Is CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask a virus? Can I disable it?

Many Windows users are confused about whether the CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask task that they see in the Task Scheduler is a legit task or a virus. There has also been a report that it prevents Windows Explorer from starting in elevated mode. If you’re experiencing this problem on your computer, this article will explain what this strange task is and whether it is safe to disable or delete it.

What is CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask?

A system task called CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask is created by Windows to prevent users and apps from starting the Windows Explorer in elevated mode. Whenever Explorer is started with an elevation switch, Windows intercepts the request and then it creates and executes the task CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask on its behalf. As the task is set up to run with the lowest access level, Explorer will never run with elevated rights.

Read: Why does Explorer not run as administrator?

Is CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask a virus?

CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask is suspected of being malicious, and many users have asked if it is a virus. From my perspective, it does not appear to be due to malicious software or a trojan. The thing seems to be triggered by some Windows settings, and not all versions of Windows 11/10 have it. This problem may be fixed with the next Windows update, but for now, you can disable it.

How can I disable CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask?

Many users have reported that when they try to run Windows Explorer elevated, the task launches the Explorer without elevated privileges. This makes CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask not suspicious. Actually, it’s a legitimate task created by Windows, so don’t worry about it. Here are two methods you can use to disable it:

1. Through the Task Scheduler window.
2. Using the Command Prompt

Let’s take a closer look at both of them:

1] Through the Task Scheduler window.

If you want to disable the CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask process on your Windows device, you can follow these steps:

• Right-click on Start and select Run.
• Type taskschd.msc in the text box and press the Enter key.
• When the Task Scheduler window opens, look for CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask in the right pane.
• Right-click on it and select Disable.
• You’re done. The task will be disabled immediately.

Please refer to the following section for a more detailed explanation of the above steps:

To get it started, you first need to open the Run dialog box. For this, simply press Windows key + X to access the power user menu and choose the Run option from the menu list. Alternately, you can open the Run command directly from your keyboard by using the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut.

Now when you open the Run dialog box, type taskschd.msc in the text box and click on the OK button. The Task Scheduler window will open as soon as you do.

Next, navigate to the middle pane of the Task Scheduler window and look for CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask under the Name column. Once you have found the task, right-click it and select Disable. You are all done. The task will be disabled immediately.

2] Disable CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask using the Command Prompt

Alternatively, you can disable the CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask task with a command line. Below are the steps to follow.

Launch the Command Prompt as an administrator. To do this, you need to use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Then type cmd in the text field and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to launch the elevated command prompt window.

In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the below command line:

SchTasks /Change /Disable /TN CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask

Now press Enter to execute the code.

Once you complete the above task, the CreateExplorerShellUnelevatedTask task will be disabled on your computer device.

Related:

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2. What is the rundll32.exe process? Is it a virus?