Tell me more ×
Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 8 down vote favorite
1

Sometimes you may open a program that you want to run as an administrator, but you may already have opened it not as an administrator. Is it possible to elevate the privileges of an already running program in Windows 7 or do I have to close and restart as admin?

share|improve this question
1  
sudo for the win! – Josh K Apr 9 '10 at 2:57
@Josh K - er - How can you elevate an already running app using sudo ? – Sathya♦ Apr 9 '10 at 3:30
It's magical, you'd have to decode man sudo for more information. – Josh K Apr 9 '10 at 3:58
1  
@Josh, if nothing else, you can always use pseudo ;) – Tomas Lycken Jul 16 '10 at 22:44

1 Answer

up vote 9 down vote accepted

Unfortunately, no. A running process cannot be elevated to administrator privileges. I'm looking for a more authoritative source, but for now I have found:

  1. "Programs can't be elevated once they've already been launched..."

  2. "Code can only be elevated at process level when startup, which means that a running process cannot be elevated."

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.