Do you have trouble running File Explorer as an administrator? You aren’t alone. Many people who use Windows 10/11 find it difficult to run this program with elevated permissions. Fortunately, there is a quick and easy way for you to get the job done without any hassle!
If so, don’t worry! There is a simple solution that will allow you to run file explorer as an administrator in just a few minutes without having to follow long, complicated steps or download any additional software. All you need is your computer and about three minutes of time!
See more: 4 Ways to Run Control Panel as an Administrator in Windows 11
There are a variety of ways to access File Explorer with administrator privilege, the following are the simplest methods below:
How to Run File Explorer as an Administrator With a Right-click
It is quite simple to run File Explorer with administrator privileges on Windows 10. Open the File Explorer window by holding down Windows logo + E keys at the same time and go to the path below. You can also copy and paste it on the address bar.
C:\Windows
In the Windows folder, find explorer.exe and right-click it. To launch File Explorer with elevated privileges, click Run as administrator from the context menu.
How to Run File Explorer as an Administrator With Task Manager
Task Manager is a program that comes with Windows 8.1, 10 and even Windows11, allowing you to access the applications running on your computer at any time. It can be opened by pressing CTRL + Shift + Escape simultaneously. Once it opens, you will see tabs for each application running on your machine along with its name and PID (Process Identifier).
You can also view how much CPU or memory power an app is using, which you can sort in ascending or descending order to find what apps are wasting resources like RAM/CPU usage. By using Task Manager on Windows, you may easily run File Explorer with administrator privileges.
Step 1. On the Windows 10 Taskbar, right-click into the free space and select the Task Manager option. Right-click on the Start button and select Task Manager on Windows 11.
Step 2. To view the complete information in the Task Manager, click on More details on the left-bottom corner of the window for opening it in full-screen mode.
Step 3. When the Task Manager is in full-screen mode, select the Details tab.
You must copy this command below frist:
explorer.exe /nouaccheck
Step 4. Click on the explorer.exe process entry from the list and hit the End task button at the bottom right-hand corner of the Task Manager.
Step 5. Select the File menu and choose Run new task once the explorer.exe process has ended. The new task window opens.
Type the following command into a new window interface (or you can copy and paste it) and please make sure the checkbox labeled ‘Create this task with administrative privileges’. Select OK button then.
explorer.exe /nouaccheck
Step 6. File Explorer is now set up to run with administrator or elevated privileges.
If the Elevated column isn’t visible, you can enable it quickly in the Task Manager.
When you use File Explorer or explorer.exe with administrative permissions, you won’t receive a UAC warning when you run any program. You can access system files without difficulty even if there are permission issues.
As soon as you no longer need File Explorer to run with administrative permissions, log off or restart your computer. If you close and restart your PC/Laptop, it will return to its default state. When you sign back in to your account, File Explorer will revert to its regular mode, which means it will no longer have administrator access.
How to Display the Elevated Column in Task Manager
To find out whether a process is running with administrator privileges on Windows 10/11 or you want to display the Elevated Column in Task Manager, go through the following procedure in Task Manager:
Step 1. Right-click on the empty portion of the Windows Taskbar and choose the Task Manager option. On windows 11, you need to right-click on the Start button.
Step 2. Select the More details option from the bottom left corner if only a few information appear in the Task Manager window.
Step 3. Switch to the Details tab after the Task Manager activates in full-screen mode.
Step 4. Right-click on the column name of your choice in the Details tab (for example, Name, PID, Status, User Name, CPU, Memory, UAC virtualization, etc.) and choose Select Columns.
Step 5. Select the checkbox Elevated in the Select columns box that appears. Click OK button then.
Step 6. All of the running processes will have a new column, Elevated, in the Details tab.
If the value in the Elevated column for a process is Yes, it indicates that the process has administrator privileges. A No indicates that it is not running with superpowers.
Conclusion
File Explorer is the default Windows application for browsing and managing files on your computer. You may need to run it as an administrator if you want to change permissions, rename a file system folder, or perform other actions that require administrative privileges.
How do I run File Explorer as an administrator? This is a question that plagues many Windows users, both seasoned and new. Fortunately, there are different methods to access the app with admin privileges so you can avoid those pesky UAC warnings.
We’ve included two different ways that will help make your life easier when it comes time to running File explorer without restrictions. Leave a comment below with any questions about this blog post–we’re happy to help out!