Automate UAC to not prompt for admin user/pass when app needs "run as administrator"

Question

Every time I try installing a program that needs elevated permissions in order to do so I'm always prompted to put my admin username and password in. This gets quite annoying when installing or tweaking a setting at my work.

I had it configured to just click "yes or no" when running something that needed elevated permissions and once I clicked "yes" it would just continue as my administrator account - but I forgot how to do it and now I am running Windows 10.

Note that I don't want to just right-click on an app and select "run as administrator". I need something that's permanent for anything I run that needs that.

If someone know how to go about doing this then please let me know!

Solution 1

As I understand your question, UAC now prompts you for a username and password, and you would prefer to see a "Yes/No" UAC prompt instead.

Normally if you are not logged in as a local Administrator, the UAC prompt you for credentials. Otherwise, you will get the standard Yes/No (Admin Approval) UAC prompt.

This behavior can be changed in the Local Security Policy.

• Open the Local Group Policy Editor gpedit.msc (as an Administrator).
• Navigate to the following: Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local Policies, Security Options
• Check the policies starting User Account Control, specifically
  • Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode: Enabled
  • Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode: Prompt for consent for non-Windows binaries

Solution 2

Alright this is what I had to do in order to get this to work.

I have 2 windows accounts.

-Normal account (non-admin)

-Admin account

I had to log into my Admin account and do the following:

• Win + R > type in lusrmgr.msc

• Local Users and Groups box pops up

• Under Local Users and Groups (Local) choose Groups then double-click (or right click and select Properties) on Administrators.

• The Administrators Properties box comes up and you need to click on the ADD... button.

• Doing so shows the Select Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups box. Type in your NON-ADMIN windows account name and click Check Names button. It should then format your name as it looks in Active Directory.

• After the above is done, click the OK button and OK button again and log off your Admin windows account.

• Log into your Normal windows account.

• You now should be presented with the Yes/No dialog box when something needs Administrator rights to run/install/change or set to "Run As Administrator".

Solution 3

A quick and dirty way is to run Explorer.exe as admin, after applying my tweak, run the several software tools and exit the Explorer, running as admin.

Here you need to allow the UAC prompt only once!

Comments

[Ramhound]

You should disable UAC through the group policy if you want to be able to do that.

[Ramhound]

Possible duplicate of Is it possible to elevate the permission of a program in Windows without using "Run as Administrator"?

[Ramhound]

Related How to fully stop UAC Windows 8

[Steven]

Clarification: Are you trying to switch the UAC prompt from username/password to the Yes/No prompt?

[Ramhound]

I should point out, that if an installer is requesting for elevated permissions, that normally indicates your user doesn't already have it. In my experience very applications and/or installers actually need to be ran as an Administrator, and specifically for an installer, that's normalyl only done so the applicaton can be ran by multiple users.

[Jeter-work]

@Ramhound Admin user has to invoke admin privilege in Windows 8/Server 2012 R2 and later. And the reason you have to be admin to install in Windows is so that you can write to the registry, and to the program files folder, and modify the administrator, all users, and/or default user profiles. Non-standard installations (install anywhere besides Program Files), are not written with backwards and/or future compatibility, and probably are not concerned with security. Windows standard now is that all (non-admin) software is installed for all users.

[Ramhound]

@Xalorous You can grant the ability to install applications to a normal User. I already know all that. But even in your statement, those installers DO NOT require being elevated so have Administrator rights, Administrator rights are just required to install software normally

[I say Reinstate Monica]

I'm always prompted to put my admin username and password in. ... So that means the account you're normally logged in with doesn't have Administrator permissions, correct?

[Steven]

@Twisty Yes unless you set the last policy differently in my answer below

[I say Reinstate Monica]

@Steven I'm aware that the OP could be seeing the UAC password prompt because of policy settings. However, one also gets this prompt if they're not an admin. I'm just wanting the OP to confirm for us whether his user account is admin or not.

[StealthRT]

That seems to have already been enabled.

[Steven]

Are you logged in as a user in Administrators? If so, are you using the same credentials to log in as you are to install applications?