# Run as root

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/run-as-root/83312>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [April 23, 2017, 8:02am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/run-as-root/83312 "2017-04-23T08:02:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@tomer](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/tomer)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 8:02am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/run-as-root/83312/1 "2017-04-23T08:02:08Z")

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Hi,

I have ES 5 installed and for a while I am running it perfectly fine. My user is root I never entered as something else. suddenly I get an error "Can not run as root".

On a different machine I am root and I am able to run ES.

How can this happen? How can I fix this? and how can I work around this?

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**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 8:29am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/run-as-root/83312/2 "2017-04-23T08:29:03Z")

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May be on the other machine it was with another version. But you are not supposed to run as root.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@tomer](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/tomer)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 8:31am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/run-as-root/83312/3 "2017-04-23T08:31:23Z")

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Hi @dadoonet

The other machine is also with 5.2. So how can I run the ES? Is there a way that as a root user I can run the ES as a non-root user?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 8:47am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/run-as-root/83312/4 "2017-04-23T08:47:37Z")

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Just install elasticsearch "normally" by following [the guide](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/install-elasticsearch.html).

Or if you are doing tests, just download elasticsearch and unzip it as a normal user. Then launch it as a normal user.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 8:57am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/run-as-root/83312/5 "2017-05-21T08:57:48Z")

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