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How to Disable UAC in Windows 10

Use Control Panel or Registry Editor, but understand the risks

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 5, 2021 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Windows The Ultimate Laptop Buying Guide

What to Know

Best way: Go to Control Panel > User Accounts > Change User Account Control settings > Never notify.User Account Control (UAC) helps prevent unauthorized changes. We don't recommend switching it off.Using the Control Panel leaves little room for error vs. editing the registry. You need to be logged in as an administrator for this to work. This article describes how to disable UAC in Windows 10 using two different methods. We'll also explain why you might want to turn off UAC and if it's safe to do so.

How to Disable UAC in Windows 10

There are two primary methods. This first uses Control Panel and is what we recommend because it's the "normal" technique and leaves little room for error. But if you like to work in the registry (or you need to for whatever reason), those steps are further down the page.

Control Panel

There’s an easy-to-use slider-style option in Control Panel to disable User Account Control. Open Control Panel. One way to get there is to search for it using the search bar by the Start menu. Choose User Accounts. If you see it again on the next page, select it once more. Select Change User Account Control settings. Drag the button to the very bottom, to Never notify, and then select OK. Confirm the change with Yes.

Edit the Registry

Another way to completely disable UAC is through a Windows Registry tweak. It's a bit more involved than the Control Panel method but still doable. Open Registry Editor. The quickest way is to open the Run box with Win+R and then enter regedit. Go to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System Double-click EnableLUA from the right side to open its settings. Set the value to 0 and then select OK. Restart your computer for the change to take effect.

Is It Safe to Turn Off UAC

User Account Control's default state is to be enabled. And for a good reason. Under normal circumstances, you'd get a prompt to confirm various actions before they can take place on your computer. Most notably, when installing programs, opening Registry Editor, and changing key system settings. Several tasks trigger the prompt. What leads most people to want to disable UAC is that it can be annoying. Being bombarded by these prompts every time you want to run those tasks can seem intrusive. Most people probably don't think twice when it appears, clicking as fast as possible to get past it and on to whatever it is they were doing before. Although it's easy to forget because of how often you see it, the prompt is there for a reason. If you're not careful, you could accept a malicious program's request for elevated privileges, which could ultimately lead to disastrous results. The rights it had before get upgraded because you gave it the go-ahead. This process is put on auto-drive when UAC is off. All of those critical, system-related tasks that you should vet before taking place are granted elevated permissions without a second thought. Opening Registry Editor just...happens—no prompt. Program installations can proceed silently without your authorization. You can see just how dangerous that could be. We don't recommend that you turn off User Account Control. But if you have to temporarily for whatever reason, be sure to re-enable it when you finish your task. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Disable Cortana in Windows 10 How to Restore the Registry (Windows 11, 10, 8, 7...) How to Remove Write Protection on a Micro SD Card How to Disable Startup Programs on Windows 10 How to Disable AutoRun and AutoPlay for External Devices How to Open Registry Editor in Windows How to Disable Taskbar Button Grouping in Windows How to Disable Protected Mode in Internet Explorer How to Set up Parental Controls in Windows 10 How to Create and Delete User Accounts in Windows 10 How to Create a Password in Windows How to Stop the Automatic Installation of Suggested Windows 11 Apps How to Disable the Windows Firewall in Windows How to Fix Ntdll.dll Errors in Windows [10, 8, 7, etc.] What Is a Registry Value? How to Enable or Disable the Administrator Account in Windows Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies