How to execute Run command as admin in Windows 11/10

To execute a Run command as admin in Windows 11 or 10, press Windows key + R, type the command (for example cmd), and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter instead of Enter, then select Yes in the User Account Control prompt. If that shortcut does nothing on your PC, type powershell Start-Process cmd -Verb RunAs in the Run box, which always asks for elevation.

This guide covers every reliable way to run a command with administrator rights: the Run box, Start search, Task Manager, the taskbar, Windows Terminal and PowerShell, how to make a program always open elevated, how to confirm a window really is elevated, and what to do when Run as administrator is missing or fails.

Ways to run a command as admin in Windows 11 and 10

Your situation	Use this	Why
You are already in the Run box	Type the command, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter	Fastest route, no extra windows
The shortcut does not elevate on your build	powershell Start-Process cmd -Verb RunAs in Run	Microsoft documents the RunAs verb for this job
You run several admin commands in a row	Elevated Command Prompt, PowerShell or Terminal	Everything started from it is elevated, one prompt only
Start menu or taskbar is not responding	Task Manager > Run new task	Works while Explorer is stuck
The app is pinned to the taskbar	Ctrl + Shift + click its button	A documented Windows shortcut, one click
You want an app elevated every time	Shortcut Advanced > Run as administrator, or Terminal’s profile setting	No need to remember a key combination
You are signed in as a standard user	Any route above, then an admin’s user name and password	Windows shows a credential prompt instead of Yes/No

How to run as administrator on Windows 11 from the Run window

The Run box starts programs with standard rights when you press Enter. Holding Ctrl + Shift while you confirm asks Windows for the administrator token instead.

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type the command or program name, for example cmd, powershell, regedit or services.msc.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter. With the mouse, hold Ctrl + Shift and select OK.
4. Select Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
5. Check that the new window’s title begins with Administrator:.

The shortcut has worked in the Run box since later Windows 10 releases and works on Windows 11. A few programs that are not plain executables may still open without elevation; in that case use the PowerShell line below. There are several other ways to open the Run dialog if Windows key + R is blocked, and the Windows 11 Run commands list covers what to type into it.

Elevate from the Run box with PowerShell’s RunAs verb

This line works on every Windows 10 and Windows 11 build because it hands the request to PowerShell’s Start-Process, which Microsoft documents with the RunAs verb.

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Type powershell Start-Process cmd -Verb RunAs and press Enter.
3. Select Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
4. To open a different program elevated, replace cmd with its name or full path, for example powershell Start-Process regedit -Verb RunAs.

Open Command Prompt as administrator from Start search

1. Select Start and type cmd.
2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator, or select Run as administrator in the panel on the right.
3. Or keep the result highlighted and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
4. Select Yes in the User Account Control prompt, or enter an administrator’s password if asked.
5. Type the command you would normally put in the Run box and press Enter.

Programs started from an elevated window inherit its administrator token, so they open with admin rights without another prompt. The same right-click works for any app in the search results, and there are more general ways to open Command Prompt if search is slow.

Run a program as admin using its shortcut from the All apps list of the Windows 11 Start menu

1. Open Start and right-click a pinned app, or select All apps (Windows 11) and right-click the app in the list.
2. Select More > Run as administrator. On Windows 10 the entry is also under More.
3. Approve the User Account Control prompt.

Using the Quick Access menu (Windows 10 & 11)

1. Press Windows key + X, or right-click the Start button.
2. Select Terminal (Admin) on Windows 11, or Windows PowerShell (Admin) on Windows 10.
3. Select Yes at the prompt and type your command.

The Terminal opens on its default profile; open a Command Prompt tab from the drop-down if you need cmd specifically, and it will be elevated too.

Run as admin from the Task Manager

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Select Run new task (Windows 11, at the top of the window) or File > Run new task (Windows 10).
3. Type the command, for example cmd.exe.
4. Tick Create this task with administrative privileges.
5. Select OK.

Microsoft uses this route in its own troubleshooting when Windows Explorer has stopped, so it works without a working taskbar or Start menu. If Ctrl + Shift + Esc is unavailable, there are other shortcuts to open Task Manager.

Run an app as administrator from its taskbar shortcut

1. Pin Command Prompt, PowerShell or Terminal to the taskbar.
2. Hold Ctrl + Shift and click its taskbar button.
3. Or press Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + number to open a new elevated instance of the app at that taskbar position.
4. Or right-click the button, right-click the app name in the jump list, and select Run as administrator.
5. Select Yes in the User Account Control prompt.

How to run as administrator from an executable’s contextual menu

1. Open File Explorer and go to the program’s folder, for example C:\Windows\System32 for cmd.exe.
2. Right-click the .exe file and select Run as administrator.
3. On Windows 11, if the entry is missing, select Show more options first.
4. Approve the User Account Control prompt.

Use Windows Terminal, PowerShell, or CMD to run as administrator in Windows 11

From a normal PowerShell window, Start-Process with -Verb RunAs opens any program elevated. Microsoft’s own example starts PowerShell this way.

Start-Process -FilePath "powershell" -Verb RunAs

Starts a new PowerShell window with administrator rights. Replace powershell with cmd, an .msc console, or the full path to an .exe. Microsoft notes that the RunAs verb is available for any process that runs a .exe file.

You should see: A User Account Control prompt, and after you approve it the new window’s title starts with Administrator.

From an already elevated window, just type the program name; it inherits the window’s rights. For the other PowerShell routes, these ways to run PowerShell as administrator go further.

Run an .exe file from an elevated Command Prompt

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Type cd /d "C:\Path\To\Folder" and press Enter.
3. Type the file name, for example setup.exe, and press Enter.
4. Or skip the cd step and type the full path in quotes, for example "C:\Program Files\App\app.exe".

Use runas to start a command as a different user

runas /user:ComputerName\AdminAccount cmd starts Command Prompt under another account after you type that account’s password. It is useful on a standard account, but note that on a PC with User Account Control turned on, runas does not by itself give an administrator the elevated token; the Start-Process route above does.

Always run a program with administrator permissions

How to run as administrator from an app’s shortcut

1. Right-click the program’s desktop or Start shortcut and select Properties (from Open file location if you start in the Start menu).
2. On the Shortcut tab, select Advanced.
3. Tick Run as administrator and select OK twice.

Every launch from that shortcut now asks for elevation. Use the Compatibility tab’s Run this program as an administrator box instead to apply it to the .exe itself.

Set a Windows Terminal profile to always open elevated

1. Open Windows Terminal and press Ctrl + , to open Settings.
2. Select the profile, for example Command Prompt.
3. Turn on Run this profile as Administrator and select Save.

Microsoft’s documentation for this setting (the elevate property) says a profile set this way opens a new elevated window when started from an unelevated one, because elevated and unelevated tabs cannot share a Terminal window. Our Windows Terminal guide covers the rest of its settings.

Use the Windows Task Scheduler to run a program with administrative permissions

A scheduled task created with Run with highest privileges ticked starts elevated without a User Account Control prompt each time. Create it in Task Scheduler, then start it with schtasks /run /tn "TaskName" from the Run box or a shortcut. Keep this for trusted tools only, because it bypasses the prompt that warns you.

How to verify if CMD is running as administrator

1. Look at the title bar; an elevated console reads Administrator: Command Prompt, Administrator: Windows PowerShell or Administrator: in Terminal.
2. Run net session in Command Prompt; an elevated window lists sessions or says there are none, a standard one returns Access is denied.
3. In Task Manager, open Details, right-click a column header, choose Select columns and add Elevated; elevated processes show Yes.
4. Remember whether you saw a User Account Control prompt; no prompt usually means the program started with standard rights.

What “Run as administrator” changes

Concept	What it means
Two access tokens	When an administrator signs in, Windows creates a standard user token and an administrator token
Standard by default	Explorer runs with the standard token, so every app you start normally runs as a standard user
Elevation	Running as administrator asks Windows to use the administrator token for that one program
Consent prompt	An administrator in Admin Approval Mode sees a Yes/No User Account Control prompt
Credential prompt	A standard user must type an administrator’s user name and password
Inheritance	Child processes inherit the token of the process that started them, so tools launched from an elevated window are elevated too

When to use CMD as administrator

Elevate only for tasks that change the whole system: sfc /scannow, DISM, chkdsk, editing protected registry keys, managing services, installing drivers, or changing network settings with netsh. Everyday commands such as ping, ipconfig or opening Notepad do not need it.

• Close an elevated window when you finish, so later commands do not run with full rights by accident.
• Do not paste commands you do not understand into an elevated window; they can change anything on the PC.
• Keep User Account Control on. Turning it off removes the prompt that tells you something is asking for admin rights; our page on User Account Control settings explains each level.

If Run as administrator is missing or fails

Ctrl + Shift + Enter in the Run box opens the program without admin rights

Some programs and older builds ignore the shortcut.

1. Type powershell Start-Process program -Verb RunAs in the Run box instead.
2. Approve the User Account Control prompt.

Windows asks for a password instead of showing Yes

You are signed in as a standard user, so Windows shows the credential prompt.

1. Type the user name and password of an administrator account on the PC.
2. If you do not have one, ask the person who manages the PC to run the command.

The command fails with an access error even though it ran

The window was opened with standard rights.

1. Close the window.
2. Reopen it with Run as administrator and confirm the title starts with Administrator:.
3. Run the command again.

Start menu or taskbar will not open

Windows Explorer is not responding.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Select Run new task, type cmd.exe, and tick Create this task with administrative privileges.
3. Use the elevated Command Prompt for your command.

The Run as administrator option is missing from the menu

The item is not an executable (for example a document or a Store app without that option), or the Windows 11 compact menu hides it.

1. Select Show more options on Windows 11.
2. Right-click the program’s .exe rather than a document it opens.
3. Use the PowerShell Start-Process line, which works with any .exe.

Run command as admin FAQ

What is the shortcut to run a command as admin from Run?

Press Windows key + R, type the command, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter instead of Enter and approve the User Account Control prompt. Holding Ctrl + Shift while selecting OK does the same.

Where do I find the Run command?

Press Windows key + R on Windows 11 or Windows 10 to open the Run dialog box. Type a program or command name and press Enter to start it with standard rights.

How do I execute a command as administrator?

Search for cmd in the Start menu, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator, then type the command. The title bar reads Administrator when the window is elevated.

How do I run an executable in CMD with admin rights?

Open Command Prompt as administrator first, then run the .exe from that window, because child processes inherit the elevated token. From a normal PowerShell window, Start-Process with -Verb RunAs does the same.

Can I run a command as admin from Task Manager?

Yes. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, select Run new task, type the command and tick Create this task with administrative privileges. This works even when the taskbar or Start menu is not responding.

How do I make a program always run as administrator?

Open the shortcut’s Properties, select Advanced on the Shortcut tab and tick Run as administrator. In Windows Terminal, turn on Run this profile as Administrator for the profile you want.

Why does Windows ask for a password when I run as administrator?

Your account is a standard user, so User Account Control shows a credential prompt. Enter an administrator’s user name and password, or ask the PC’s administrator to run the command.

Best way to run a command as admin

Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter in the Run box for a one-off command, and open an elevated Command Prompt or Terminal when you have several to run. Fall back to powershell Start-Process program -Verb RunAs when the shortcut does not elevate, and to Task Manager’s Run new task when the Start menu is unavailable.