10 Ways To Run Command Prompt As Administrator

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Plenty of PC tweaks — sfc /scannow, DISM repairs, network resets — only work from an elevated Command Prompt. Here are ten ways to open one, from fastest to most obscure.

1. Start menu search (fastest)

  1. Press the Windows key and type cmd.
  2. Right-click Command Prompt in the results.
  3. Select Run as administrator.

Or skip the right-click entirely: type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.

2. Run dialog

  1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch elevated.

3. Power User menu

  1. Press Windows key + X (or right-click the Start button).
  2. Select Terminal (Admin) — on older builds this reads Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).

4. Task Manager

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click Run new task (older versions: File → Run new task).
  3. Type cmd, check Create this task with administrative privileges, and press Enter.

This one is handy when Explorer has crashed and the Start menu is unresponsive.

5. File Explorer address bar

  1. Open File Explorer (Windows key + E) and browse to any folder.
  2. You can launch cmd from the address bar, but for an elevated prompt use File → Open Windows PowerShell as administrator on Windows 10, or open Terminal as admin via the right-click menu on Windows 11.

6. Directly from System32

  1. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32.
  2. Find cmd.exe, right-click it, and select Run as administrator.

7. Always run elevated (shortcut properties)

  1. Create a shortcut to cmd.exe (right-click desktop → New → Shortcut).
  2. Right-click the shortcut → Properties → Shortcut → Advanced.
  3. Check Run as administrator and click OK.

Every launch from that shortcut is now elevated.

8. From an existing PowerShell window

If you already have an elevated PowerShell or Terminal open, just run:

cmd

The Command Prompt inherits the elevated token.

9. Pin an elevated shortcut to the taskbar

Pin the shortcut from method 7 to your taskbar. One click (plus the UAC prompt) gets you an admin prompt — fastest option if you use it daily.

10. Windows Terminal profile

On Windows 11, open Windows Terminal’s dropdown and Ctrl + click the Command Prompt profile, or right-click the Terminal icon on the taskbar and choose Run as administrator — every tab you open inside is elevated.

Summary

For one-off use, method 1 (cmd + Ctrl + Shift + Enter) is all you need. If you run elevated commands regularly, set up the always-elevated shortcut from method 7.

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