Portmaster should ask for admin privilege if needed

[Rexadev]

Pre-Submit Checklist:

• Check applicable sources for existing issues:
  • Windows Known Issues
  • Linux Known Issues
  • Github Issues

What happened:

What did you expect to happen?:

How did you reproduce it?:

1. Shutdown Portmaster
2. Try starting it
3. You need to open it with Admin

Debug Information:

[AnorakArturo]

I don't see how this is a bug. Portmaster cannot function without admin privileges. Else how would it prevent connections, set filters and view network traffic?

[Rexadev]

I don't see how this is a bug. Portmaster cannot function without admin privileges. Else how would it prevent connections, set filters and view network traffic?

It doesn't ask for it. I have to assume it needs it

[AnorakArturo]

I don't see how this is a bug. Portmaster cannot function without admin privileges. Else how would it prevent connections, set filters and view network traffic?

It doesn't ask for it. I have to assume it needs it

So what you're saying is that Portmaster doesn't ask for admin privileges? It'd be helpful to the Devs if you could provide more information other than saying it doesn't work. Best information you could give would be the debug info - How to share Debug info

[Rexadev]

Portmaster when started without Admin right, if it requires should ask for admin rights. So user doesn't have to assume it needs admin rights. @AnorakArturo

[AnorakArturo]

Portmaster when started without Admin right, if it requires should ask for admin rights. So user doesn't have to assume it needs admin rights. @AnorakArturo

But Portmaster does ask for Admin rights. I've to authorize it every time I start the Core service. It would be useful if you upload debug information...I don't even know what OS you're running it on :,)

[Rexadev]

I am suggesting a improvement, Portmaster will not start without admin right so if user starts without admin rights Portmaster should ask for it. I am running windows 10

[AnorakArturo]

I am suggesting a improvement, Portmaster will not start without admin right so if user starts without admin rights Portmaster should ask for it. I am running windows 10

Ah, then you should've marked it as a suggestion :) Portmaster will ask for the admin rights when you start the service. At bootup, I think it already has authorisation and thus doesn't need to ask.

[dhaavi]

The Portmaster UI should open just fine without administrative rights, as it should run in user-space. The Portmaster Core Service is a system service that runs with system privileges. You cannot even start that yourself. The Portmaster UI prompts you for the password and then with the privileges it instructs Windows to start the service.

If you need admin rights to start the UI, this is either a bug - or, more likely - a misconfiguration on your device.

Did you start the UI with admin rights previously?

[Rexadev]

The Portmaster UI should open just fine without administrative rights, as it should run in user-space.

It doesn't for my 2 windows 10 and 11 devices

The Portmaster Core Service is a system service that runs with system privileges. You cannot even start that yourself. The Portmaster UI prompts you for the password and then with the privileges it instructs Windows to start the service.

That is the point it doesn't ask me for password

If you need admin rights to start the UI, this is either a bug - or, more likely - a misconfiguration on your device.

I tested on my Windows 10 and a fresh windows 11 installed device

Did you start the UI with admin rights previously?

YES!

[ppacher]

Did you start the UI with admin rights previously?

YES!

This might be the issue! Please check the permissions of the executables in the Portmaster Installation directory or consider to uninstall and re-install the Portmaster.

Please report back if the issue persists - the UI was never intended to be started with admin privileges

[Rexadev]

Please check the permissions of the executables in the Portmaster Installation directory

How?

consider to uninstall and re-install the Portmaster.

Did it

[github-actions[bot]]

Auto-closing this issue after waiting for input for a month. If anyone finds the time to provide the requested information, please re-open the issue and we will continue handling it.