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How to Turn off UAC in Windows 7

Two Methods:Lowering or Disabling UACDisabling UAC for Specific ProgramsCommunity Q&A

User Account Control (UAC) is a security system introduced in Windows 7 that warns the user whenever a program is attempting to make changes to the computer. If you're familiar with the way computers and programs work, the UAC warning is usually redundant and unnecessary. For users that aren't very familiar with computers, it's recommended that UAC be left on to help protect against malware. If you have a trusted program that prompts UAC every time you run it, you can create a special shortcut to bypass it.

Lowering or Disabling UAC

  1. 1
    Log in as an administrator. You must have administrator access in order to change the UAC settings for any account.[1]
  2. 2
    Click the Start menu and type .uac.
  3. 3
    Select "Change User Account Control settings" from the list of results.
  4. 4
    Use the slider to adjust the UAC level. There are four UAC levels. The highest will notify you every time a program attempts to make changes to your computer or you change your Windows settings. The second-highest will only notify you when apps attempt to make changes. The third is the same as the second except that your desktop won't dim. The bottom setting won't notify you for anything.
    • For most users it is highly recommended that you leave UAC at the top or second-highest setting, as UAC can help prevent malware infections.
    • You can keep your settings high but turn off UAC for specific programs that you trust and use often. See the next section for instructions.
  5. 5
    Click .OK after making your changes. You may be prompted for the administrator password.

Disabling UAC for Specific Programs

  1. 1
    Make sure that you trust the program. UAC is designed to prevent programs from making unwanted changes to your system settings. It's usually best to leave it enabled to help prevent malware infections, but if you have a program that you use often and trust to have access to your system settings, you can create special UAC-bypass shortcuts for it.
  2. 2
    Click the Start button and type .schedule tasks. Select "Schedule tasks" from the list of results.
  3. 3
    Click "Create Task" in the right-hand frame. Give the task a name that will allow you to remember it.
  4. 4
    Check the "Run with highest privileges" box at the bottom of the window.
  5. 5
    Click the .Actions tab and then click New....
  6. 6
    Click .Browse... and then find the executable file for the program you want to bypass UAC. Make sure you select the actual program executable, and not your desktop or Start menu shortcut.
  7. 7
    Click .OK to save the action and then click Settings. Ensure that "Allow task to run on demand" is checked, then click OK.
  8. 8
    Right-click on your desktop and select "New" → "Shortcut". Type schtasks /run /TN "TaskName" into the field. Replace TaskName with the name you gave the task you created.
    • Proceed through the rest of the shortcut creation wizard to create the new shortcut on your desktop.
    • Right-click on the new shortcut, select "Properties", and click Change Icon... to change the shortcuts icon. You can browse to the program executable again to the get the same icon as the program.
  9. 9
    Use the new shortcut to start your program. UAC will no longer prompt you to accept the program every time you start it. You can repeat this method for any other programs you want to bypass.[2]
    • There are freeware programs, such as "UAC Pass" and "UAC Trust Shortcut", that can create these shortcuts for you, but there shouldn't be a need once you know how to do it yourself.

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Article Info

Categories: Windows 7

In other languages:

Русский: отключить контроль учетных записей (UAC) в Windows 7, Español: deshabilitar el UAC en Windows 7, Português: Desativar o UAC no Windows 7, Deutsch: UAC in Windows 7 abschalten, Français: désactiver le contrôle de compte d’utilisateur sous Windows 7, Bahasa Indonesia: Mematikan UAC di Windows 7

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