microsoft / microsoft/WindowsAppSDK

Windows App SDK 2.0 installation requires admin elevation

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#6,586 3 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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area-Installer area-WinML needs-triage
Dominant language
C++
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Description

### Describe the bug

Hi,

after the WinML update in our desktop app (Voicemod), users who need Windows App SDK 2.0 are prompted for administrator privileges to install it. This is unexpected from the user's perspective and has caused confusion.

Our current flow is:
- When the user enables the NPU toggle, we check whether Windows App SDK 2.0 is installed.
- If it is not installed, we notify the user, download the appropriate installer:
https://aka.ms/windowsappsdk/2.0/2.0.1/windowsappruntimeinstall-x64.exe
https://aka.ms/windowsappsdk/2.0/2.0.1/windowsappruntimeinstall-arm64.exe
- We launch the installer using ShellExecuteExW.

Is this the expected behavior? Is there a recommended flow that avoids requesting administrator privileges at this point?

Let us know if you need mor information.

Thanks,
Carles

### Steps to reproduce the bug

1. Download and Install Voicemod on a machine without Windows App SDK 2.0.
2. Open Settings (left bar).
3. Enable the NPU toggle.

### Expected behavior

_No response_

### Screenshots

_No response_

### NuGet package version

2.0.1

### Packaging type

_No response_

### Windows version

_No response_

### IDE

_No response_

### Additional context

_No response_

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the NPU-toggle flow on a machine without Windows App SDK 2.0, using the Windows App Runtime 2.0.1 installers and the ShellExecuteExW launch path described in the issue. Determine whether administrator elevation is expected and document or identify a supported installation flow that addresses the reported behavior.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
desktop
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
42/100

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