Windows’ built-in “Run-As” command allows you to launch a program as a different user account than the one currently active, However, runas.exe cannot be fully automated as it requires that the user typein the password for the alternate account. RunAsTool is portable freeware which allows standard users to run a specific program with administrator privileges without the need to enter the administrator password. This allows you to provide standard (non-admin) users with access to programs that require admin rights.
Under a restricted account, some programs may not run correctly due to missing administrator rights, therefore many users are given administrator accounts, making the system more vulnerable to malware, viruses and other security risks. With RunAsTool, you can correct this.
Being portable, RunAsTool does not require installation, allowing you to drop the program anywhere on the hard disk and run it directly. You can also copy RunAsTool to a USB flash drive or similar external storage unit, and run it on any computer. You can carry RunAsTool with you whenever you’re on the move.
The login information for the application like username and password are read from an encrypted file – You don’t have to worry about your Admin Password.
RunAsTool v1.4 – What’s New – (Tuesday, 02. October 2018)
1. [Fixed] – Import parameter doesn’t work on standard user
2. [Fixed] – Minor BUGs
3. [Added] – Standard user can resize the program GUI (With Mouse)
How to use
With RunAsTool there is no need to use a CMD prompt or any parameter in order to allow a standard user to run a program with admin rights. Just download, extract, and launch RunAsTool.
1) Administrators In standard user account:
Launch RunAsTool and choose an admin account (if there are more than one) and type in the associated admin password.
RunAsTool has two user interfaces (UI). One for administrator accounts and one for standard users. (Standard users aren’t able to use the admin UI). In the admin UI, you can easily drag and drop any program(s) into the UI in order to give it admin privileges. Standard users can also create application shortcuts.
RunAsTool has several useful options. For example, “Run with default rights”, “Run as limited user”, as well as the ability to show, hide, minimize, or maximize the launched window(s). As a security check, administrators can use “check the file size before run” feature. If a restricted user attempts to rename another program in order to run it with admin rights (a.k.a. “spoofing”), this option will prevent the user from doing so.
2) Administrators In Administrator user account:
Admins can easily add program(s), then right click it/them and create a shortcut on the standard user’s desktop.
Administrators can also easily import and export program lists. Just click File–>Menu and choose Import or Export. This is useful to create a list once and use it again later.
Standard users have two options to use an allowed program(s) with admin privileges.
1) In the RunAsTool restricted UI, double-click any program to run it with admin rights.
2) If the administrator has allowed it, a standard user may click any program and create their own shortcuts, so that there is no need to launch RunAsTool every time. They can also use any shortcut which the admin has already created for them.
How to import a backup file to multiple computers
To backup your settings please use “File – Export List” Feature , you will get a .rnt file like this “20180426_173736_RunAsTool.rnt” the first numbers Indicates the current date , to import the backup file silently run the Cmd with Administrator privileges and use the following command
RunAsTool.exe “/U=Admin” “/P=PassWord” “/I=Import.rnt”
Admin : Account Name
PassWord : Account Password
Import.rnt : Backup file name
To simplify the whole process you can use a cmd or Bat file and use an Account credentials temporarily in it.
Supported operating systems: Windows 10 , Windows 8.1 ,Windows 8 , Windows 7 , Windows Vista , Windows Xp
Supported languages: English , Turkish , German , French , Spanish, Vietnamese, Greek , Indonesian , Russian , Japanase , Persian , Arabic , Polish , Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) , Hungarian , Korean , Slovenian
File: RunAsTool_x64.exe │ Virustotal
MD5: d06c0ec65e9ac9949acfe2a53dab615d
SHA1: 8e7a4fb260520ae87ca2c85bc87fa5e0cd078f33
File: RunAsTool.exe │ Virustotal
MD5: 6b5476f295b473c56dae1407d00d56a5
SHA1: 17cb36b4ff816eeb97d7106933e6cad80f2920c3
Show My IP Address
Hi,
I try to import settings through a script launched by GPO (startup machine, so with admin rights).
The script is working well when launched by user with admin rights (but not Administrator). It seems that the problem comes from UAC.
Am I missing something ?
Thanks a lot for this tool.
@Quantdox, just to explain.
The UAC was implemented for all those specialist, who use an administrator account for his daly work, but this is not recommended since computer exist.
In most big environment the UAC is turned off, because an expert administrators know what he do and work only under his account to change some specific system settings.
The job of the UAC is only to protect administrators who know NOT what they do
I like this runas tools. You also find a list of all with comparison on Web Link …
Network drives don’t show up in elevated programs?
This application is heavily bugged & it provides a great way to design exploits for any script kiddie or a nursery grade intruder. I suggest the software engineer to immediately stop hosting it.
Any sort of digital access should be under supervision. All OSes know this & which is why they have designed UAC because an admin is required to provide unrestricted access to a limited user under his supervision & no app can mitigate the unrestricted access problem. That’s just almost impossible.
Simple Exploit 1:- First any application launched will display a UAC notification & when clicked on “change on how these notifications appear”, one can change UAC settings which can’t harm standard users much but will push back Win-10, 8, 7 admins to old XP days.
Simple Exploit 2:- If someone downgrades to older .NET Framework below v3.0 then it causes faulty code to execute messing up file system permissions. Many times a standard user can easily change system folders permissions by taking advantage of this. Although the intruder wouldn’t know that when this faulty code executes itself.
Exploit 3:- Sometimes when a standard user clicks on “Launch edit mode” & clicks on “Manage user accounts” from 3/10 times the standard user can remove admin account. This faulty code also executes randomly. Sometimes it happens other times it doesn’t.
Simple Exploit 4:- 90% of programs easily provide application escape within their application. For example if a program requires admin privileges to be installed to a directory, the standard user when choosing a directory can easily right-click or shift+right-click anywhere & click on “Open command window here” & can open cmd.exe with admin privileges.
This isn’t the fault of this software, it’s the way Windows kernel is designed which is why it becomes an easy & great platform for security intruders or what these people call as hackers.
Iv locked myself out my admin will this be of any use ? Thanks
Actually We have developed it for Home users but there are lots of local Domain Admins request , will think about this
It’s a petty we can’t add local Domain Admins to this application…
Hello,
Our local admin password has 39 characters, a lot of spaces et some ‘ and !. Impossible to pass the first “Select Admin” screen with that kind of password.
Is there limitations?
Thank you!
Really nice application!! Thanks a lot!!!
It’s a petty we can’t add local Domain Admins to this application…
Would be perfect there after.
Really nice app… BUMP to the developer…
Wonderful app, thanks a ton !!!