what is uac virtualization

UAC Virtualization is a security feature in Windows that allows standard users to run certain applications that require administrator privileges without having to enter an administrator password. It was introduced in Windows Vista as a way to bridge the introduction of User Access Control (UAC) and ensure backward compatibility with legacy software. UAC Virtualization works by redirecting write operations to a virtual store instead of the actual system location, which is transparent to the user and does not require any special configuration. This feature creates an abstraction layer to prevent unauthorized software and users from making changes to the core Windows components. UAC Virtualization is disabled by default but can be explicitly enabled. It is important to note that UAC Virtualization only applies to 32-bit apps and cannot be applied to applications run as administrators or elevated in any way. Although UAC Virtualization was initially created as a short-term stop-gap to give companies time to update their software to fit into the shifting Windows paradigm, it is still available on Windows 10 devices.