User Permissions and Visual Studio
For reasons of security you should run Visual Studio as a normal user whenever possible.
Warning
You should also make sure not to compile, launch, or debug any Visual Studio solution that does not come from a trusted person or a trusted location.
You can do nearly everything in the Visual Studio IDE as a normal user, but, you need administrator permissions to complete the following tasks:
Area |
Task |
For more information |
|---|---|---|
Installation |
Installing Visual Studio. |
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Upgrading from a trial edition of Visual Studio. |
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Installing, updating, or removing local Help content. |
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Application types |
Developing solutions for SharePoint 2010. |
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Acquiring a developer license for Windows Store. |
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Toolbox |
Adding classic COM controls to the Toolbox. |
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Add-ins |
Installing and using add-ins that were written by using classic COM in the IDE. |
|
Building |
Using post-build events that register a component. |
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Including a registration step when you build C++ projects. |
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Debugging |
Debugging applications that run with elevated permissions. |
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Debugging applications that a run under a different user account, such as ASP.NET websites. |
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Debugging in Zone for XAML Browser Applications (XBAP). |
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Using the emulator to debug cloud service projects for Microsoft Azure. |
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Configuring a firewall for remote debugging. |
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Performance tools |
Profiling an application. |
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Deployment |
Deploying a web application to Internet Information Services (IIS) on a local computer. |
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Providing feedback to Microsoft |
Changing how you participate in the Visual Studio Customer Experience Program. |
Running Visual Studio as an Administrator
You can launch Visual Studio with administrative permissions each time you start the IDE, or you can modify the application shortcut to always run with administrative permissions. For more information, see Windows Help.
To run Visual Studio with administrative permissions on Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2
On the Start screen, type Visual Studio. You should see the version or versions of Visual Studio you have installed.
Select the version of Visual Studio you want to start, and then bring up the shortcut menu (it appears at the bottom of the screen). Choose Run as administrator.
When Visual Studio starts, (Administrator) appears after the product name in the title bar.
To run Visual Studio with administrative permissions on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
On the Start menu, choose All Programs.
In the Microsoft Visual Studio Version folder select Visual Studio Version open the shortcut menu, and then choose Run as administrator.
When Visual Studio starts, (Administrator) appears after the product name in the title bar.
See Also
Concepts
Visual Studio 2013 Compatibility