User Account Control (UAC) is a security system introduced in Windows 7. UAC alerts users when certain programs try to make changes to the computer. If you already understand how computers and programs work, UAC warnings are generally no longer necessary, but for tech-savvy users, UAC is still recommended as malware protection. If you have a trusted program that keeps displaying UAC every time you open it, you can create a custom shortcut to work around this.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Turning Off or Lowering UAC Alerts
Step 1. Log in as Administrator to be able to change UAC settings for all users
- If you forget your Administrator password, read our guide to resetting it.
- If your computer does not have an Administrator account (for example, all accounts are standard accounts), you can log into the Administrator account in safe mode. You will still need the Administrator password, but if your computer is yours, the account may not have a password. Read the guide to starting your computer in safe mode on the internet.
Step 2. Click Start, then enter uac
Step 3. From the search results, click on Change User Account Control settings
Step 4. Use the on-screen slider to adjust the UAC level
UAC is divided into 4 levels; the highest tier will notify you whenever a program, or you yourself, tries to change computer settings, the third tier will notify you only when the program tries to change settings, and the second tier works the same as the third tier, only your desktop will not turn gray -ash. The lowest level of UAC will not give any notification.
- Most users are recommended to enable the highest option or the third option to prevent malware.
- You can turn off UAC for programs you trust and use regularly, but keep the UAC setting high. Read the next section to find out how.
Step 5. Click OK after making changes
You may be asked to enter an Administrator password.
Method 2 of 2: Turning Off UAC for Certain Programs
Step 1. Make sure you trust the program
UAC is designed to prevent changes to system settings by programs, and it is recommended that you enable UAC to prevent malware infections. However, if you have a program that you use frequently and you trust it to change system settings, you can create a custom shortcut to turn off the UAC for that program.
Step 2. Click Start, then enter schedule tasks
From the search results, select Schedule tasks.
Step 3. Click Create Task in the right column, and give the task an easy-to-remember name
Step 4. At the bottom of the window, check the Run with highest privileges checkbox
Step 5. Click the Actions tab, then click New
Step 6. Click Browse
.., and then find the program file for which you want to create a shortcut. Make sure you select the program's.exe file, not the desktop shortcut or Start menu.
Step 7. Click OK to save changes, then click Settings
Make sure the Allow task to run on demand option is checked, then click OK.
Step 8. Right-click the desktop, then select New" → Shortcut
Enter schtasks /run /TN "TaskName" in the space provided -- change TaskName to the name of the task you entered earlier.
- Follow the guide to create a shortcut on the desktop.
- Right-click the shortcut, select Properties, then click Change Icon… to change the shortcut icon. You can browse to the program directory to use the same icon as the program.
Step 9. Use the new shortcut to start the program
UAC will no longer ask you to approve the program every time you want to run it. You can repeat the process for each program you want to tweak the UAC for.
