If you haven't ever visited the Command Prompt, you really should. While its barebones text interface might seem scary at first, its huge list of powerful commands let you accomplish much with just a few keystrokes. Many of them require you to open the Command Prompt as an administrator. You'll find several ways to do this, but one of them reigns above the rest as the fastest method.
Simply pressing Windows key + X (or right-clicking on the Start Button) will open the Power User Menu. At the bottom of the top section of items, you'll see Command Prompt and Command Prompt (Admin) -- obviously you're looking for the bottom one.
Click it, accept the UAC prompt, and you're right into an admin command prompt. You can also use the arrow keys and Enter to select it without ever taking your hands off the keyboard.
In the Windows 10 Creators Update, you might see Windows PowerShell here instead of Command Prompt. PowerShell is an enhanced version of the Command Prompt with plenty of its own uses. Indeed, Command Prompt instructions work just fine in it.
But if you'd like put the Command Line proper back in this menu, open Settings, go to Personalization, and click the Taskbar tab. Switch the Replace Command Prompt with Windows PowerShell… option to Off.
It's worth noting that if you haven't been using the Power User Menu, you should start integrating it into your daily workflow. With a quick keyboard shortcut, you can open the most important Settings pages and useful utilities. You don't have to hunt through menus to open Apps and Features to remove a program, or the Event Viewer to troubleshoot a problem.
Of course, you won't find every important utility in this menu. But making it second nature will go a long way in helping you get around Windows more easily.
How often do you need an Administrator command prompt? What method were you using to open one before finding this? Tell us what you think in the comments!
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