Elevated Program Shortcut without UAC Prompt - Create

How to Create an Elevated Program Shortcut without a UAC Prompt in Windows​

   Information

This will show you how to create an elevated "Run as administrator" shortcut of any installed program using Task Scheduler so that it will not give you a UAC prompt for permission when you start it while still having UAC turned on in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

In the tutorial, you will first create a new task, then a new shortcut to run the task. Afterwards, how to change the icon of the shortcut.

   Note

Special thanks to OEM for pointing this out, and the previous Vista version by DMEX.

   Warning

• This shortcut and task can only be created and work while logged in as an administrator account.
• This shortcut will not work in a standard user account.

Here's How:
1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type taskschd.msc, and press Enter.
NOTE: This will open Task Scheduler. This file is located at:
C:\Windows\system32\taskschd.msc.

2. While having Task Scheduler Library selected in the left pane, click/tap on Create task in the far right pane. (see screenshot below)

3. Under the General tab, type in the "Name" of the program you want to create this shortcut for. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This will be the name of the task. As an example, I will use CCleaner for that program. Make note of this name, you will need it later in step 12 and 14 below.

4. Check the Run with highest privileges box. (See screenshot below)

5. Click/tap on the Configure for drop down box to open it, and select Windows® 7, Windows Server™ 2008 R2 or the Windows you are currently in. (see screenshot above and below)
NOTE: This is like compatibility mode. If the program does not support running in Windows 7 normally, then you can select the OS that is does support running in instead to have it run in compatibility mode as if it was running in that OS instead of Windows 7.

6. Click/tap on the Actions tab, then on the New button. (see screenshot below)

7. In the Program/script: box in the Actions tab, copy and paste the path below. (see screenshot below step 9)
NOTE: Thank you to chillz for the updated steps 7 and 8.
%windir%\System32\cmd.exe
8. In the Add arguments (optional): box in the Actions tab, type in the argument below. (see screenshot below step 9)

NOTE: Substitute Task Name in the argument below with the name you entered in step 3 (ex: CCleaner) within quotes, and substitute Full Path of Program in the argument below with the actual full path of the program's .exe file within quote.
/c start "Task Name" "Full Path of Program"


For example:

/c start "CCleaner" "C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner64.exe"

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

10. Click/tap on the Conditions tab, and uncheck the Stop if the computer switches to battery power box first, then uncheck the Start the task only if the computer is on AC power box. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: This step is mostly for laptops, so that you will be able to run the program when the laptop is running on battery power.




11. Click/tap on OK. (See screenshots above)

12. You will now see your new task created with the name (ex: CCleaner) you gave it in step 3. Close Task Scheduler. (see screenshot below)

13. Right click or press and hold on an empty area of your desktop, then click/tap on New and Shortcut.

14. Type in the target below for the location field, then click/tap on the Next button. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Subsitute task-name in the target with the name (ex: CCleaner) within quotes that you used in step 3.
schtasks /run /tn "task-name"

For example: For my task name CCleaner I used from step 3, I would type:
schtasks /run /tn "CCleaner"

15. Type in a name you want for the shortcut (ex: CCleaner), then click/tap on the Finish button. (see screenshot below)

16. Right click on the new shortcut (ex: CCleaner) on the desktop, then click/tap on Properties.

17. Click/tap on the Shortcut tab, and on the Change Icon button. (see screenshot below)

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

19. Click/tap on the Browse button. (see screenshot below)

20. Navigate to the .exe file of the program that you have created this shortcut with, select it, and click/tap on Open. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you have a icon of your own that you would prefer to use instead, then navigate to where you have that icon saved at instead.

21. Select the icon you want for the shortcut, then click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

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

23. You can now use this elevated shortcut to run at startup in your "Startup" folder, run at startup as a task, Pin to Start Menu, Pin to Taskbar, assign a keyboard shortcut, or move to where you like for easy use.

24. When you run this new elevated shortcut, you will now no longer have to click/tap on YES to approve the UAC prompt to allow the program run as administrator.

   Tip

To Undo and Remove this Task:

• While having Task Scheduler Library selected in the left pane, right click on the task in the right pane that you created in step 12, then click on Delete and Yes to approve.
• Delete the shortcut.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Set Priority Level for Applications and Processes in Windows 7
• 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 Create an Elevated Command Prompt Shortcut in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Create an Elevated Windows 7 Task Manager Shortcut
• How to Change UAC Notification Settings in Windows 7
• How to Create a Task to Run a Program at Startup and Log On in Windows 7
• Enable or Disable the User Account Control (UAC) Blacking Out of Screen in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Elevate All Administrator Accounts UAC Privilege Level
• How to Add "Run as administrator" to VBS File Context Menu
• How to Add "Run as administrator" to MSI File Context Menu
• How to Require Users to Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to Approve UAC Elevation
• How to Create an Elevated Program Shortcut a Standard User is able to Run in Windows 7
• How to Change Behavior of User Account Control (UAC) Prompt for Standard Users
• How to Display a Message Reminder in Windows with Task Scheduler

 

[jetablack4]

Thanks so much Brink, that worked!!! However, for one of my programs this trick does not work. It also did not work when I tried to open it with UAC Trust which is a program that pretty much does the whole task scheduler function for you. I guess it must be the program (EASEUS Todo Backup).

THanks again for your help

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Joe. Yeah, it may not work with all programs unfortunately.

 

[Lunes]

Thanks for the tutorial.

Is this method something that could be used to circumvent the security of
UAC by malicious software? I thought the point of UAC was to require action from the user (clicking allow) to gain administrator privilege.

 

[Brink]

Hello Lunes, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If malware was to infect the file that you used to run in the elevated task action settings, then yes it could. It would indeed be best to use UAC and to click on allow/yes before letting anything run elevated on the computer.

However, people wanted a way to do this, so I tried to provide a way to do so with as little reduction in security as possible so they wouldn't just turn UAC off completely.

 

[Lunes]

Thanks Brink. I may have worded my question incorrectly. Rather than malware running my shortcut that was configured to bypass UAC prompt, would it be able to create a task in the scheduler, and create a shortcut for it? As in, could malware duplicate the entire process described in the tutorial for whatever application it wanted, and bypass UAC? This is more of a hypothetical question about me wondering how UAC works than questioning whether one should make a shortcut for certain programs.

The reason I found this thread/forum is because I installed Win7 on a machine, and am getting about 5 popups every time Windows starts asking if it's ok to run some apps (like Intel display manager, and synaptics touchpad utility). I'm not 100% sure it's UAC causing the prompts (there is no screen darken, but it does darken in other situations), but I do want to find a way to allow these apps to run without prompting.

 

[Brink]

It would be very highly unlikely for malware to do that.

It sounds like those are startup programs that are prompting you to allow them to run as administrator at startup. This tutorial is perfect to use to run them at startup as a task instead to allow them to run elevated at startup without prompting in administrator accounts, and remove them from the startup programs list afterwards.

 

[JerometheGiraff]

I created the task in the Administrator account, creating it in Standard wasn't working. A Network account window kept occurring, and entering in the regular password for windows wasn't working either.

After creating the task and the short cut it won't run. Instead a command prompt window flashes on screen for a second and that's it.

 

[Brink]

Hello Jerome,

This will not work in a standard user account. It will only work in an administrator account.

 

[JerometheGiraff]

There is no other way around this?

 

[Brink]

Sorry, but not for a "standard" user account.

 

[GerryR]

I really do know that the answer to this has to be no, but just in case? I upgrade some files like CCleaner frequently. That, of course, creates a new executable file. It would seem that my only choice is to go into the Task Scheduler Library, delete CCleaner (the older version) and go through the whole mess to make the new CCleaner not require a shortcut prompt. If I'm wrong, or right, could somebody please let me know?

Thank you,

Gerry

 

[Brink]

Hello Gerry,

No, once you make it you will not have to redo it for each new version of CCleaner since the file name and location are the same.

 

[jetablack4]

I posted a little while back when I was having trouble with Task Scheduler open a program with UAC prompt and you were able to help me. I am able to open the program with no problem by double clicking the new icon I created, however, I now wish to have the program open on start up. I created a trigger to do just that, however, it does not open on start up and I get an error which you can see in the picture below. Any helped would be appreciated.

 

[Brink]

Hello Joe,

Did you use step 15 in the tutorial below to setup a separate task to run at startup?

Be sure to use the exact locations specified in the tutorial for it to work with the elevated task shortcut that you created.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/67503-task-create-run-program-startup-log.html

 

[jetablack4]

You fixed my problem once again Brink, thanks so much for your help. I was not able to get the program to open at start up with the shortcut I so I deleted the shortcut and just have the program open at startup, which is all I really need. But the shortcut was conflicting with the startup operation

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Joe. I'm happy to hear that you got it working.

 

[GerryR]

Hello Gerry,

No, once you make it you will not have to redo it for each new version of CCleaner since the file name and location are the same.

Not if, as I do, you add the CCleaner version to the executable name. Ah well, live and learn. I like to know the version that I'm using. I can live with redoing the shortcut on CCleaner###. By now it takes about two minutes.

Thanks,

Gerry

 

[Brink]

Gerry,

Ah, yeah if you change the default name. I'm glad you got it sorted.

 

[JerometheGiraff]

I can't create a shortcut in Standard account that will override if I get asked for Admin password, that stinks damn windows.

 

[Brink]

Hello Jerome,

Yeah, unfortunately that's the purpose of a standard user account to not be able to do anything that affects the system or other users without getting or providing administrator approval (password) first.