User Account Control (UAC) is a Windows operating system security feature that helps prevent unauthorized system changes. It first appeared in Windows Vista and is now included in Windows 11. When applications, users, viruses, or other forms of malware initiate a change, UAC asks for your permission. A program is allowed to make changes to your computer after receiving permission from the administrator. If the changes are not approved by the administrator, they are not implemented, and your Windows remains safe.
When you open a file, UAC does not automatically open. When you or an application tries to make significant changes to your Windows, it will open and ask for your permission, when you open Registry Editor, for example, the User Account Control dialog appears.
UAC is a security feature that requires a user to confirm changes to the system before you or an app can make them. Although UAC is a security feature, some users find it inconvenient and wish to turn it off entirely.
In Windows 11, there are several options for disabling User Account Control (UAC). In this article, we’ll go over each of them one by one.
How to Disable or Enable User Account Control in Windows 11 using the Settings app?
To use the Settings app to enable or disable User Account Control, do the following:-
- Press the Windows + I keys on the keyboard to launch the Settings app.
- Type User Account Control into the Settings search box.
- The User Account Control Settings window will appear. Click the OK button after dragging the slider to the very bottom (Never notify).
After you’ve completed this, Windows 11 will no longer prompt you with the UAC dialog box.
If you want to see the UAC prompt, repeat the steps above and move the slider upward in step 3. Then press OK.
How to Turn On or Turn Off User Account Control in Windows 11 via Control Panel?
Control Panel can also be used to adjust the UAC in Windows 11. The steps are as follows.
- Open the Control Panel.
- To do so, press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to bring up the Run dialog box. In the Run box, type Control and then press the OK button.
- When the Control Panel appears, go to the System and Security section.
- Select Security and Maintenance from the drop-down menu.
- On the left sidebar, click the Change User Account Control settings link.
- A pop-up window for User Account Control Settings appears. Click the OK button after dragging the slider to the very bottom (Never notify).
The UAC dialog box will no longer appear in Windows 11.
If you change your mind and want to receive a UAC prompt whenever an app tries to make changes to your system, go back to step 5 and slide the slider to Always notify.
Related: How to Enable or Disable Password Protected Sharing in Windows 11
How to Turn On or Turn Off User Account Control in Windows 11 through Local Group Policy Editor?
- Open the Local Group Policy Editor. To do so, press the Win + R keys on your keyboard, then type gpedit.msc into the Run box. Now press the Enter key on your keyboard or click the OK button.
- From the left sidebar of the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following key:-
Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options
- Find the policy “User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode” in the right-hand pane. To open the Properties dialog for this policy, double-click on it.
- Select Disabled from the drop-down menu.
- Click the Apply button. hit OK.
After you’ve completed the steps above, Windows will no longer prompt you with the UAC dialog.
If you want to see a UAC prompt again in the future, go back to step 4 and select the Enabled option. UAC is now enabled.
How to Turn On or Turn Off User Account Control in Windows 11 using Registry Editor?
Those who prefer to use Registry Editor to apply policy can do so by following the steps below:-
- Go to Registry Editor and open it. To do so, press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to bring up the Run dialog box, then type regedit into it. Now press the Enter key on your keyboard.
- From the left sidebar of Registry Editor, navigate or browse for the following key:-
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
- Double-click the EnableLUA DWORD (32-bit) value on the right-side pane to modify it.
- To disable the UAC prompt, change 1 to 0 in the Value data field and click the OK button.
- Finally, restart your computer to make the changes take effect on your Windows 11 computer.
UAC is now disabled, and when you open a program on your computer, it will not prompt you for permission. Rep the previous steps, replacing 0 with 1 under the Value data field in step 4 and clicking the OK button to enable UAC to prompt again.
