Just like other operating systems such as Linux and macOS, there are also several user levels in Windows. There are four types of users in Windows: Administrator, Standard, Child, and Guest. Each user type has different access levels. As you can guess, Administrator is a user type with the highest access level. A user with an administrator level has access to your system components, including the ability to install a new app.

By default, if you open an app in Windows, the app will be open with the Standard user level, even if you login to your Windows as administrator. In Windows, there is a feature called User Account Control (UAC). This feature lets you open an app with administrator privileges only when necessary.

There are at least three ways to open an app as an administrator in Windows. You can use one of the following options if you need to run an app as an administrator.

1. Using the most standard method

This is the most standard method to open an app as an administrator in Windows. Every time you need to run an app as administrator, click the start menu and right-click the app you want to open as administrator and select More -> Run as administrator.

The User Access Control dialog will appear afterward. Select Yes to confirm that you want to the app as an administrator. This method also applies if you want to launch an app via desktop or File Explorer.

2. Open an app as administrator vis Task Manager

If you are opening Task Manager to check the resource usage of your computer and suddenly want to open an app as administrator, you don’t need to go anywhere since you can also run an app as administrator via Task Manager. But, you need to know a bit more advanced Windows knowledge here.

Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager to open it. Or, you can also press Ctrl+Shift+Esc on the keyboard. Make sure to expand the Task Manager window by clicking More details on the bottom side. To start opening an app as administrator, go to File -> Run new task.

It will open the Run dialog, but with an additional option to run an app with administrative privileges. Type the command of the app you want to open (click here to see the commands you can run via Run). Make sure to check the Create this task with administrative privileges option before hitting enter.

3. Open an app as administrator using keyboard shortcuts

Another option to open an app as an administrator in Windows is by using the keyboard shortcuts. You don’t need to perform any click to do so. This will make you look like a pro Windows user.

Press the Windows key on the keyboard to open the search bar and type the app you want to open. Once it’s highlighted, press Ctrl+Shift+Enter. This will open the User Access Control dialog. Simply select Yes to run it as administrator.

Not all Windows apps can be open as administrator. Apps you installed via Microsoft Store cannot be open as an administrator.

How to always open an app as administrator

If you work as a Windows system administrator, there might be some apps that you always run them as administrator every time you open them. To save you time, you can set an app to always be run as an administrator. But, you need to know in advance that running an app as an administrator every time makes it easier for malware to gain control.

To set an app to always be run as an administrator, click the Windows start menu. Right-click the app you want to always run as an administrator and select More -> Open file location. You will be taken to a folder where the shortcut file of the app is located.

Right-click the shortcut file and select Properties. On the Properties window, click the Compatibility tab and check the Run this program as an administrator option and click the OK button