How to Open Windows Terminal as Admin Automatically

Method 1Use the Settings Menu

The first method uses the profile settings inside Windows Terminal. Each tool (Windows PowerShell, Command Prompt, Ubuntu, and so on) is a separate profile, and you can mark any profile to always run elevated. This suits you if you only need admin rights for one or two tools and want the others to stay at normal permissions.

Work through the steps below in order. When you open a profile’s settings page, look for the toggle named Run this profile as Administrator. Turn it on, then click Save at the bottom of the page. If you set it on Defaults instead of a single profile, every profile will run elevated, which is rarely what you want.

1. Open Windows Terminal.
2. Click the down arrow in the top bar and select Settings.
3. ⚠️ ADMIN REQUIRED: In the sidebar, select the specific profile (e.g., PowerShell or Command Prompt) or Defaults to apply it to all.
4. Toggle the Run this profile as Administrator switch to On.
5. Click Save.

The change takes effect the next time you open that profile. You don’t need to restart Windows. Close Terminal fully and reopen it to test. You should see the UAC prompt, and the window title should start with “Administrator:”.

If the toggle is missing, update Windows Terminal from the Microsoft Store. Very old builds don’t have it. To undo the change, go back to the same page, turn the toggle off, and save.

Method 2Edit the JSON Settings File

The second method edits the configuration file (settings.json) directly. It does the same job as the toggle, but you can copy the change between PCs, keep it in a backup, or apply it to several profiles quickly. You add one line to the profile you want to run elevated. That line is "elevate": true.

Place the line inside the correct profile’s braces, and keep the commas exactly as the surrounding entries have them. A missing or extra comma is the most common mistake in JSON, and it makes Terminal show a warning about the settings file. Copy the file somewhere safe before you edit it.

1. Open Settings in Windows Terminal.
2. Click Open JSON file at the bottom left.
3. Locate the "profiles" or "defaults" section.
4. Add the line "elevate": true, to the desired profile block.

Save the file and Terminal reloads it automatically. If you see an error banner afterward, recheck the commas and quotation marks. To undo the change, delete the line (or restore your backup) and save again.

"defaults": 
{
    "elevate": true
},

Creating a Desktop Shortcut for Admin Access

The third method is a dedicated desktop shortcut. A double-click on it launches Terminal with elevated permissions every time, no matter how Terminal's own settings are configured. It is the best choice if you want one icon that always opens a full-access console and you'd rather keep your normal Start menu entry unelevated.

The key part of this method is the shortcut's Advanced button on the Shortcut tab of its Properties window. There you tick Run as administrator and click OK. Click Apply before closing the Properties window, or the change is lost. The shortcut icon will then show a small shield overlay.

1. Right-click on your desktop and select New > Shortcut.
2. Type wt.exe in the location box.
3. Click Next and name the shortcut.
4. Right-click the new shortcut and select Properties.
5. Click the Advanced button.
6. Check the box Run as administrator and click OK.

If the Run as administrator box is greyed out, you probably created a shortcut type that doesn't support it. Create a new shortcut to the Terminal app instead. To undo the change, open the shortcut's Properties and clear the checkbox, or simply delete the shortcut.

Command-Line Execution and wt.exe

Windows Terminal also accepts launch parameters, called arguments. For example, you can force an elevated window from the Run dialog (Win+R) by typing powershell -Command "Start-Process wt.exe -Verb RunAs". Press Enter and approve the UAC prompt. This is handy for scripts, batch files, or quick access when you don't want to change any settings.

Summary

To sum up, Windows Terminal opens as admin either by turning on the profile setting in the graphical interface or by adding "elevate": true to the JSON configuration. A desktop shortcut with Run as administrator enabled works well for custom workflows. Whichever you choose, expect a UAC prompt on every launch. Only run elevated terminals when you need them, because any command you type has full control of the system. For advanced configuration, consult the official Microsoft documentation.