Disable Standard User UAC Elevation via Regedit

This article explains how to prevent standard user accounts from triggering User Account Control (UAC) elevation prompts in Windows by modifying the Windows Registry. By disabling this behavior, any task or application initiated by a standard user that requires administrative privileges will be automatically denied instead of presenting a credential prompt.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type regedit into the field and press Enter or click OK.
  3. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes to allow administrative access.

Step 2: Navigate to the UAC System Policies Key

In the Registry Editor, use the left-hand navigation pane to browse to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

Alternatively, you can copy this path and paste it directly into the address bar at the top of the Registry Editor window, then press Enter.

Step 3: Modify the ConsentPromptBehaviorUser Value

  1. With the System key selected in the left pane, locate the DWORD (32-bit) Value named ConsentPromptBehaviorUser in the right-hand pane.
  2. If this value does not exist, right-click an empty space in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it ConsentPromptBehaviorUser.
  3. Double-click ConsentPromptBehaviorUser to open its properties.
  4. Set the Value data field to 0.
    • 0 = Automatically deny elevation requests (standard users cannot elevate).
    • 1 = Prompt for credentials on the secure desktop.
    • 3 = Prompt for credentials (default behavior).
  5. Ensure the Base is set to Hexadecimal, then click OK.

Step 4: Apply the Changes

Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer to ensure the new policy takes effect immediately. Once restarted, standard users attempting to perform administrative tasks will receive an “Access Denied” message instead of a prompt to enter administrator credentials.