Compared to Windows Vista, Windows 7 comes with a less annoying UAC (User Account Control) and also a mean to control how and when you want it to appear. However it is not perfect yet. There are several instances where it will show a prompt when you start an application, and that can be annoying if you use that particular application on a regular basis. For example, I have this habit of running CCleaner at the end of each session to clean up the computer. Even when I “run the application as administrator”, the prompt will still appear, everytime. Since I have no intention to lower the security settings of the UAC, I need to find a way to bypass the UAC for specific application.
This is how it can be done to selectively disable UAC prompt for certain applications.
Click on the “Start” menu. Right click on the “Computer” entry and select “Manage”.
You will see the Computer Management window. On the left pane, select the “Task Scheduler”. On the right pane, select “Create Task”.
Enter a name for the new task. At the bottom, check the box “Run with highest privilege”.
Next, click on the “Actions” tab. Click the “New” button.
In the Program/Script field, browse and select the application that you want to bypass the UAC prompt (in this case – CCleaner). Once done, click OK.
Close your Computer Management window.
On your desktop, click “New -> Shortcut”.
In the new window that pop up, type the following:
schtasks.exe /run /tn "TaskName"
Replace the “TaskName” with the new task that you have just created. For example, in my case, I will type schtasks.exe /run /tn “CCleaner” into the field.
Give your shortcut a new name and click Finish.
That it. Whenever you click the shortcut to launch your application, the UAC will not prompt again.
Damien Oh started writing tech articles since 2007 and has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. He is proficient in Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iOS, and worked as a part time WordPress Developer. He is currently the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Make Tech Easier.
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