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Allow Standard User to run as and Admin Account using a password

Nick Verhein 6 Reputation points
Mar 30, 2022, 3:12 PM

For context: I recently purchased a surface pro 8 and am running Windows 11. I also have two user accounts set up: one as a Standard account and one as an Administrator account. When I'm logged in on the Standard account, there are times in which I must be logged in as the Administrator in order to run, install, etc. certain programs (which I've set up by design). In previous versions of Windows I've had an option to enter in the Administrator password (while still logged in as the Standard User) and then proceed. However (so far) in Windows 11, I receive a pop-up that says in order to execute I must be logged in as the Administrator, but I don't have the option to type in the Administrator password.

Can someone please help me adjust my settings so when I try and execute a task as a Standard User I receive the option to type in the Administrator password?

Thank you.

Windows 11
Windows 11
A Microsoft operating system designed for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.
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  1. Michael Taylor 55,216 Reputation points
    Mar 30, 2022, 3:30 PM

    You could be using 1 of 2 features. What it sounds like is that you used to use UAC and you aren't now. With UAC enabled then when you log in as an admin user then Windows actually creates a standard user token for you. Thus you don't have admin privileges. When you attempt to do something that requires admin privileges Windows sees you're running a restricted token and prompts you to elevate. If you agree then it creates a new session for your user with the full admin rights and runs the process you were trying to run. When that process ends the user session terminates. That is still a feature in Win11 and works the same way. However if you're using a real standard user account then you wouldn't get the UAC prompt as your account cannot be elevated.

    Alternatively if you are running a regular user account and need to run something as an admin you always have the option of Run as User to run the process. This technically works for any user account. However Win11 has really butchered the context menu such that some functionality is at the top of the screen as non-descript icons and some more options in a regular context menu. But at the bottom of that menu is generally the More Options link. Clicking that replaces the Win11 partial context menu with the regular full context menu. Within that context menu is the Run As Different User option. If for some reason it doesn't show up then hold Left Shift when you right click.

    Finally note that this option is only available when actually on a program. This is becoming harder to distinguish in newer Windows versions. Basically if it is an EXEC or a store app icon then it should show up. If you are trying to do this from the task bar AND the app is already open then it won't work (it didn't in Win10 either). Instead you have to select the context menu, find the actual program icon in the context menu and then right click that.

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