How to Open the Command Prompt as Administrator in Windows 8.1

Normally, the command prompt can be opened as a regular user to run commands that don’t require administrative rights. However, if you need to run a command that requires administrative rights, you must open the command prompt window as administrator.

We’ve shown you previously how you canopen the command prompt window in Windows 7 and Windows Vista as administrator. It’s slightly different in Windows 8.1, and we’ll show you two ways you can do this.

The first method involves the Start screen. If you are currently on the Desktop, click the Start button in the lower-left corner of the screen.

On the Start screen, start typing “command prompt” (without the quotes). The Search panel displays on the right side of the screen and results of the search display as you type. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator from the popup menu.

You are returned to the Desktop. If the User Account Control dialog box displays, click Yes to continue.

NOTE: You may not see this dialog box, depending on your User Account Control settings.

The second method of accessing the command prompt as administrator is to right-click on the Start button in the lower-left corner of the screen and select the Command Prompt (Admin) option from the Power User menu.

NOTE: You can also press the Windows key + X to access this menu.

The Administrator: Command Prompt window displays allowing you to run commands with administrative privileges.

Now you have two easy ways to run commands in the Command Prompt window as administrator.