Launch an admin cmd.exe from Windows Explorer with current working directory = current Explorer folder

Question

In Windows Explorer, I often do CTRL+L c m d ENTER to quickly launch a cmd.exe shell with the working directory being the current Explorer folder. It's a handy and quick 1-second shortcut. (I don't use Powershell, I prefer cmd.exe)

But then, the cmd.exe which is started is not admin, even though my current Windows user is Administrator.

Example: mklink .... gives You do not have sufficient privilege to perform this operation (see also: Why can't I make a symbolic link (mklink) even when I'm an administrator)

How to launch an (administrator) cmd.exe from a Windows Explorer window, with the current working directory = the current folder in Explorer?

Notes:

Some answers are given in Hotkey to open cmd with administration rights in current folder from Explorer but 1) it's off topic on SO 2) most answers don't give an admin cmd.exe 3) some do but you end with an admin Powershell which I don't want 4) some are outdated and no longer work on newer Win10 versions (see comments).
Similar question but for Powershell: Open Powershell as Administrator at Current File Explorer Directory Keyboard Shortcut (Windows 10)

cachius · Answer 1 · 2024-11-06T14:58:59.133

Put this as a.vbs into one of the front entries of %PATH% and do CTRL+L a . v b s ENTER wherever you are.

Set objShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
Set wshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
currentDir = wshShell.CurrentDirectory
objShell.ShellExecute "cmd.exe", "/K chdir /D " & currentDir, "", "runas", 1

This is faster than powershell and independent of execution policies. By using .vbs no intermediate window is shown. Confirm the opening UAC by ← ENTER

Danijel · Answer 2 · 2025-02-04T17:30:46.297

Open the Windows Terminal, and enter its settings

In settings under 'Default profile', set default behavior to start CMD

Now from folder where you are in, as you did before with the keycombo

          1. Press Shift+F10,
          2. Tap up arrow twice to select "Terminal" (letter T acts up on Win11)
          3. Press Shift+Ctrl+Enter, starts in directory as whoever you enter in UAC.

Shift+Ctrl+T while in Terminal opens a new tab (Ctrl+T does the same for explorer.exe, if that's useful).

Launch an admin cmd.exe from Windows Explorer with current working directory = current Explorer folder

2 Answers2