Registry Tweaks to Customize User Account Control (UAC) Options in Windows Vista and Later

There is a tutorial on this site for tweaking and customizing UAC (User Account Control) settings using secpol.msc (Local Security Policy):

A Complete Guide for Tweaking User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista and Later

But if you are a Home Basic or Home Premium version user and want to tweak UAC (User Account Control) settings using secpol.msc, then you are out of luck because secpol.msc is a part of Group Policy Editor and its not included in Home editions of Windows OS.

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Don’t worry, the same tweaks can also be applied using Windows Registry Editor, so you can also enjoy the UAC tweaks in Home editions of Windows Vista and later using registry editor.

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Type regedit in RUN or start menu search box and press Enter. It’ll open Registry Editor. Now go to following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies

2. Under Policies key look for a key with the name “System“. If its not present then create it by right-click on Policies key and select “New -> Key” and give it name “System“.

3. Now select “System” key and in right-side pane create a new DWORD value to apply the desired tweak as mentioned in following list:

Customize_UAC_Options_Using_Registry_Editor_Windows_7.png

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User Account Control: Admin Approval Mode for the Built-in Administrator account

DWORD Value – FilterAdministratorToken

To Enable – 1
To Disable – 0

User Account Control: Allow UIAccess applications to prompt for elevation without using the secure desktop.

DWORD Value – EnableUIADesktopToggle

To Enable – 1
To Disable – 0

User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode

DWORD Value – ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin

Elevate without prompting – 0
Prompt for credentials – 1
Prompt for consent – 2

User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for standard users

DWORD Value – ConsentPromptBehaviorUser

Automatically deny elevation requests – 0
Prompt for credentials – 1

User Account Control: Detect application installations and prompt for elevation

DWORD Value – EnableInstallerDetection

To Enable – 1
To Disable – 0

User Account Control: Only elevate executables that are signed and validated

DWORD Value – ValidateAdminCodeSignatures

To Enable – 1
To Disable – 0

User Account Control: Only elevate UIAccess applications that are installed in secure locations

DWORD Value – EnableSecureUIAPaths

To Enable – 1
To Disable – 0

User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode

DWORD Value – EnableLUA

To Enable – 1
To Disable – 0

User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation

DWORD Value – PromptOnSecureDesktop

To Enable – 1
To Disable – 0

User Account Control: Virtualize file and registry write failures to per-user locations

DWORD Value – EnableVirtualization

To Enable – 1
To Disable – 0

Published in: Windows 7, Windows Vista

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. Hello!
    I did find (under Windows Vista Home Premium,SP2)
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
    but not
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
    so, I cannot ‘follow these simple steps’. What, next?

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