Administrator

Question

I cannot run manual virus scans amongst other things in windows security. I receive a message saying I don't have administrator access even though I do. This is my personal computer and account. How do I fix this. Co-pilot is no help.

Answer 1

1

Do you, or did you have any 3rd party anti-virus installed on your PC?

2

Open the Settings App.

Go to Accounts.

Select Access Work or School, is there is a work or school Email listed there?

3

Click your Start Button, type regedit and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.

Click View and make sure 'Address Bar' is turned on.

Paste this into the Address Bar at the top and hit Enter.

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender

Please provide a screenshot of that Registry Editor page.

Answer 2

The issue is typically caused by Windows Security settings such as Tamper protection or by not actually running the needed tools with elevated (administrator) permissions.

Try these steps in order:

1. Confirm actions are run as administrator

• For any tool used (PowerShell, Command Prompt, or apps that manage security):
  • Right‑click the app icon.
  • Select Run as administrator.
  • If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), approve the request. An elevated window usually shows Administrator in the title bar.
• If the account is not an administrator, Windows will ask for an admin username and password and will not allow elevation without them.

2. Check Tamper protection in Windows Security If Tamper protection is on, it can block changes to Microsoft Defender Antivirus settings even for some admin operations.

• Open Windows Security from Start.
• Go to Virus & threat protection.
• Select Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings.
• Locate Tamper protection.
  • If it is On, toggle it Off temporarily.
  • Tamper protection prevents apps (including some admin tools) from changing critical Defender settings; turning it off allows changes.
• Try running the manual scan again from Virus & threat protection.
• When finished, turn Tamper protection back On to keep the device protected.

3. Verify real‑time protection and Defender status (advanced) If comfortable with PowerShell:

• Open Windows PowerShell with Run as administrator.
• Run:
  • Get-MpComputerStatus
• Check in the output:
  • IsTamperProtected – should be True when Tamper protection is enabled.
  • RealTimeProtectionEnabled – shows if Defender real‑time protection is on.

If scans still fail with permission errors even in an elevated session and with Tamper protection adjusted, there may be deeper system issues. In that case, using the built‑in troubleshooters or, as a last resort, a repair/reset of Windows (keeping files) may be required, but those steps are not detailed in the provided material.

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References:

• PowerToys running with administrator permissions
• Virus and Threat Protection in the Windows Security App
• Stay Protected With the Windows Security App
• Troubleshooting mode scenarios in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint