WINDOWS SERVICE
Appinfo: Application Information
Runs interactive applications with additional administrative privileges. Microsoft's UAC documentation says it helps start programs that need elevation by creating the new process with the administrator's full access token.
TECHNICAL SUMMARY
| Service name | Appinfo |
|---|---|
| Display name | Application Information |
| Runs from | C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe |
| Command line | svchost.exe -k netsvcs -p |
| Runs as | LocalSystem |
| Verdict | Leave it alone |
| Microsoft, Windows Server 2016 guidance | No guidance (supports UAC same-desktop elevation) |
Paths, signer and service account observed on Windows 11 build 26300 on 11 November 2026. Run the commands below to check your own PC.
Should you touch it?
Leave it aloneMicrosoft states that if it is stopped, users cannot launch applications with the additional administrative privileges they may need, and its guidance for Windows 10 and 11 IoT Enterprise rates it Don't disable. Its default startup type is Manual: on the PC used for this page it was set to Manual and running.
What PC Tweaker does with it
PC Tweaker does not change this service. No control in the catalogue stops it, disables it or edits its start type.
Check it yourself
See its state and start type
PowerShellGet-Service Appinfo | Format-List Name, DisplayName, Status, StartType sc qc Appinfo
Common questions
What does the Appinfo service do?
Runs interactive applications with additional administrative privileges. Microsoft's UAC documentation says it helps start programs that need elevation by creating the new process with the administrator's full access token. It runs C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe (svchost.exe -k netsvcs -p) as LocalSystem.
Can I disable Appinfo?
Leave it alone. Microsoft states that if it is stopped, users cannot launch applications with the additional administrative privileges they may need, and its guidance for Windows 10 and 11 IoT Enterprise rates it Don't disable. Its default startup type is Manual: on the PC used for this page it was set to Manual and running.
What happens to "Run as administrator" without Appinfo?
Elevation stops working. Microsoft describes the chain: when a program needs administrator rights, ShellExecute calls the Application Information service to perform the task with the elevation prompt. With the service stopped, Microsoft says users cannot launch applications with the additional administrative privileges they require.
How do I check that it is the real service?
On Windows 11 build 26300 it ran in its own svchost.exe -k netsvcs -p process as LocalSystem and loaded C:\Windows\System32\appinfo.dll, signed by Microsoft Windows. It depends on RpcSs and ProfSvc. sc qc Appinfo prints the same on your PC.