Windows 10: Windows 11 Now Requires Admin Rights To Open Storage Settings

Opening the Storage settings in recent versions of Windows 11 no longer behaves the way it used to. Microsoft requires admin access for storage settings, breaks temporary files cleanup. What was previously a freely accessible page now stops users with a User Account Control prompt the moment it loads, requiring administrator approval before anything is shown.

The change arrived through preview builds and is now set to reach more systems with the February 2026 security update. Many users only notice it once they try to open Storage and are unexpectedly asked for elevated permissions.

Windows Storage Settings Are Now Locked Behind UAC


Until recently, any signed-in user could open Settings > System > Storage, even on systems where the account did not have administrative privileges. The page exposed disk usage breakdowns, temporary file cleanup options, and other storage-related system features.

That behavior has changed. Accessing the Storage page now immediately triggers a UAC prompt. The request appears before any content is displayed, not when attempting to modify settings.

Microsoft says the change helps ensure that only authorized users can access system files and storage-related controls. In practice, it places Storage settings in the same category as other administrative areas of Windows.



Windows 11 KB5074105 storage admin access


The new requirement first appeared in update KB5074105, a non-security preview update released on January 29, 2026. The administrator prompt was not initially mentioned in the release notes, but Microsoft added documentation the following day.

The same behavior is included in the February 2026 Patch Tuesday update, which begins rolling out on February 10. Systems that install the security update will receive the Storage restriction even if the preview update was skipped.

Why Microsoft Made The Storage Settings Change?


Microsoft frames the adjustment as part of its ongoing effort to tighten Windows 11’s security model. Storage settings provide visibility into system files and tools that interact closely with core components, which the company now treats as requiring elevated access.

This aligns with a broader pattern in Windows 11. Over time, Microsoft has moved more system-level features behind administrative prompts, including changes affecting Smart App Control and other security-related settings.

What User Account Control prompt requires now?


On systems where the primary account already has administrator rights, the impact is mostly limited to seeing an extra confirmation prompt.

On shared PCs, family computers, and work devices where users operate under standard accounts, the change is more noticeable. Without admin approval, users can no longer:

• View detailed storage usage breakdowns
• Access built-in cleanup tools
• Manage storage-related system features

All of these actions now require an administrator to approve the UAC prompt before the page opens.

Can you disable administrator UAC approval?


There is currently no option to disable the new behavior. Users who regularly check Storage settings will need to adjust their workflow:

• Sign in with an administrator account, or
• Ask an administrator to approve the UAC prompt when it appears

Microsoft has not said whether it plans to restore a read-only view of Storage settings for standard users.

Once the February 2026 update is installed, the change applies automatically and remains in place.

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Windows 11 Now Requires Admin Rights To Open Storage Settings appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

read more...

 

admin rights keep disappearing!?!!

Hi guys,

I am actually having a problem at work that our IT department hasn't been able to figure out. I am supposed to be a member of the admin group. We are on a domain. The problem is that everytime I reboot the computer I loose my admin rights(no longer in the administrator group) and just become a normal user again. I have tried googling this and didn't get to many results.
I believe IT is just giving me local admin rights, not admin rights for the whole domain.

Any suggestions?

EDIT: It is on Windows XP Pro.

 

admin password?

You can reset the Admin Password using Windows XP repair; See Here for step by step.

*Toast :toast:

 

Setting one programme not to require admin rights

I assume you do not want to give out the admin password because it is in use on other machines. Here are two methods to get around this problem:

• Promote their account to admin level
• Create a further admin account, then give them that password.

With the second option you could go one step further: create a scheduled task that will modify the password for the extra admin account. The task would run one or two days from now.