AppInstall

Welcome Thomas Hepworth,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. I am sorry to hear about your issue when Windows prompts for admin credentials during third‑party app installations. 

• Have you had a chance to check the answers from Q&A Quick Assist and Kimberly Olaño yet? 

In addition, you can also refer to some of my suggestions below to better understand the possible solutions. 

Option 1: Adjust UAC Settings  

• Search for "UAC" in the Start menu and select "Change User Account Control settings." Slide the bar down from the top "Always notify" position to "Notify me only when apps try to make changes" or temporarily "Never notify," then click OK and restart your PC 

Option 2: Clear Credential Manager 

• Open Credential Manager via Control Panel > User Accounts > Credential Manager, then remove any stored Windows credentials or generic credentials related to the installer or Microsoft accounts. Restart and retry the installation 

Option 3: Run SFC and DISM Scans 

• Open Windows Terminal (Admin) and execute sfc /scannow followed by DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to repair corrupted system files affecting UAC or permission handling 

Option 4: Disable Antivirus Temporarily 

• Pause real-time protection in Windows Defender (Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection) or third-party antivirus like Norton/McAfee, then attempt installation.  

I really hope that the information I gave above was helpful to you. Please feel free to reply below and let me know if you have further concern on this matter.    

P/S: If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".     

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

Thanks for sharing this, Thomas! Sometimes your account is an admin in name but blocked by token filtering. Try these steps:

Press Win + X → Windows Terminal (Admin)

Run:

net user administrator /active:yes

Sign out

Sign in as Administrator (no Microsoft account, local only)

Try installing the app

If it installs successfully → your normal admin profile is restricted or corrupted.

After testing, disable it again:

net user administrator /active:no

Best regards,

Kimberly

If you are unable to install third-party apps because Windows requests admin credentials but does not accept them, there are a few potential issues to consider:

1. User Account Control (UAC): Ensure that the User Account Control settings are not set too high, as this can prevent installations from proceeding smoothly. You may want to adjust these settings temporarily to see if it resolves the issue.
2. Administrator Rights: Confirm that your user account has administrative rights. Sometimes, even if you believe you are an admin, the account may not have the necessary permissions due to group policies or other settings.
3. NoRunAsInstallPrompt Policy: If the NoRunAsInstallPrompt policy is enabled, it can prevent users from submitting alternate logon credentials. This setting suppresses the "Install Program As Other User" dialog box, which can lead to installation failures if the current user does not have sufficient permissions. You may want to check the Group Policy settings to see if this is affecting your ability to install applications.
4. Compatibility Issues: If the app you are trying to install is not compatible with your version of Windows, it may fail to install. Ensure that the app is designed for Windows 11 and check for any specific requirements.
5. App Installer Issues: If you are using the App Installer, ensure that the app package is trusted and that any required dependencies are installed. You may need to import the signing certificate into the Trusted People or Trusted Root Authorities store using the Computer Certificates tool.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider checking the Windows Event Viewer for logs related to app installation failures, which may provide more insight into the problem.