How to always run Windows Terminal as administrator on Windows 10

On Windows 10, even though the Windows Terminal lets you access virtually any command-line experience (such as Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Linux), it always runs in user mode by default.

While this behavior is by design, you can configure the Windows Terminal to always run as an administrator in two ways by changing the app settings or using a shortcut approach, instead of having to do the extra steps to access the option from the app context menu.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to configure the command-line experience to open elevated by default.

Always open Windows Terminal as an admin with Settings
Always open Windows Terminal as an admin with Shortcut

Always open Windows Terminal as an admin with Settings

To run all command consoles elevated through Windows Terminal on Windows 10, use these steps:

Open Windows Terminal.
Click the menu button next to the new tab option and select the Settings option.
Under the “Profiles” section, click on Defaults.
Turn on the “Run this profile as Administrator” toggle switch to run Command Prompt, PowerShell, and any other profile elevated automatically.
Click the Save button.

Once you complete the steps, the next time you open Command Prompt, PowerShell, or any other command terminal, it will open elevated.

Always open Windows Terminal as an admin with Shortcut

Alternatively, you can also create a shortcut that you can specify to run as an administrator on Windows 10.

To always run Windows Terminal as an administrator using a shortcut, use these steps:

Right-click the Windows 10 desktop.
Select the New submenu and choose the Shortcut option.

In the path field, type the following path:

%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\WindowsApps\wt.exe

Shortcut with path to wt.exe

Click the Next button.
Confirm a name for the shortcut – for example, Windows Terminal.
Click the Finish button.
Right-click the newly created shortcut and select the Properties option.
Click the Shortcut tab.
Click the Advanced button.
Check the Run as administrator option for the Windows Terminal shortcut.
Click the OK button.
(Optional) Click the Change Icon button.
In the Look for icons in this file field, type the following path and press Enter:
```
%systemroot%\system32\shell32.dll
```
Quick tip: If you want to use the actual Windows Terminal icon, you can download it from this location.
Select an icon you want to use.
Click the OK button.
Click the Apply button.
Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, you can double-click the shortcut to open always open the Windows Terminal as administrator.

If you want, you could also drag the shortcut to the taskbar to pin it. Or you can right-click the shortcut and select the Pin to Start option to run the app as an administrator from the Start menu.