guide, you’ll learn how to always run a program as an administrator, by default, in Windows Vista.

Set a Program to Always Run as Administrator

To set a program to always run as an administrator, first locate the program’s exectuable:

Find the program’s executable

To find the program’s executable, do the following:

  1. Press the Start button and type the program’s name
  2. Right click the shortcut and select Properties

    Always run a program as an administrator 1

  3. Under the Shortcut tab, copy the location of the file in the Start in box (omit quotation marks)

    Always run a program as an administrator 2

  4. Open Windows Explorer (Winkey+E) and paste the path into the Address bar

    Always run a program as an administrator 3

  5. Look for the file that ends in .exe and has the program’s icon associated with it

    Always run a program as an administrator 4

Enable Default Running as an Administrator

To set the executable to always run as an administrator, do the following:

  1. Right click the program and select Properties
  2. Under the compatibility tab, select Run this program as an administrator

    Always run a program as an administrator 5

Now you don’t have to right click and run as administrator every time.

Bonus: Keyboard Shortcut to Run as Administrator

If you want to run a program once as an administrator, do the following:

Press the Start button, type the program name, and press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER.

About Rich

Rich is the owner and creator of Windows Guides; he spends his time breaking things on his PC so he can write how-to guides to fix them.

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Comments

30 thoughts on “Always Run a Program as Administrator [How To]”

  1. Jagannath says:

    Isn’t this insert a security hole in the system?

  2. Jagannath says:

    Isn’t this insert a security hole in the system?

  3. Jagannath says:

    Isn’t this insert a security hole in the system?

    1. Rich says:

      @Jagannath – Yes, if you don’t trust the program, don’t do this.

  4. Jagannath says:

    Isn’t this insert a security hole in the system?

    1. Rich says:

      @Jagannath – Yes, if you don’t trust the program, don’t do this.

  5. Rich says:

    @Jagannath – Yes, if you don’t trust the program, don’t do this.

  6. Rich says:

    @Jagannath – Yes, if you don’t trust the program, don’t do this.

  7. Ana says:

    I have that option grayed out in a program. Does that mean it’s already going to run as administrator or that it never can?

  8. Ana says:

    I have that option grayed out in a program. Does that mean it’s already going to run as administrator or that it never can?

    1. Rich says:

      It probably means you’re not logged in as an administrator

  9. Ana says:

    I have that option grayed out in a program. Does that mean it’s already going to run as administrator or that it never can?

    1. Rich says:

      It probably means you’re not logged in as an administrator

  10. Rich says:

    It probably means you’re not logged in as an administrator

  11. Rich says:

    It probably means you’re not logged in as an administrator

  12. Ana says:

    I’m working with the only account on the machine which is administrator.

  13. Ana says:

    I’m working with the only account on the machine which is administrator.

  14. Ana says:

    I’m working with the only account on the machine which is administrator.

  15. Ana says:

    I’m working with the only account on the machine which is administrator.

  16. Best Windows Freebies and Guid says:

    […] Always Run a Program as Administrator [HowTo] […]

  17. Best Windows Freebies and Guid says:

    […] Always Run a Program as Administrator [HowTo] […]

  18. m. dubois says:

    ok so i did that, but when i start the program again it asks me again! WTH

  19. m. dubois says:

    ok so i did that, but when i start the program again it asks me again! WTH

  20. m. dubois says:

    ok so i did that, but when i start the program again it asks me again! WTH

  21. m. dubois says:

    ok so i did that, but when i start the program again it asks me again! WTH

  22. lol says:

    this is a silly way, just rename the file to anythingSETUP.exe to avoid the issues or edit the registy under current version and reset

  23. lol says:

    this is a silly way, just rename the file to anythingSETUP.exe to avoid the issues or edit the registy under current version and reset

  24. lol says:

    this is a silly way, just rename the file to anythingSETUP.exe to avoid the issues or edit the registy under current version and reset

  25. lol says:

    this is a silly way, just rename the file to anythingSETUP.exe to avoid the issues or edit the registy under current version and reset

  26. lol says:

    this is a silly way, just rename the file to anythingSETUP.exe to avoid the issues or edit the registy under current version and reset

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