Administrator's shortcut to batch file with double quoted parameters

Take an excruciatingly simple batch file:

echo hi
pause

Save that as test.bat. Now, make a shortcut to test.bat. The shortcut runs the batch file, which prints "hi" and then waits for a keypress as expected. Now, add some argument to the target of the shortcut. Now you have a shortcut to:

%path%\test.bat some args

The shortcut runs the batch file as before.

Now, run the shortcut as administrator. (This is on Windows 7 by the way.) You can use either right-click -> Run as Administrator, or go to the shortcut's properties and check the box in the advanced section. Tell UAC that it's okay and once again the shortcut runs the batch file as expected.

Now, change the arguments in the target of the shortcut to add double quotes:

%path%\test.bat "some args"

Now try the shortcut as administrator. It doesn't work this time! A command window pops up and and disappears too fast to see any error. I tried adding > test.log 2>&1 to the shortcut, but no log is created in this case.

Try running the same shortcut (with the double quotes) but not as Administrator. It runs the batch file fine. So, it seems the behavior is not because of the double quoted parameters, and it's not because it's run as Administrator. It's some weird combination of the two.

I also tried running the same command from an administrator's command window. This ran the batch file as expected without error. Running the shortcut fr开发者_如何学JAVAom the command window spawned a new command window which flashed and went away. So apparently the issue is caused by a combination of administrator, the shortcut, and the double quotes.

I'm totally stumped, does anyone have any idea what's going on? I'd also like a workaround.

I just ran Process Monitor on this and here is what I saw:

Run as User:

cmd /c ""C:\Users\Sunbelt\Desktop\test.bat" "some args""

Run as Admin:

"C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe" /C "C:\Users\Sunbelt\Desktop\test.bat" "some args"

For some reason, the Run as Admin case is not quoting the entire command. It seems it is trying to run the command:

C:\Users\Sunbelt\Desktop\test.bat" "some args

I would guess that since the first space is quoted it actually trying to run the following command:

"C:\Users\Sunbelt\Desktop\test.bat some" args

And in Process Monitor logs there is a file system entry of "NO SUCH FILE" for "C:\Users\Sunbelt\Desktop\test.bat some". I don't know why it is different when run as Admin, but that's what appears to be happening.

To work around this, create another bat file on a path without spaces, and with a filename without spaces, that simply does this:

call "Long path to original bat file\Original bat file.bat"

This secondary bat file can be run as admin.

You can now create a shortcut to this secondary bat file and check run as admin in the shortcut's advanced options. The shortcut can be placed on a path with spaces and it can have a filename containing spaces.

In my case I just want to pass one filename as parameter, but the path has spaces.

I found a solution that worked for this case (if that's okay to truncate the file name).

Create another bat file (input_gate.bat) to remove the spaces in the path using the syntax of CALL.exe. Assuming that the shortcut is named test.lnk and is on the same route as the input_gate.bat:

call %~sdp0test.lnk %~sf1

This pass as a parameter to test.bat the full file name in short format, with administrator privileges.

• %~sdp0 -> Is the current path (for the input_gate.bat) in short format.
• %~sf1 -> Is the first parameter passed to input_gate.bat (in my case the full filename with spaces)

This worked for me in Windows 7:

ShortcutTarget: C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /C myscript.bat Param1 "Param Two with spaces"
StartIn:        "C:\Path containing\my script"

Not tried it yet as Admin. I don't think it would work if myscript.bat contained spaces

I finally figured it out, in a way that allows the use of long filenames (short filenames weren't adequate for my use case). My solution works on Win 7, 8, and 10. I think it was inspired by Luke's mention of the missing double-quote.

Here it is:

1.) For the shortcut you create to the batch file, which you set to run as admin, use the following command line:

cmd /s /c ""path_to_batch_file"

Note that there are 2 double-quote characters at the beginning of the command, and only 1 at the end, even though there should normally be 2 at the end also. But that is the trick in getting it to work!

2.) In your batch file, add back the missing double-quote character:

set user_file=%1"

That's it! Here's an example to let you see it in action:

1.) On your desktop, create "test.bat" with the following content:

@echo off
set user_file=%1"
echo The file is: %user_file%
pause

3.) Create a shortcut to the batch file. Set it to run as admin, and give it the following command line:

cmd /s /c ""%userprofile%\desktop\test.bat"

4.) Drag a file onto the shortcut. Success! (I hope...)

Answer here worked for me: https://superuser.com/questions/931003/passing-variables-with-space-to-the-command-line-as-admin

Which is...

Adding cmd /C before the target. I also had to make sure my script's name and path didn't have spaces, and not quote the script's path in target.