Can’t Run Command Prompt as Admin – Here’s What to Do

Quick Tips

• Command Prompt not running as Admin is often due to privilege or UAC problems.
• Check your Admin status before anything else.
• You can work around things by starting Command Prompt from Task Manager.
• You can also check the Application Information Service or change Group Policy Settings to ensure things are running correctly.

Running apps as Administrator is more than just a power trip. It’s a useful way to access programs with the greatest permissions possible. Running Command Prompt as Admin is crucial for several system-related tasks. If you suddenly can’t run Command Prompt as Admin, then a lot of that power is lost. Not to worry: in this article, we’ll be looking at the reasons and supplying the fixes.

What Causes the Access Error?

If you can’t run Command Prompt as Administrator, then what’s causing the problem? While an antivirus or system corruption might play a role, most of the time, the issue is related to user permissions. Regardless of whether you’re the admin or not, sometimes your system might need reminding. With that said, let’s look at some fixes.

Can’t Run Command Prompt as Admin – Fixes to Try

If you’re having trouble with Command Prompt and Admin access, we’ve got some troubleshooting steps below to help you out:

Check Your Admin Status

You might know you’re an Admin, but does your PC know that you are? Here’s a good way to check:

Step 1. Open the Run dialog (Win + R) and type “netplwiz” before clicking “OK.”

Step 2. In the new window, click your username and then “Properties.”

Step 3. In the next window, click the “Group Membership” tab and ensure “Administrator” is checked.

Step 4. Click “Apply” and “OK” to finalize.

Start Command Prompt via Task Manager

You might not know that you can also start Command Prompt (complete with Admin privileges) from Task Manager. Here’s what to do:

Step 1. Open “Task Manager” (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).

Step 2. Click “Run new task” at the top of the window.

Step 3. In the window that pops up, type “cmd” and tick “Create this task with administrative privileges.”

Step 4. Click “OK” to finalize and start.

Check the Application Information Service

The Application Information Service is in charge of the “Run as Administrator” request for every app on your PC. If it’s not working properly, then you aren’t getting permission. Here’s how to check it:

Step 1. Open the Rundialog (Win + R) and type “services.msc” before clicking “Enter.”

Step 2. In Services, navigate to “Application Information” and check that the status is “Running.”

Step 3. If not, right-click the service and choose either “Start” (if it’s stopped) or “Restart” if you want a fresh startup.

Step 4. Try reopening Command Prompt as Admin again.

Change Group Policy Settings

Another way to troubleshoot Admin settings is to review the UAC elevation policy in Group Policy Editor. Here’s how:

Step 1. Open the Run Dialog (Win + R) and type “gpedit.msc” before hitting “Enter.”

Step 2. Navigate to “Computer Configuration,” then “Windows Settings.”

Step 3. Then navigate to “Security Settings,” “Local Policies,” then “Security Options.”

Step 4. Find “User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode” and double-click it.

Step 5. Make sure the setting is configured to an appropriate prompting option, such as “Prompt for consent for non-Windows binaries,” then click “Apply” and “OK.”