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The User Access Control Protocol is a great feature to protect the integrity of system files in the Windows operating system. It is because of this security protocol that users require administrative rights to access some Windows features.

Sometimes, when you try to access some files on your computer, you may see an access denied warning if the required administrative permission is not provided. This permission is basically required to access and modify system files that are otherwise restricted to users with basic privileges.

However, if you want to run File Explorer with administrator rights, we’ll walk you through the process in detail.

Why do you need to run as administrator?

Typically, the Windows operating system grants users basic privilege to work with files and folders within the system. However, if you want to delve deeper into system files and modify, delete, replace, or anything else, you need administrative rights.

The administrator basically has three permissions in Windows; read, write and execute. So running as administrator grants you these permissions.

You want to run as administrator for these specific purposes:

• Install or run software packages
• Making changes to the Windows registry
• Registering and saving DLLs.
• Using some command line functions in CMD.

How to run file explorer as administrator?

Administrator privileges allow you to enter restricted corners of the system. That is why it is a risky business to have access to this right all the time. However, if you want to make some system-level changes to your computer, you need to get this access.

During the time you need to get these permissions for File Explorer, here are some of the methods you can follow:

Using File Explorer Exe File

File Explorer has its main executable inside the system partition of your Windows device. You can use this file to run it as administrator. To do this, follow these steps:

1. go inside C:\Windows folder
2. look for the explorer request file. Right click on it and select Run as administrator.
3. A new file explorer window will open with administrative rights.

Using the Task Manager

Task manager is a useful tool to manage the application running on the system. Used to create a new task and run it with administrator privileges. To run File Explorer as an administrator using Task Manager, follow these steps:

1. press Ctrl + Exchange + Esc to open the task manager.
2. Go to the files > Run a new task.
   
3. In the Create a new task window, type explorer.exe. Also, make sure you’ve checked the “Create this task with administrative privileges” Box.
4. Finally, click on Okay. This will run File Explorer as an administrator.

Alternatively, you can also do this using the Run dialog box,

1. press windows key + R on your keyboard.
2. now write explorer.exe and hit Ctrl + Exchange + come in.

Using CMD

You can even use the command prompt to give file explorer administrative privileges.

Here are the steps:

1. Open CMD with administrative privileges. To do this, open Run using Win+R. type cmd in the field and then press Ctrl + Exchange + come in.
2. Now type this command and press Enter.

3. This will open file explorer with elevated permissions.

Using Powershell

You can even use PowerShell to run File Explorer as an administrator. To do this follow these steps:

1. press Windows key + R and type Powershell. And then press again Ctrl + Shift + Return.
2. Now in PowerShell, enter this command: taskkill /f /FI "USERNAME eq $env:UserName"/im explorer.exe
3. now write C:\Windows\explorer.exe /NOUACCHECK and hit come in. File Explorer will now open as an administrator.

Frequently asked questions

How to run files as administrator without a confirmation popup?

To do this, press Win + R and type useraccountcontrolsettings. In the UAC settings, slide down the notification settings Never warn and click on Okay to save the changes. This will disable the confirmation notification while running as administrator.

How to run as administrator on Windows Server?

For Windows Server 2016/2019, the above steps work. However, on Windows Server 2012, open an elevated command prompt window and enter this command. taskkill explorer.exe & explorer