[Full Guide] Turn Off UAC for One Program: Easy Guide

[Full Guide] Turn Off UAC for One Program: Easy Guide

/ James Masterson

User Account Control (UAC) is a security feature introduced in Windows Vista and is present in newer versions of Windows, including Windows 10. Its purpose is to protect your computer from unauthorized changes or malicious software installations. Whenever you attempt to install a new program or change certain settings, UAC prompts you for confirmation.

While UAC can be a useful tool for preventing accidental system modifications, it can also be frustrating if you frequently need to run a specific program requiring elevated permissions. Fortunately, there is a way to turn off UAC for just one program, allowing you to bypass the prompts and run your program without interruptions.

Should You Turn Off Uac for a Program?

Someone might choose to turn off User Account Control (UAC) for one program due to the:

  • Convenience: UAC can be seen as an inconvenience to some users because it requires them to confirm certain actions, such as installing or running programs. By turning off UAC for a specific program, users can avoid having to confirm actions related to that program repeatedly.
  • Compatibility: Some older programs may not be fully compatible with UAC, causing errors or unexpected behavior. By turning off UAC for that program, users can ensure it runs smoothly without any issues.
  • Security: While UAC is an important security feature in Windows, it may not be necessary for certain programs that are deemed safe and trusted. By turning off UAC for a specific program, users can reduce the likelihood of false positives and make it easier to use that program without interruptions. However, it is important to note that turning off UAC for any program can potentially increase the risk of malware infections or other security threats.

How to Disable/Enable UAC on Windows 10/11 for All Program Files

Below are the steps for disabling or enabling UAC on your Windows 10 or 11 systems:

  1. Access the Control Panel on your computer by searching for it on the Start menu search bar.
windows search control panel

2. Once you have opened the Control Panel, change the view to either “Large icons” or “Small icons” to easily find the “User Accounts” option.

control panel user accounts

3. Click “User Accounts” to access the user account settings.

4. Under “User Accounts”, select “Change User Account Control settings”.

change user account control settings option

5. Move the slider to the “Never notify” position, the lowest level of UAC protection.

6. Click on “OK” to save the changes.

uac never notify

7. A pop-up UAC interface will appear, asking for confirmation. Click on “Yes”.

8. After completing these steps, you will no longer see UAC prompts on your Windows 11 device.

To re-enable UAC in the future, repeat the above steps and move the slider to one of the other three positions (the default setting is the second level from the top).

How to Disable UAC for Just One Program in Windows 11/10

If you only want to disable UAC for a specific program on your Windows 11/10 device, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Use the Windows Search function to search for “Task Scheduler” and select the first result to launch Task Scheduler.
task scheduler

2. Right-click “Task Scheduler Library” and choose “New Folder”. Name the folder something descriptive. For example, you could name it “UAC Blacklist”.

new folder in task scheduler

3. To create a task, right-click on the newly created folder in the “Task Scheduler Library” and choose “Create Task”.

create task in task scheduler

4. Give the task a descriptive name, such as the program name you want to disable UAC for.

5. In the “Security options” section, select “Run with highest privileges.”

6. Choose the current Windows version under “Configure for.” If you use a Windows 11 Insider preview build, the option may not be available until the official release.

run with highest privileges

7. Click “OK” to save your changes.

8. On the new page, click “New” under “Actions”.

9. Make sure “Start a program” is selected, and then click “Browse” to locate the .exe file for the program you want to disable UAC for. If unsure where the file is located, right-click the program’s shortcut and select “Open file location”.

open file location from task scheduler

10. If you are using a laptop, go to the “Conditions” tab and uncheck “Start the task only if the computer is on AC power”.

start the task only if the computer is on ac power

11. Create a desktop shortcut for the program.

Once you have completed these steps, you can launch the program using the newly created shortcut, and it should no longer prompt you with the UAC interface.

Disable UAC on a Specific Program Using Different Tools

UAC Pass

UAC Pass is a portable executable created in the Autoit scripting language that allows you to create UAC promptless shortcuts on your desktop with drag and drop. It uses the Windows Task Scheduler to run the task with high privileges.

UAC Pass comes with preset options that enable you to create shortcuts for various scenarios, such as a USB drive, a Windows startup entry, and the desktop. You can create batch files, use relative paths, allow multiple instances, and pin a shortcut to the Start Menu or Taskbar. The default preset of creating a desktop shortcut will be the most useful in most cases.

uac pass

To use UAC Pass, drag and drop a program or shortcut onto the window, creating a scheduled task and the shortcut at the specified location. If you need to delete a shortcut, drop it onto the UAC Pass window, and it will delete the scheduled task. Additionally, you can view and delete tasks by clicking the button below the settings button in the window’s top right corner.

It’s important to note that the Pin to Start Menu and Pin to Taskbar options do not function in Windows 10 but work fine in Windows 7. UAC Pass offers five skin colors in the settings, but they are all somewhat unappealing. However, you may find one of the options other than the default green more readable. For more information on bypassing UAC prompts, use the Task Scheduler.

RunAsRob

Robtronic offers tools for account permissions and User Account Control (UAC), such as the RunAsRob. This tool is multipurpose and can run programs as other users, as a service, and also over a network. Tools from Robtronic provide different options to users who need to bypass UAC or run programs with different permissions.

install runasrob

To use RunAsRob, users must install it as a standard Windows service. The Zip archive includes separate 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the tool, and each folder contains three executable files. To get started, users need to launch the RunAsAdmin.exe file. The first step is to install RunAsRob by pressing the “Install RunasRob” button, which is necessary to disable the UAC prompt. Users can then add an application by browsing for the executable file or script and pressing “Add application”. After adding the application, they can create a shortcut by pressing “Create shortcut”, and, finally, exit the tool.

add application and create shortcut in runasrob

UAC Trust Shortcut

UAC Trust Shortcut is a program that enables users to disable User Account Control for a specific application. Like RunAsRob, UAC Trust Shortcut uses its service to elevate the program instead of a scheduled task. However, .NET Framework 3.5 must be installed separately by Windows 10 users or offered during installation.

To create a trusted shortcut, users can click on the “UAC Trust Shortcut 1.0” icon in the Start menu and add the program name they want to allow by browsing for the program executable. Once the trusted shortcut is added to the Desktop, users must manually start the background service (tracer.exe) whenever they start or log on to Windows to avoid UAC prompts. The UAC Trust Shortcut system tray icon can be used to start the service and open the add new trusted shortcut window.

uac trust shortcut

While the service runs, users can launch trusted shortcuts without receiving a UAC prompt. However, UAC Trust Shortcut lacks support for options like command line arguments, changing the start folder, or executing batch files. Additionally, users must download the correct 32-bit or 64-bit installer to ensure compatibility.

start service uac trust shortcut

A potential workaround for the automatic startup of the tracer.exe service is to run it as a scheduled task. Help with this process can be found in option number 5 of the program. Despite its limitations, UAC Trust Shortcut is useful for disabling UAC for specific applications.

Bypass User Account Control Prompts Using the Task Scheduler Manually

If you’re experiencing problems with tools that use the Task Scheduler shortcut to elevate the application, you can create a scheduled task to bypass the issue. This process is quick and easy. Below are the steps to run a program elevated in Task Scheduler without encountering the UAC prompt:

1. To open the Task Scheduler, click the Start button, press the Windows key, and start typing “scheduled.” Then select the Task Scheduler option that appears.

2. Click ” Action ” from the menu and choose “Create Task.” Enter the Name and an optional Description. Check the “Run with highest privileges” checkbox, elevating the task and bypassing the UAC prompt. Without it, the task and program will fail to launch.

run with highest privileges on elevated programs

3. Go to the Actions tab and click on the New button.

4. Ensure the “Start a program” action is selected and browse for the program you want to run without the UAC prompt. You can also enter any command line arguments or specify a different starting folder if necessary. Click OK.

start a program with uac

5. Although this step is optional, checking that the “Allow task to be run on demand” box is selected in the Settings tab is a good idea.

allow task to be run on demand

6. Click OK to create the task, which will be added to the Task Scheduler Library. You can launch the program manually from the Task Scheduler or by right-clicking on the task and selecting Run.

7. To launch the program on demand, create a shortcut by right-clicking on the Desktop and selecting New > Shortcut. Type the following command into the location box and click Next:

schtasks /run /TN “[Name of task]”

schtask run tn

Make sure to replace the task name in double quotes with the name you used in Step 2. You can give the shortcut any name you like in the next window. Finally, click Finish. Double-click the shortcut when running the program without the UAC prompt.

Note: To start the elevated program during Windows boot or user logon, follow an additional step when creating the scheduled task.

After step 5, select the Triggers tab and click New. From the “Begin the task” drop-down menu, choose “At log on” or “At startup” and press OK. “At startup” runs the task during a full boot, while “At log on” runs the task whenever you sign in, including after signing out or at boot.

select begin the task option

Combining this option with the steps above allows you to launch the tracer.exe service silently on startup using option 4 (UAC Trust Shortcut).

Securely Run Programs by Disabling Uac: Quick and Easy Solution

Disabling UAC for a specific program can be useful for users who frequently use a trusted program that triggers UAC prompts every time it runs. Following the step-by-step instructions outlined above, users can create a custom task in the Task Scheduler to run the program with elevated privileges and bypass the UAC prompts.

It’s important to note that disabling UAC for any program can potentially leave your computer vulnerable to security threats and should only be done cautiously and when necessary. As such, users should consider the risks before proceeding with this solution and re-enable UAC once they no longer need to run the program with elevated privileges.

James Masterson
Meet the author

James is a software engineer and an information architect with a keen eye for detail. Among his key interests are enhancing the usability of our Windows 10 content, troubleshooting errors, and tech news.