How Can I Elevate Application Privileges on Demand Without Always Running as Administrator?

On-Demand Privilege Elevation

Many applications operate without administrator rights for most functions. However, requiring administrative privileges for specific tasks can be cumbersome, especially if these tasks are infrequent. This article details how to request elevated privileges conditionally, prompting the user only when necessary.

Constraints of Elevating Existing Processes

It's crucial to understand that directly elevating the privileges of a running process isn't possible in Windows Vista or later. Administrative rights are assigned at launch; elevated operations require a separate process.

Solution: Launching a Separate Elevated Process

The solution involves creating and launching a new process with elevated privileges when an elevated task is requested. This is achieved through these steps:

1. Command-Line Arguments: Pass specific instructions to the elevated process via command-line arguments. For example, these arguments could specify which dialog box to display.
2. Parent-Child Process Management: Make the elevated process's main window a child of the original application's window. This maintains a consistent user experience, giving the appearance of a single application with multiple dialogs.
3. User Account Control (UAC) Prompt: If the elevated task requires user interaction, present the UAC consent prompt within the newly launched elevated process.

Further Reading

For a deeper understanding of UAC in Vista and beyond, refer to this Microsoft documentation: UAC on Vista: The Nuts and Bolts. Although the examples are in C , the underlying concepts and API calls are transferable to C# using WinAPI and P/Invoke.

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