Quick Guide for Advanced Users:
Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > User Accounts > Change User Account Control Settings
On your Windows machine, an administrator account is the account on the computer with permissions to make changes to the computer. This feature is useful if you ever have to share a computer with other people and want to prevent someone from making operating system changes. You can have multiple users on a computer with administrative privileges and permissions. You can also choose the permissions that other accounts have. Just keep in mind, any other accounts you set as administrator will have the ability to make the same changes.
If you are alerted to enter your computer password too frequently, you can adjust how often UAC (user account control) asks you for permission to make changes on the computer. To find this, follow the instructions below:
Note: You will be asked to enter the password to your computer in order to make these changes. Be sure you have the computer password!
- Click the Windows ‘Start’ button in the bottom left corner.
- Type “Control Panel” then select control panel in the menu list.
- In the top right-hand corner next to ‘View by:’ change this to “Category”.
- Find and select ‘User Accounts’.
- Select ‘User Accounts’ again.
- If the page displays the account you wish to change, go ahead and select ‘Change User Account Control Settings’.
- If you need to change the settings for a different account, select ‘Manage user Accounts’ below that, then select the account you wish to update.
- From there, select next, then you will find and select “Change User Account Control Settings”
After entering your password you’ll get a window saying ‘Choose when to be notified about changes to your computer’. The page will give you a bar to slide up or down, depending on how sensitive you’d like your settings.
From top to bottom, your options will be:
Always notify me when:
– Apps try to install software or make changes to my computer
– I make changes to Windows settings
(Recommended if you routinely install new software and visit unfamiliar websites)
Notify me only when apps try to make changes to my computer (default):
– Don’t notify me when I make changes to Windows settings
(Recommended if you use familiar apps and visit familiar websites)
Notify me only when apps try to make changes to my computer (do not dim my desktop):
– Don’t notify me when I make changes to Windows settings
(Not recommended. Choose this only if it takes a long time to dim the desktop on your computer)
Never notify me when:
– Apps try to install software or make changes to my computer
– I make changes to Windows settings
(Not recommended)
Select your settings depending on your preferences, then hit the ‘OK’ button in the bottom right corner. This will prompt you to enter the password to the computer one more time. Before those settings go into effect, you will need to restart the PC.
Once the computer is back on, you’re all set!
