How to open Notepad with admin rights

If you've ever tried to edit a system file with Notepad on your Windows PC, you might have seen the error 'Notepad access denied' . The error usually occurs when you try to modify the file system from a standard user account on the PC. Windows does this to ensure that system files are protected and that only the admin can change them.

If you still need to access and edit files using Notepad, you'll need to open Notepad as an admin. You will then be given the privileges necessary to modify any file system on the machine. There are many ways to run Notepad with admin rights as follows.

Open Notepad with admin rights by right-clicking menu

The easiest way to run Notepad with admin rights is to use an option from the context menu. You may have used this option before if you tried running an application with admin rights.

1. Locate Notepad application on your device. It may be on the desktop if you use it often.
2. Right-click on the application and select Run as administrator .
3. You will be prompted to enter the admin password. Enter the password and click Yes.

Enter the password and click Yes

1. Notepad will launch with admin rights, allowing you to modify any file on the system.

Run Notepad as an admin by creating a shortcut

The above method may not be convenient for you if you need to run Notepad with admin rights too often.

Fortunately, there is a method to eliminate right-clicking on a file and automatically launching the Notepad application with admin rights. However, it will ask you to enter the admin password each time.

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop and select New> Shortcut . It will allow you to add a new shortcut to the desktop.
2. You will be asked to enter the location of the item where you want to create the shortcut. Enter the following in the box and click Next. This is the path to the Notepad application.

%windir%system32notepad.exe

You will be asked to enter the location of the item where you want to create the shortcut

1. Now you need to enter a name for the shortcut, such as Notepad with Admin , then click Finish.
2. Newly created shortcuts will be available on the desktop. Right-click on it and select the Properties option to grant administrative rights.
3. Go to the Shortcut tab , find and click the Advanced button .
4. On the following screen, check the Run as administrator box and click OK.

Check the box Run as administrator

From now on, whenever you double click on the shortcut you just created, the Notepad application will open with admin rights.

Launch Notepad with admin rights from Cortana Search

Cortana search also allows you to open a version of Notepad with admin rights. Basically, you need to search for the application and then select the option to launch it.

1. Put your cursor in the Cortana search box and type Notepad.
2. When Notepad appears in the search results, right-click on it and select Run as administrator .
3. Enter admin password and the application will open.

Enter admin password and the application will open

Use a third party application to access Notepad with admin rights

Because most users prefer to use Notepad to edit system files, there is now an application that allows you to run this text editor with admin rights every time you open it.

The application is called RunAsTool and it allows you to run any application on your computer with admin rights. RunAsTool is available for free to download and use.

1. Download RunAsTool and launch the application on the PC. This is a portable application, so you do not need to install it.
2. You will be asked to select an admin account. Select it and then enter the password for the account. Then click Apply to continue.
3. Click the File menu at the top and select Add File.
4. Navigate to the Windows folder , go to System32 and double-click Notepad.exe.
5. Select Notepad in the application and make sure the Run as administrator option is enabled in the right panel.

Check the option Run as administrator

1. Right-click on Notepad in the application and select Create Shortcut.
2. Choose a location where you want to place the shortcut.
3. Double clicking on this newly created shortcut will launch Notepad with admin rights on the PC. It does not require admin password but will need UAC permission.

Open the file directly with admin rights in Notepad

All of the above methods require you to open Notepad first to edit your files. There is a way you can directly open files you want to edit in Notepad with admin rights.

Using the Windows Registry Editor, you can add options to the right-click menu, allowing you to open any file in Notepad with admin rights.

1. Log into the admin account on the PC. Press the Win+ keys Rat the same time, type regedit and press Enter. Registry Editor will open.
2. Visit the following path in Registry Editor.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT*shell

1. Right-click on the shell folder and select New> Key to create a new key.
2. Enter runas as the name of the key.

Enter runas as the name of the key

1. Click on the newly created key runas and then double click on Default in the right window.
2. Enter Open in Notepad with Admin and click Enter.
3. Create a new key in runas by right-clicking on the runas and selecting New> Key . Name this key command.

Create the key command

1. Double click Default in the command key and enter the following. Replace PCNAME with your computer name. The PC name can be found in Control Panel> System .

runas /savecred /user:PCNAMEAdministrator 'notepad %1'

1. Now, right-click on any file you want to edit and select Open in Notepad with Admin .
2. You will be asked to enter the admin password.

You will be asked to enter the admin password

You will be asked to enter your password the next time you use the option.