How do I run Windows 7 as an administrator?

Q: How do I go into administrator mode?

Using a command prompt Open Run” with [Windows] + [R]. Type cmd” and press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Enter]. Type net user administrator /active:yes”. The administrator account is now activated.

Most of the time when you want to open a program in Windows 7 you can just search for it in the Start Menu and launch it from there. Normally this works great, but it doesn’t automatically launch programs with administrator privileges. Fortunately for those of us who need to run it as an administrator, there is a quick solution.

Índice Show

Windows 7: Opening the Command Prompt as Administrator
Disable the Built-in Administrator Account
How do I go into administrator mode?
What does it mean to run as administrator Windows 7?

Step 1

Click the Start Menu Orb and Type in the name of the program that you would like to open.

Note: If there are multiple program results for your program you can use the Up and Down keys to highlight the desired one.

Step 2

To open the program as an administrator, Press and Hold Shift + Ctrl and then Enter simultaneously.

Done!

The program should now be open with elevated permissions, aka Administrator mode.

Windows 7: Opening the Command Prompt as Administrator

Open the Command Prompt with Administrative Privileges

1. Click the Start icon and click in the Search box.

2. Type cmd into the search box. You will see the cmd (Command Prompt) in the search window.

3. Hover the mouse over the cmd program and right-click.

4. Select "Run as administrator".

Q: What if cmd does not appear when I search for it?
A: Type: “c:\windows\system32” in the Search box, and press the Enter key. Sort files by name, and then scroll to the section with all files that start with "C". The cmd.exe file should be located in this section. If you need further help, please check the following article: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-windows_programs/cmdexe-the-system-cannot-find-the-file-specified/

Related Information

Windows 7 Help

Referenced from: Microsoft.com

Article ID: 16850
Last Updated: 2/3/2022 12:18:34 PM

Article Rating (Optional):

Email Address (Optional, unless you would like to hear back from us):

Comments:

GROK is a resource of Louisiana State University developed and maintained with support of the LSU Student Technology Fee. We love getting feedback from the general public, but our support efforts are generally dedicated to the LSU community. Thanks for your understanding!

To activate the Administrator account on Windows, run Command Prompt as Administrator from the Start Menu or Power User Menu, then enter "net user administrator /active: yes" into the window. You should disable the account again when you're done.

Many people familiar with prior versions of Windows are curious what happened to the built-in Administrator account that was always created by default. Does this account still exist, and how can you access it?

The account is created in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or Vista, but since it’s not enabled you can’t use it. If you are troubleshooting something that needs to run as administrator, you can enable it with a simple command.

Warning: The built-in Administrator account has a lot more privileges than a regular administrator account—privileges that can easily get you into trouble if you use it regularly. We recommend only enabling the built-in Administrator account if you are certain you need it to troubleshoot a specific problem and then disabling it when you are done. If you’re unsure whether you need it, you probably shouldn’t use it at all.

First, you’ll need to open a command prompt in administrator mode by right-clicking and choosing “Run as administrator” (or use the Ctrl+Shift+Enter shortcut from the search box).

Note that this works the same in all versions of Windows. Just search for cmd and then right-click on the command prompt icon in the Start menu or Start screen.

If you are in Windows 10, 11, or 8.1, you can right-click on the Start button and choose to open a command prompt that way.

Now type the following command:

net user administrator /active:yes

You should see a message that the command completed successfully. Log out, and you’ll now see the Administrator account as a choice. (The below screenshot is from Windows Vista, but this also works on Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 7, and Windows 8.)

You’ll note that there’s no password for this account, so if you want to leave it enabled you should change the password.

Disable the Built-in Administrator Account

Make sure you are logged on as your regular user account, and then open an administrator mode command prompt as above. Type the following command:

net user administrator /active:no

The administrator account will now be disabled, and it will vanish from the login screen.

How do I go into administrator mode?

Using a command prompt Open “Run” with [Windows] + [R]. Type “cmd” and press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Enter]. Type “net user administrator /active:yes”. The administrator account is now activated.

What does it mean to run as administrator Windows 7?

Windows 7. An administrator is someone who can make changes on a computer that will affect other users of the computer. Administrators can change security settings, install software and hardware, access all files on the computer, and make changes to other user accounts.