Turn Off User Account Control (UAC) for a Specific Application

Download this free tool to help you

When you perform a task that requires administrative privileges in Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008, theUser Account Control(UAC) dialog box displays.User Account Controllimits applications to standard user privileges, even in a user account with administrator privileges assigned to it. When you run applications, they are run as a standard user, unless they are specifically approved to have administrator privileges.

User Account Controlapproval happens on a per-application basis. If you have an application that you know and trust and use often, and it requires administrator privileges, you may want to download a free tool we found, calledUAC Trust Shortcut, that allows you to turn offUser Account Controlfor a specific application.

DownloadUAC Trust Shortcutfrom

http://www.itknowledge24.com/.

NOTE:There are two files in theUAC Trust Shortcut.zipfile download.UAC Trust Shortcutrequires Microsoft .NET Framework 4 to be installed. If you have Microsoft .NET Framework 4, you can installUAC Trust Shortcutusing the included.msifile.

If you need Microsoft .NET Framework 4, use the included.exeto installUAC Trust Shortcut. It automatically downloads Microsoft .NET Framework 4 and installs it for you. Then, it runs the.msifile to installUAC Trust Shortcut.

We used the.exefile to installUAC Trust Shortcutbecause we did not have Microsoft .NET Framework 4 installed yet. Double-click thesetup.exefile to start the install. Go through the steps for installation.

If you want to installUAC Trust Shortcutfor all users on your computer, select theEveryoneradio button on theSelect Installation Folderscreen. Otherwise, select theJust meradio button.

For the example in this post, we will create a shortcut forCCleaner, which is a useful program for cleaning your Windows computer. It protects your privacy online and makes your computer faster and more secure. If you want to installCCleanerto use and so you can use it as an example when following the steps in this post, you can downloadCCleanerfrom

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner.

Every timeCCleaneris run, theUser Account Controldialog box displays. The new shortcut will allow us to runCCleanerwithout theUser Account Controldialog box displaying.

To runUAC Trust Shortcut, clickAll Programson theStartmenu and clickUAC Trust Shortcut.

On theUAC Trust Shortcutdialog box, click theAdd another programbutton to activate the fields on the dialog box.

TheUser Account Controldialog box displays. ClickYes.

Enter a name for your shortcut in theNameedit box. You should select a name that is different than the original program shortcut. Click theBrowsebutton.

Navigate to the folder in which the program is installed for which you want to create the shortcut and select the.exefile for the program. In our case, we selected theCCleaner.exefile. ClickOpen.

The full path to the executable file is inserted into thePathedit box. Click theAdd nowlink below theBrowsebutton to create the shortcut.

You can continue to add shortcuts for other programs that require permission using theUser Account Controldialog box by repeating the steps above. When you are finished creating shortcuts, click theXbutton in the upper, right corner of the dialog box to closeUAC Trust Shortcut.

The new shortcut is added to the desktop. Double-click the new shortcut to open the program, bypassing theUser Account Controldialog box.

UAC Trust Shortcutinstalls a service that runs in the background to enable the shortcuts you create. When you start your computer the next time, a dialog box displays asking you for permission to start the service. If you don’t want this dialog box to display every time you start Windows, select theDo not display this prompt next timecheck box. Click theEnable the UAC Trust Shortcut Service nowoption to start the service.

NOTE:If you select theDo not display this prompt next timecheck box, we recommend that you select theEnable the UAC Trust Shortcut Service nowoption. Otherwise, you will need to start the service manually.

TheUser Account Controldialog box displays asking for permission to run the program that starts the service. ClickYes.

Be sure you know and trust the programs for which you turn offUser Account ControlusingUAC Trust Shortcut, and that you select the correct program executable files. Enjoy!

Founder of Help Desk Geek and managing editor. He began blogging in 2007 and quit his job in 2010 to blog full-time. He has over 15 years of industry experience in IT and holds several technical certifications.Read Aseem’s Full Bio

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Turn Off User Account Control (UAC) for a Specific Application#