make quick assist run as admin

[JoeRainero]

We need to be able to use Quick Assist in Windows 10 to do some administrative tasks, but if the end user initiates the Quick Assist session then the remote admin is limited to only what the end user has access to.  Is there any way we can start Quick Assist as an administrator or elevate it to admin level during the Quick Assist session?

[Anchal]

I’ve had problems with Quick Assist on Windows 10. All users within the firm are designated as ‘Standard Users’, and they are not permitted to operate any program as Administrator. My problem is that I frequently need to insert an Administrator account to complete the process when I use Quick Assist to provide remote support to them, but I can’t find a screen where I may type in the administrator account and password, cause the whole screen goes black. How am I going to solve it?

[Jon_hill]

Way I found works for me.

Connect on quick assist.

Open quick assist again using c:\windows\system32\runas.exe using your admin account. 

Connect to the new quick assist session.

Close your old session. 

Your new session will be in administrator mode.

Been a while since used it. So please let me know.

[grahamperrin]

PromptOnSecureDesktop – another method of avoiding the two-minute UAC blackout. See for example:

• Quick Assist the built-in Remote Control in Windows 10 – Modern IT – Cloud – Workplace
• https://serverfault.com/a/1003238/91969
• https://superuser.com/a/1386052/84988
• [MS-GPSB]: PromptOnSecureDesktop | Microsoft Docs

[JoeRainero]

It's for any computer: some workgroup, some domain joined, some azure AD joined.  It shouldn't matter.  QuickAssist should prompt the remote user to authenticate as an administrator but that prompt is hidden from the remote user and only appears to the local user.

[kieferjoecopp13]

This was a great post but I think most of the people replying missed what was being asked here, I believe the requestor is basically suggesting he/she is IT Support etc and needs to be able to support users who are currently wfh. 

At the moment if you use Quick Assist or programs such as Logmein, when you connect to a remote users laptop/PC and try to do anything that requires an administrator elevation, the screen is just blanked out. I kind of understand the reasoning around this for security purposes, but at the same time, it sucks for us IT support people!

Main reason for this is, the end user doesn't/won't know the local admin password, only I do, yet it's being blanked out for me to type it in!

If anyone has come across this issue, and working in IT Support, but found a resolution, please get back to me!

[JoeRainero]

This is exactly what I am suggesting. Thank you for understanding.  As kieferjocopp13 explained, we need an option in the tool that allows us to run everything from the beginning as an administrator so we can easily access what is needed to support an end user and the affected system.  Thank you.

[Kal451]

So the problem as I saw it was basically the UAC prompt and how it ends up making a 2nd desktop for its prompts. you can kill this off as a GPO 

Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies/Security Options 

And set the following :

User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation > Disabled

Over a month later i hope you got something figured out but this worked for us with the same issue using good old "run as" and allowing UAC prompts on the desktop.

[pfproinc]

This is exactly what I needed, and it doesn't present any increased security risk.

[JanoschUlmer]

Well, my thinking is that allowing this would be a big security risk, especially assuming the machine of the end user would be infected with something (and this is why the user calls helpdesk)

This is also why e.g. Config Manager Remote Assist does not allow this an explicitly mentioned as "do not enter admin credentials in the remote session". The only supported/recommended way is changing the user log in because in this scenario it is much less likely a key logger does run. 

My 2cts...

[ravilasya18]

Hello, unable to take the "appwiz.cpl" in run as admin over quick assist.

[SalmanAhmed]

Hi @ravilasya18 

Please follow the below steps.

1. Open CMD
2. Within CMD, launch cmd again in Admin mode by user the below command.
   runas /user:domain\administrator cmd
   *administrator can be replace with any admin account.
   *type the admin password once its prompt.
3. New CMD will be in Admin mode, just type appwiz.cpl or any command you want. It will be run under the admin mode without asking any password. 
   I hope it will work for you, if still any query please feel free to contact.

[Jonathan-Hill]

correct.
So, the mechanism I have used.
1. Connect with quick assist.
2. Open command line/Powershell. (as user is fine) or just run the command
as below.
3. *runas /user:domain(or localhost)\administrator *
c:\windows\system32\quickassist.exe
4. input your domain/local machine admin password.
5. quick assist is now open, from your support machine, open a new session
of quick assist, and connect.
6. You now have admin access through that session.
Disconnect your original non-admin session/connection.

[Jonathan-Hill]

this is good, but doesn't get around UAC. HOWEVER. 

As quick assist allows more than one remote session (controller and controllee) it is possible to open quickassist.exe from the command line created. 

Perform the quick assist connection again. 

and hey presto, quick assist is in admin mode 😄

[ravilasya18]

Hi,
Everything will work. Accept this appwiz.cpl. appwiz.cpl is still not working.

[JoeRainero]

I got this error when trying to start control from inside of the runas cmd prompt.

[SalmanAhmed]

Hi @ravilasya18 ,

There is another way to uninstall the applications in cmd, please follow the steps as mentioned below.

1. Launch CMD again in Admin mode by user the below command.
   runas /user:domain\administrator cmd.exe
   
2. Launch Windows Management Instrumentation Command line by using the below command
   wmic
   
   
3. Type below command to get the list of installed applications.
   product get name
   
   
4. Copy the full name of application (which you want to uninstall) from the list, and type below command.
   product where name="XXXX" call uninstall
   *Replace XXXX with application name e.g., product where name="Microsoft Search in Bing" call uninstall
   *Above command will uninstall Microsoft Search in Bing
   
   
5. You will get the message of confirmation, type Y to confirm.

[ravilasya18]

Still not working.

[SalmanAhmed]

What error you are getting and which application you want to remove?

[SalmanAhmed]

Quick Assist is my preferred application to resolve all technical issues remotely.

It also allow me to Run as Administrator to install and configure hardware/software but there are few steps required as mentioned below:

1. Run CMD at end-user's computer
2. Type the below command:
   runas /user:domain\administrator cmd
   *domain will be any domain of your organization
   *administrator can be  any administrator login.
   If domain is not available type the below command in cmd.
   runas /user:local_user cmd
3. Put the admin password.

Now you have successfully launched cmd in administrator mode, you can run the below tasks.

• x:\MicrosoftEdgeSetup.exe (for software installation, where x is any drive letter from your computer).
• appwiz.cpl for installing or uninstalling program.
• services.msc (Run or Stop a service)
• devmgmt.msc (Device Manager, to install/uninstall or upgrade the device driver)
• diskmgmt.msc (Disk Management) 
• compmgmt.msc (Computer Management)
• regedit (Registry Editor)

Above mentioned are just example, you can use the number of commands as per your requirement. 

[JoeRainero]

We manage computers for many people and the end users sometimes do not have admin level access to those systems.  When the end user needs assistance, we would like to be able to run quick assist as an admin so that when we remotely assist the end user, we will be able to enter the admin credentials.  At this time, whenever UAC prompts for credentials, the screen goes blank for the remote admins.  Is there a way we can remotely send those credentials over without giving them to the end user?