Run PowerShell as Administrator Always in Windows 10

This guide shows you how to make PowerShell always launch with administrator privileges in Windows 10, so you don’t have to right-click and select “Run as administrator” every time. You’ll learn four reliable methods—from a simple shortcut tweak to using Task Scheduler—and how to fix common issues when the elevation doesn’t happen.

What You’ll Need

• Windows 10 (any version, but the steps assume the current stable releases)
• An account with administrator privileges (you’ll need to confirm a UAC prompt)
• Access to File Explorer and the Start menu

Step-by-Step

Choose the method that fits how you normally launch PowerShell. All of them achieve the same result: PowerShell opens with full admin rights.

Method 1: Create a Desktop Shortcut (Easiest)

1. Right-click on your desktop, select New > Shortcut.
2. In the location field, paste this exact path (including the quotes):
   C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
3. Click Next, name it “PowerShell Admin” (or anything you like), and click Finish.
4. Right-click the new shortcut and choose Properties.
5. Click the Advanced button (bottom-right of the Shortcut tab).
6. Check the box that says Run as administrator, then click OK.
7. Click Apply and then OK to close the Properties window.
8. Double-click the shortcut. You’ll see a UAC prompt—click Yes. PowerShell now opens as admin every time you use this shortcut.

Method 2: Pin to Taskbar (with a Small Caveat)

1. If you already have a PowerShell shortcut on your taskbar, right-click it and choose Unpin from taskbar.
2. Create a desktop shortcut using Method 1, but before you set it to run as admin, right-click the desktop shortcut and select Pin to taskbar.
3. Now right-click the taskbar icon you just pinned, and you’ll see a list of recent items. Right-click the shortcut name (e.g., “PowerShell Admin”) and choose Properties.
4. Go to the Shortcut tab, click Advanced, check Run as administrator, and click OK twice.
5. Click the taskbar icon to launch PowerShell as admin. Note: the taskbar icon will still show the normal PowerShell icon, not a special admin icon, but it will work.

Method 3: Use Task Scheduler (Most Reliable for Automation)

1. Press Win + R, type taskschd.msc, and press Enter.
2. In the right-hand pane, click Create Task (not “Create Basic Task”).
3. In the General tab, give it a name like “PowerShell Admin”.
4. Check the box Run with highest privileges.
5. Click the Actions tab, then New.
6. In the Program/script field, paste:
   C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
7. Leave the Add arguments field empty (or add your own startup parameters).
8. Click OK to save the action, then OK again to save the task.
9. To launch, open Task Scheduler, find your task, right-click it, and choose Run. PowerShell opens as admin.
10. To make it even easier, create a desktop shortcut that runs this command:
    schtasks /run /tn "PowerShell Admin" — but remember the shortcut itself doesn’t need admin rights.

Method 4: Modify the Start Menu Shortcut (Windows 10 Only)

1. Click the Start button, type “PowerShell”, and you’ll see both “Windows PowerShell” and “Windows PowerShell (x86)” (if 32-bit).
2. Right-click the one you want (usually the 64-bit version) and select Open file location.
3. In the File Explorer window that opens, right-click the shortcut and choose Properties.
4. Click Advanced, check Run as administrator, then OK and Apply.
5. Now when you search for PowerShell in Start and click it, it will always run as admin. Note: this only works for the specific shortcut you edited; if you use the right-click “Run as administrator” option, it will still work normally.

Common Mistakes

• Using the wrong path – If you type powershell.exe without the full path, Windows might open the Microsoft Store version (which is just a wrapper) and the shortcut may not work. Always use the full System32 path.
• Forgetting to check the UAC prompt – Even with “Run as administrator” set, you’ll still see a UAC prompt. If you don’t click “Yes”, PowerShell won’t open.
• Editing the wrong shortcut – In Method 2, if you right-click the taskbar icon and choose “Properties” without first right-clicking the shortcut name in the jump list, you might edit the wrong thing. Make sure you see the shortcut name in the window title.
• Not restarting the task after editing – If you change a Task Scheduler task, you don’t need to restart, but you must run it again. If it doesn’t work, delete and recreate it.

Tips

• Use a keyboard shortcut – After creating a desktop shortcut, you can assign a hotkey (like Ctrl+Alt+P) in the shortcut’s Properties under the “Shortcut key” field.
• Pin the admin shortcut to Start – Right-click the desktop shortcut and choose “Pin to Start” to have a tile that always opens as admin.
• Create a PowerShell profile – If you want to run a specific command every time you start an admin session, add it to your PowerShell profile script (e.g., Set-Location C:\).
• Check if you’re actually admin – In the PowerShell window, type whoami /groups and look for “Mandatory Label\High Mandatory Level” to confirm admin rights.
• Use the Windows Terminal – Windows Terminal (available from the Microsoft Store) lets you set a default profile to run as admin by editing its settings, which is a more modern alternative.

Troubleshooting

PowerShell still opens as a normal user. First, double-check that the “Run as administrator” checkbox is actually checked. If it is, try creating a fresh shortcut. Sometimes the shortcut becomes corrupted. Also, verify that your user account is an administrator—if it’s a standard user, you’ll need the admin password to proceed.

UAC prompt doesn’t appear. If you don’t see the UAC prompt, your User Account Control settings might be set to “Never notify”. To fix this, go to Control Panel > User Accounts > Change User Account Control settings, and set it to at least “Default”. Note that setting it to “Never notify” is not recommended for security.

The Task Scheduler method fails with an error. Make sure the task is configured to run with highest privileges. Also, ensure the program path is correct. If you’re on a 64-bit system, the path should be C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe, not the SysWOW64 version.

Start menu shortcut doesn’t work. If you edited the Start menu shortcut and it still opens as non-admin, try the desktop shortcut method instead. The Start menu shortcut might be overwritten by Windows updates.

PowerShell opens but immediately closes. This usually means a profile script has an error. Try launching with the -NoProfile flag (e.g., powershell.exe -NoProfile) to see if that fixes it. If it does, edit your profile script.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I make the Windows Terminal always run PowerShell as admin?
A: Yes. In Windows Terminal, open Settings (Ctrl+,), then select the PowerShell profile, and toggle on “Run this profile as administrator”. You can also set it as the default profile.

Q: Is it safe to always run PowerShell as admin?
A: It’s convenient, but it means every command you type has full system access. If you accidentally run a harmful command, it can damage your system. Use it only when you need admin rights.

Q: Why do I still see a UAC prompt even though I set it to run as admin?
A: That’s by design. Windows always asks for consent when elevating a process. The setting just means you don’t have to right-click and choose “Run as administrator”.

Q: Does this work for PowerShell 7 (pwsh.exe) as well?
A: Yes, the same methods work. Just replace the path with the location of pwsh.exe (usually C:\Program Files\PowerShell\7\pwsh.exe).

Q: Can I run a script automatically as admin at startup?
A: Yes. Create a Task Scheduler task that runs at logon with “Run with highest privileges” and set the action to run powershell.exe with your script as an argument. Be careful with this—it can slow down startup.

Q: What’s the difference between “Run as administrator” and “Run with highest privileges” in Task Scheduler?
A> They are essentially the same. The checkbox in Task Scheduler is the equivalent of the shortcut’s “Run as administrator” option. Both elevate the process to high integrity level.

Related

• Fix Mir4 Crashing on PC: 7 Working Solutions
• How to Use Multiple Stops in Google Maps
• How to Fix HDMI No Signal on a Mini PC