Full Fix: Run as administrator not working in Windows 10/11
- Sometimes, you need to run a program as an administrator in order to be able to use it properly.
- Operations that require elevated access are also impossible to accomplish without admin rights.
- If Run as administrator is not working, it’s likely that a third-party application is causing the problem.
- Be sure to remove it. Don't worry, we have plenty of other useful tips for you to try in order to fix this issue both in Windows 10 and 11.
Sometimes issues while trying to run certain applications can appear. For instance, many users reported that Run as administrator is not working.
To put it in their own words: When I click Run as administrator nothing happens.
Speaking of problems, here are some similar issues that users reported:
- Run as administrator Windows 10 not showing up/missing (The Run as administrator popup is not showing at all, it’s not available or is disabled)
- Windows 10 CMD Run as administrator not working (While some are unable to run anything as an administrator in Windows 10, others can’t run Command Prompt as admin)
- CTRL SHIFT Enter Run as administrator not working
- All versions of Windows are affected (Run as administrator not working in Windows 7 and finally Windows 11 Run as administrator not working/missing)
- Right click Run as administrator not working Windows 10
- Run as administrator does nothing
How to fix Run as administrator problems in Windows 10?
- Remove the problematic applications
- Perform a Clean boot
- Perform an SFC and DISM scan
- Check your antivirus
- Boot to Safe Mode
- Create a new user account
1. Remove the problematic applications
According to users, sometimes nothing happens when you click Run as administrator due to third-party applications such as QuickSFV or Express Zip, which add their own options to the context menu in Windows.
It seems that these options caused the problem and prevented users from running applications with administrative privileges. And in order to fix this problem, you might have no other option that disabling third-party options from the context menu.
While there are several methods available, we reckon the most effective one is to use professional software such as CCleaner.
- Open CCleaner and select the Tools submenu.
- Under the Uninstall section, locate your problematic app.
- Select it, then click on the Uninstall button (top right).
It’s quick to act and simple to install. Once you get on your PC, you can use the uninstall feature to remove undesirable, obsolete, or problematic programs and delete leftover files with the PC cleaning features.
⇒ Get CCleaner
2. Perform a Clean boot
If nothing happens when you click Run as administrator, it’s possible that a third-party application is causing the problem.
Sometimes it can be hard to find the application that is causing the problem, and in order to pinpoint the cause, it’s advised to perform a Clean boot. This is fairly simple, and you can do it by following these steps:
- Use Windows Key + R shortcut to open the Run dialog.
- Now type msconfig, and click OK or press Enter.
- When System Configuration window appears, navigate to the Services tab and check Hide all Microsoft services check box.
- Now click the Disable all button to disable all services on the list.
- Head over to the Startup tab and select Open Task Manager.
- Task Manager will appear, and you’ll see a list of all startup applications.
- Right-click the first application on the list and select Disable. Repeat this step for all startup applications.
- After you disable all applications in Task Manager, head back to the System Configuration window.
- Finally, click Apply and OK to save changes and restart your PC.
After doing that, all third-party services and applications will be disabled. If the problem is gone, it’s certain that one of the disabled applications or services was causing the issue.
To pinpoint the cause of the problem, you need to enable all disabled applications and services one by one until you manage to recreate the problem.
Bear in mind that you’ll need to restart your PC after enabling a set of services or applications in order to apply changes.
Once you find the problematic application, you can disable it or remove it from your PC and the issue will be permanently resolved.
3. Perform an SFC and DISM scan
- Open Command Prompt as administrator. The fastest way to do that is to press Windows Key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the list. Alternatively, you can use PowerShell (Admin) if you like.
- Once the Command Prompt starts, enter sfc /scannow and press Enter to run it.
- The SFC scan will now begin. Bear in mind that the scan can take about 10-15 minutes, so don’t interrupt it or interfere with it.
According to users, if nothing happens when you click Run as administrator, it’s possible that the problem is caused by damaged files. To fix the issue, it’s advised to perform an SFC scan.
After the SFC scan is completed, check if the problem is still there. If for some reason you couldn’t run an SFC scan or if the scan didn’t fix the problem, you need to perform a DISM scan by doing the following:
- Start Command Prompt as an administrator.
- Enter the following command and press Enter:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- The DISM scan will now start. Keep in mind that this scan can take about 20 minutes, sometimes more, so don’t interfere with it.
After the scan is finished, check if the problem is resolved. If you weren’t able to run an SFC scan before, try running it after the DISM scan and check if that helps.
4. Check your antivirus
Security software, including your antivirus, can interfere with certain applications, causing the run as administrator not working issue (among others).
In order to rule out this possibility, we advise you to temporarily disable certain antivirus features.
Bear in mind that this method doesn’t always work, so if the problem is still there, you might want to try disabling your antivirus or removing it altogether.
Should this be the answer, it’s clearly time to switch to a more competent antivirus. Many antiviruses that are compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11 are able to keep you protected without interfering.
Modern-day antiviruses are built to offer real-time protection whilst staying lightweight in order to remove the risk of system crashes.
Not only that but an up to date security software does not give false positives and does not block vital Windows components such as the Run as administrator feature.
Its entire architecture is built to protect, not disturb while seamlessly collaborating with other essential programs.
5. Boot to Safe Mode
- Open the Settings app and navigate to the Update & Security section. If you need to open the Settings app quickly, you can use Windows Key + I shortcut.
- From the menu on the left pick Recovery. In the right pane, click the Restart now button.
- Navigate to the Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings and click the Restart button.
- After your PC reboots, you should see a list of options.
- Select the Safe Mode with Networking option by pressing the corresponding keyboard key.
After doing that, you should boot to the Safe Mode. Once you enter Safe Mode, check if the problem is still there. If the issue doesn’t appear in Safe Mode, it’s possible that your account or your settings are causing the issue.
6. Create a new user account
- Open the Settings app and head over to the Accounts section.
- Select Family & other people in the left pane. In the right pane choose Add someone else to this PC.
- Now select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information > Add a user without a Microsoft account.
- Now you just need to enter the username that you want to use for the new account and click Next.
After creating a new user account, it’s a good idea to upgrade your new account to an administrative account. To do that, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app and navigate to Accounts > Family & other people.
- Select the newly created account and choose Change account type.
- Set the Account type to Administrator and click OK.
If the problem still appears, perhaps the issue is caused by your account. Your account can get damaged, and that will lead to this and many other problems.
To fix the issue, it’s advised to create a new user account. After doing that, sign in to the new account and check if the problem appears.
If not, you need to move all your personal files to the new account and start using it instead of your old one.
Windows 11 Run as administrator not working: How can I fix it?
- Open the Settings and remain on the System tab. Select Recovery.
- Click the Restart now button under Advanced startup.
- Select Troubleshoot and click Advanced options.
- In the Advanced options screen, select Command Prompt.
- Once the CMD opens, use the typing field to insert this command:
net user administrator /active:yes - Make sure you press Enter to run it.
- If Windows 11 Run as administrator is still not working, access the CMD again (using the same steps).
- This time, type in regedit to open the Registry Editor.
- Locate this key in the left pane of the editor and highlight it: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- Now, select File from the upper menu bar and click on Load Hive.
- Go to the following path:
C:Windows\System32\config - C: is usually the drive containing the Windows installation, but it can be a different letter there.
- Select the SAM file and click Open.
- Use the Load Hive dialog box to type REM_SAM as the name of the key and click OK. (This will load the hive into HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch).
- Now, look in the left pane of the registry one more time and locate this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\REM_SAM\SAM\Domains\Accounts\Users\000001F4 - In the right pane corresponding to the 000001F4 key, double-click the F Dword (REG_BINARY) to modify it.
- Place your cursor on the line 0038 (1st column), replace the value 11 with 10, and click OK.
- Close everything and reboot your Windows 11 PC.
This should help you recover your administrative privileges if somehow the admin account became disabled along the way.
As you can see, this can be a big problem. If nothing happens when you click Run as administrator in Windows 10 or if Windows 11 Run as administrator is not working, it’s likely that a third-party application is causing the problem.
Be sure to remove it and check if that helps before attempting other manipulations.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Simultaneously press Ctrl + Shift + Enter when the program is selected, will run it as administrator. Not working? See our guide if nothing happens when you Run as administrator.
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Find the shortcut for the program and right-click to select Properties. Select the Shortcut tab, click Advanced, and check Run as administrator box. Save changes.
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This is because that program needs to perform some operations that require Administrator privileges. Be careful what software asks for these privileges as malware can easily infiltrate after confirming. Use a good antivirus.
