Quick fix: You can’t set per-app UAC levels via Settings, but you can create a Task Scheduler entry that runs the specific tool with highest privileges — then make a desktop shortcut that triggers the task. The tool launches elevated without a UAC prompt, while system-wide UAC stays intact for everything else.

You have an admin utility you run daily — a database query tool, a network diagnostic, a partition manager — and clicking through UAC every single time is friction. You don’t want to disable UAC system-wide (security concern), and you don’t want to change the app’s manifest (modifying signed EXEs breaks things). Task Scheduler’s “run with highest privileges” option bypasses UAC for pre-authorized tasks.

Symptom: Want one specific admin tool to launch without UAC prompts while keeping UAC active for everything else.
Affects: Windows 11 (and Windows 10) Pro/Home with default UAC settings.
Fix time: ~10 minutes per tool.

What causes this

UAC prompts appear because the app requests elevation at launch time. Windows’s elevation request goes through the Application Information service, which displays the consent UI. Task Scheduler tasks marked “Run with highest privileges” are pre-authorized at task creation — admin already approved the task. Subsequent triggers don’t prompt because consent was given when the task was created.

You can’t change the UAC slider per-app (the slider is global). The Task Scheduler trick is the standard supported way to avoid UAC for specific trusted tools.

Method 1: Task Scheduler + desktop shortcut

The canonical Microsoft-supported approach.

Open Task Scheduler from Start menu.
In the right pane, click Create Task (not Create Basic Task — we need advanced options).
General tab:
- Name: RunAsAdmin-MyTool (something descriptive)
- Tick Run with highest privileges
- Configure for: Windows 11
Triggers tab: leave empty — we want the task to fire only when called manually.
Actions tab: click New. Action: Start a program. Program: full path to the EXE (e.g., C:\Tools\MyAdminUtility\tool.exe). Arguments: any needed.
Conditions tab: untick Start the task only if the computer is on AC power (otherwise it won’t run on battery).
Settings tab: tick Allow task to be run on demand. Tick If the task is already running, do not start a new instance.
Click OK. UAC prompts once during task creation (this is the consent for future task runs).
Create the desktop shortcut: right-click desktop → New → Shortcut. Target: schtasks /run /tn "RunAsAdmin-MyTool". Name: same as the tool.
Right-click shortcut → Properties → Change Icon → browse to the EXE for matching icon.
Double-click the shortcut. Tool launches elevated — no UAC prompt.

The trade-off: the desktop shortcut grants elevated launch to anyone with mouse access. Don’t use this for sensitive tools on shared PCs.

Method 2: Use a launcher tool like ElevatedShortcut

For users who want a smoother experience without writing schtasks shortcuts.

Download ElevatedShortcut from winaero.com/elevated-shortcut/ (free).
Extract and run. The interface lets you pick any EXE and a target name.
Click Create. ElevatedShortcut auto-creates the Task Scheduler entry and corresponding shortcut.
Place the shortcut wherever convenient: desktop, Start menu folder, taskbar.
Click to launch — tool runs elevated, no prompt.
To manage created shortcuts: re-open ElevatedShortcut and pick existing ones to edit or delete.
For corporate environments: tools like RunAsTool (Sordum) provide similar functionality with command-line bulk creation, useful for IT staff deploying admin tool shortcuts to many users.

This is the same mechanism as Method 1, just with a friendlier creation interface.

Method 3: Use a custom shim via Application Compatibility Toolkit

For advanced cases — when you want to suppress UAC for an app that has legitimate reason to elevate but in a controlled way (e.g., a specific test environment).

Download Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) from Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit.
Run Compatibility Administrator.
Right-click Custom Databases → New Database.
Right-click the database → Create New → Application Fix.
Pick the target EXE. Apply the RunAsInvoker compatibility shim. This shim tells Windows to skip elevation for the app and run with the user’s current token instead.
Save the database. Right-click → Install. The shim becomes active.
Launch the app. Runs without elevation. If the app actually needed admin rights, it fails — the shim doesn’t grant rights, it just suppresses the request.
For apps that need elevation but you don’t want the prompt: combine the shim approach with the Task Scheduler approach — create a task that runs the app, and let the task elevate.

This is the right path for apps that request elevation unnecessarily. Use cautiously — suppressing legitimate elevation breaks app functionality.

How to verify the fix worked

Double-click the shortcut. The tool launches without a UAC consent dialog.
In Task Manager → Details tab, locate the running process. Right-click → Set priority shouldn’t be greyed out, confirming it’s running elevated.
Run other admin tools normally (e.g., right-click Start → Terminal (Admin)). UAC prompts as expected — confirms system-wide UAC remains intact.

If none of these work

If the Task Scheduler shortcut still prompts UAC despite the “run with highest privileges” setting, the issue is likely the task’s logon account configuration. Check the principal account: in Task Scheduler, open the task → General tab. The “When running the task, use the following user account” line must show an account with admin rights. If it shows a standard user, click Change User or Group and pick your admin account. Check Group Policy: gpresult /h C:\gpresult.html → look for User Account Control policies. If a policy enforces UAC prompts for all elevation regardless of source, Task Scheduler can’t override it. For domain PCs, this is intentional and you can’t bypass. For UWP apps (which run sandboxed): Task Scheduler can’t launch them with elevated privileges — UWP apps don’t support traditional elevation. The Task Scheduler trick works only for classic Win32 EXE apps.

Bottom line: Task Scheduler tasks marked “run with highest privileges,” triggered via desktop shortcuts running schtasks /run, give per-app UAC-free launching without disabling UAC system-wide.