Elevated Program Shortcut - Create for Standard User

How to Create an Elevated Program Shortcut Any User is able to Run in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8​

   Information

This will show you how to create an elevated program shortcut that allows any user (ex: Standard user) to be able to run a program that runs as administrator without being prompted to enter the administator's password each time in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

   Note

If the user you want to have this shortcut has been restricted with Parental Controls in Windows 7 with it set as Standard Account can only use the programs I allow, then they will not be able to use the shortcut in this tutorial since they will not be allowed to use the runas.exe file used by this shortcut. Windows 7 will not allow runas.exe to be added to the allowed to run list.

---

If the user you want to have this shortcut has been restricted with Family Safety in Windows 8 with it set as (user) can only use the apps I allow, then they will not be able to use the shortcut in this tutorial since they will not be allowed to use the runas.exe file used by this shortcut. Windows 8 will not allow runas.exe to be added to the allowed to run list.

---

You will not be able to do this in Vista Starter, Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Basic, and Windows 7 Starter editions since the runas /savecred switch option is not available and will be ignored in them.

---

If you disable the built-in Administrator account, the elevated shortcut will stop working until you enable the built-in Administrator again. This is because the elevated shortcut uses the password of the built-in Administrator to approve running it.

OPTION ONE

To Create Elevated Shortcut for User using RunasSPC Program

1. Download the free RunasSPC program in a .zip file at the site below.

Download


2. The link below can help show you how to use the program.
Runas Spc guidance and examples

OPTION TWO

To Create Elevated Shortcut for User using runas Command

   Tip

This option uses the runas command included in Windows.

The Administrator's password (credential) used by the elevated shortcut is encrypted and stored in the Credential Manager (Control Panel (icons view)) as an "interactive logon" entry under Windows Credentials for only that user account like below.

The Administrator account's password cannot be viewed.

If you like, you can Remove (delete) this credential at anytime in Credential Manager to strip the password from the elevated shortcut to make it ask for the password again when opened like in step 18 below.

   Warning

This elevated shortcut creates a security hole.

It would be best to only do this with a trusted user.

Once you have created the elevated shortcut, the user can use the built-in Administrator's saved credentials in Credential Manager along with the command below to run and access anything they want on the computer with the same rights as the built-in Administrator.

RUNAS /savecred /user:administrator "command to run"

1. If you have not already, enable the built-in elevated "Administrator" account, and create a password for it.

   Warning

You must use the actual built-in Administrator account, and not just another administrator type user account. If you don't the shortcut will not work.

2. Log in to the built-in Administrator account, right click or press and hold on an empty space on the desktop, and click/tap on New and Shortcut.


3. Type the location below into the location area, and click/tap on the Next button. (see screenshot below)

   Note

• You would substitute ComputerName in the command below with the actual computer name.
• If the Administrator account has been renamed, then you would also need to substitute Administrator in the command below with the new name.
• You would substitute Full path to program's exe file in the command below with the actual full path of the elevated program's exe file within quotes that you want to have the standard user be able to run.

runas /user:[B][COLOR=red]ComputerName[/COLOR][/B]\[B]Administrator[/B] /savecred "[B][COLOR=red]Full path to program's exe file[/COLOR][/B]"

For example: I would like to have a standard user to be able to run CCleaner without me or them having to enter the Administrator's account password each time. For this, I would type this:

runas /user:[B][COLOR=red]Brink-PC[/COLOR][/B]\[B]Administrator[/B] /savecred "[B][COLOR=red]C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner.exe[/COLOR][/B]"

3. Type in the name of the program (ex: CCleaner), and click/tap on the Finish button. (see screenshot below)

4. Right click or press and hold on the new shortcut, click/tap on Properties, Shortcut tab, and on the Change Icon button. (see screenshot below)

5. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

6. Click/tap on the Browse button, navigate to the location of the program's (ex: CCleaner) exe file, click on Open, select the program's icon, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshots below)




7. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

8. While still logged in to the "Administrator" account, copy the shortcut to the desktop folder of the user account (ex: Test) that you would like to be able to run this elevated program without getting a UAC prompt or having to provide the administrator's password for it.

9. Right click or swipe down on the shortcut on the user's desktop that you just copied to, and click/tap on Properties. (see screenshot above)

10. Click/tap on the Security tab, and Advanced button. (see screenshot below)

11. Select the user account (ex: Test) that the elevated shortcut is for, and click/tap on the Disable inheritance button. (see screenshot below)

12. Click/tap on Convert inherited permissions into explicit permissions on this object. (see screenshot below)

13. Select the user account (ex: Test), and click/tap on the Edit button. (see screenshot below)

14. Make sure that only the Read & execute and Read "Allow" permissions are checked, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This will prevent the user (ex: Test) from being able to change the target of the elevated shortcut, and only be able to run the program the elevated shortcut was created to run.

15. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

16. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

17. Log on to the user account (ex: Test) that you made a copy of this shortcut to, and run the shortcut.

18. In the command prompt that opened, type in your built-in Administrator account's password and press Enter. You will not see the password while you are typing it in. (see screenshot below)

NOTE: You will only have to enter the Administrator's password for only the first time that this shortcut is ran in the user account (ex: Test). Afterwards, it will be remembered and entered automatically for the user when they run it without anyone being able to see the password.

19. In Vista and Windows 7, the user can now Pin to Taskbar (Windows 7 only) or Pin to Start Menu, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to it, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.

20. In Windows 8 and 8.1, the user can Pin to Taskbar on desktop, Pin to Start screen, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to it, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.





That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Create a Elevated Program Shortcut without a UAC Prompt
• How to Run a Program as an Administrator in Windows 7
• How to See if Process is running as administrator (elevated) in Vista and Windows 7
• How to See if Process is running as administrator (elevated) in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Change UAC Notification Settings in Windows 7
• How to Run a Program as a Different User in Windows 7
• How to Create a Shortcut to Run a Program as a Specified User
• How to Rename the Windows 7 Built-in Administrator Account
• How to Change Behavior of User Account Control (UAC) Prompt for Standard Users

 

[Narendragc]

Hi ,

I was trying this to run tat photon data card application for a standard user , it works well with the user logingn but the issue is it is asking for administrator password on every login.password is not getting saved.

Any ideas?:shock:

 

[Brink]

Hell Narendragc, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I'm not familiar with that program, so I'm not sure if it may be a secondary file that the program is getting the UAC prompt for. Are you using the built-in Administrator account and it's password, and not just another normal administrator's?

 

[JerometheGiraff]

I've ignored this situation for a while, I decided to resurface the issue again. Everything was created exactly as the tutorial, when I run the program which needs administrator access under standard I get prompt for the administrator account twice ? This is frustrating arrghh.

 

[Brink]

Hello JerometheGiraff,

When you set this up, did you use the built-in Administrator account, and not just another normal administrator account? In addition, the built-in Administrator account will always need to remain enabled for as long as this shortcut is being used for it to continue to work.

 

[JerometheGiraff]

I have two Administrator accounts, the normal "Admin" and my Admin <name-admin>. What are you telling me, that I can't use the short cut, unless I have the administrator (normal) logged in then switch back to standard ?

 

[Brink]

Nope, just that the built-in "Administrator" account needs to remain enabled since you are using it's password for the shortcut, and not to disable it. It doesn't have to be logged in.

The shortcut will not work if using the password of your normal administrator account. It'll only work with using the password of the built-in Administrator account.

 

[JerometheGiraff]

Nope, just that the built-in "Administrator" account needs to remain enabled since you are using it's password for the shortcut, and not to disable it. It doesn't have to be logged in.

The shortcut will not work if using the password of your normal administrator account. It'll only work with using the password of the built-in Administrator account.

I realized that my default Administrator account, doesn't have a password, a simple "enter" should bypass the need for a password, but the program won't run even without a password, that is strange. I suppose I should set a password, I haven't because I worry that the warning that Windows gives, would cause me to not access my computer, yet again I do have another Admin account that I know the password for so maybe I'm worrying over nothing ?

 

[Brink]

Yeah, unfortunately a password will need to be created for your built-in Administrator account first. Afterwards, you should be able to start over and create a elevated shortcut that'll work.

 

[JerometheGiraff]

I created a simple Administrator password. After entering in password after running the Short Cut under a Standard Account, it is not working. I can't debug the error message because the command window flashes to fast, I'd create a batch file for the short-cut but can't find the info to do this so I can get the error message. As you stated Brink I need a password for the default Administrator account, that is complete so the short-cut should run under a Standard account, ask for a password twice, once by windows the other in command prompt and from then on in, there should be no asking for a administrator password, if I could get it to work that way.

 

[Brink]

What program is the shortcut for? I'll do some testing, if able, to see what may be wrong.

 

[JerometheGiraff]

It's on another machine with SpaceSniffer

 

[Brink]

Ok, after some testing, it's working fine for me with SpaceSniffer 1.1.4.0.

Double check to see if these are true:

• You started completely over on this since it failed the first time. Otherwise you will never get it to work.
• The SpaceSniffer.exe file is located where all users have full access to. For example, at "C:\Program Files\spacesniffer_1_1_4_0\SpaceSniffer.exe"
• You used compatibility mode with Run this program as an Administrator checked for the SpaceSniffer.exe file
• You have followed the steps in the tutorial exactly.

 

[JerometheGiraff]

Ok, after some testing, it's working fine for me with SpaceSniffer 1.1.4.0.

Double check to see if these are true:

• You started completely over on this since it failed the first time. Otherwise you will never get it to work.
• The SpaceSniffer.exe file is located where all users have full access to. For example, at "C:\Program Files\spacesniffer_1_1_4_0\SpaceSniffer.exe"
• You used compatibility mode with Run this program as an Administrator checked for the SpaceSniffer.exe file
• You have followed the steps in the tutorial exactly.

It is working, perfectly

 

[Brink]

That's great news mate.

 

[rajparjapati]

Hi i m also facing a problem related to this


what i need i have 5 work station on every system windows 7 professional is installed
every one has admin a/c

now i want to give them only standred user account and when i do that some software dont run they ask admin username and password the software they use is wamp server.

i want that software run via standred user.

 

[Brink]

Hello Rajparjapati, and welcome to Seven Forums.

From the command you used, it looks like you do not have a space between take2 and /savecred.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[rajparjapati]

Thanks a lot Brink.

Now it is working..

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Rajparjapati.

 

[metalcoat]

For those with the unspecified error

I tried and tried and tried with my personal admin account named "user" and it would not work at all. But what I found out is that the real "user"'s name is "user2" just in case anyone else has the problem.

 

[Brink]

Hello Metalcoat, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Are you using the built-in "Administrator" account with this? It will not work with just a normal administrator account.