diff --git a/src/gui/src/AppConfig.cpp b/src/gui/src/AppConfig.cpp
index 69142d1d..9f659738 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/AppConfig.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/src/AppConfig.cpp
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ AppConfig::AppConfig(QSettings* settings) :
 	m_WizardLastRun(0),
 	m_ProcessMode(DEFAULT_PROCESS_MODE),
 	m_AutoConfig(true),
-	m_ElevateMode(false),
+	m_ElevateMode(defaultElevateMode),
 	m_AutoConfigPrompted(false),
 	m_CryptoEnabled(false),
 	m_AutoHide(false),
@@ -126,7 +126,12 @@ void AppConfig::loadSettings()
 	m_Language = settings().value("language", QLocale::system().name()).toString();
 	m_StartedBefore = settings().value("startedBefore", false).toBool();
 	m_AutoConfig = settings().value("autoConfig", true).toBool();
-	m_ElevateMode = settings().value("elevateMode", false).toBool();
+	QVariant elevateMode = settings().value("elevateModeEnum");
+	if (!elevateMode.isValid()) {
+		elevateMode = settings().value ("elevateMode",
+	                                    QVariant(static_cast<int>(defaultElevateMode)));
+	}
+	m_ElevateMode = static_cast<ElevateMode>(elevateMode.toInt());
 	m_AutoConfigPrompted = settings().value("autoConfigPrompted", false).toBool();
 	m_Edition = settings().value("edition", Unknown).toInt();
 	m_ActivateEmail = settings().value("activateEmail", "").toString();
@@ -148,7 +153,10 @@ void AppConfig::saveSettings()
 	settings().setValue("language", m_Language);
 	settings().setValue("startedBefore", m_StartedBefore);
 	settings().setValue("autoConfig", m_AutoConfig);
-	settings().setValue("elevateMode", m_ElevateMode);
+    // Refer to enum ElevateMode declaration for insight in to why this
+    // flag is mapped this way
+	settings().setValue("elevateMode", m_ElevateMode == ElevateAlways);
+	settings().setValue("elevateModeEnum", static_cast<int>(m_ElevateMode));
 	settings().setValue("autoConfigPrompted", m_AutoConfigPrompted);
 	settings().setValue("edition", m_Edition);
 	settings().setValue("activateEmail", m_ActivateEmail);
@@ -168,7 +176,7 @@ void AppConfig::setAutoConfigPrompted(bool prompted)
 	m_AutoConfigPrompted = prompted;
 }
 
-bool AppConfig::elevateMode()
+ElevateMode AppConfig::elevateMode()
 {
 	return m_ElevateMode;
 }
diff --git a/src/gui/src/AppConfig.h b/src/gui/src/AppConfig.h
index dfcb477a..dcd5a482 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/AppConfig.h
+++ b/src/gui/src/AppConfig.h
@@ -46,6 +46,29 @@ enum ProcessMode {
 	Desktop
 };
 
+// The elevate mode tristate determines two behaviours on Windows.
+// The first, switch-on-desk-switch (SodS), passed through synergyd as a
+// command line argument to synergy core, determines if the server restarts
+// when switching Windows desktops (e.g. when Windows UAC dialog pops up).
+// The second, passed as a boolean flag to Synergyd over the IPC inside
+// kIpcCommandMessage, determines whether Synergy should be started with
+// elevated privileges.
+//
+// The matrix for these two behaviours is as follows:
+//                          SodS        Elevate
+//                     ___________________________
+//  ElevateAsNeeded    |    true    |   false
+//  ElevateAlways      |    false   |   true
+//  ElevateNever       |    false   |   false
+//
+enum ElevateMode {
+    ElevateAsNeeded = 0,
+    ElevateAlways = 1,
+    ElevateNever = 2
+};
+
+static const ElevateMode defaultElevateMode = ElevateAsNeeded;
+
 class AppConfig
 {
 	friend class SettingsDialog;
@@ -89,7 +112,7 @@ class AppConfig
 
 		bool detectPath(const QString& name, QString& path);
 		void persistLogDir();
-		bool elevateMode();
+		ElevateMode elevateMode();
 
 		void setCryptoEnabled(bool e) { m_CryptoEnabled = e; }
 		bool getCryptoEnabled() { return m_CryptoEnabled; }
@@ -109,7 +132,7 @@ class AppConfig
 		void setWizardHasRun() { m_WizardLastRun = kWizardVersion; }
 		void setLanguage(const QString language) { m_Language = language; }
 		void setStartedBefore(bool b) { m_StartedBefore = b; }
-		void setElevateMode(bool b) { m_ElevateMode = b; }
+		void setElevateMode(ElevateMode em) { m_ElevateMode = em; }
 
 		void loadSettings();
 
@@ -126,7 +149,7 @@ class AppConfig
 		QString m_Language;
 		bool m_StartedBefore;
 		bool m_AutoConfig;
-		bool m_ElevateMode;
+		ElevateMode m_ElevateMode;
 		bool m_AutoConfigPrompted;
 		int m_Edition;
 		QString m_ActivateEmail;
diff --git a/src/gui/src/IpcClient.cpp b/src/gui/src/IpcClient.cpp
index 397ebdc5..728a800c 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/IpcClient.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/src/IpcClient.cpp
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ void IpcClient::sendHello()
 	stream.writeRawData(typeBuf, 1);
 }
 
-void IpcClient::sendCommand(const QString& command, bool elevate)
+void IpcClient::sendCommand(const QString& command, ElevateMode const elevate)
 {
 	QDataStream stream(m_Socket);
 
@@ -114,7 +114,8 @@ void IpcClient::sendCommand(const QString& command, bool elevate)
 	stream.writeRawData(charCommand, length);
 
 	char elevateBuf[1];
-	elevateBuf[0] = elevate ? 1 : 0;
+    // Refer to enum ElevateMode documentation for why this flag is mapped this way
+	elevateBuf[0] = (elevate == ElevateAlways) ? 1 : 0;
 	stream.writeRawData(elevateBuf, 1);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/gui/src/IpcClient.h b/src/gui/src/IpcClient.h
index b1cd224e..439211bd 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/IpcClient.h
+++ b/src/gui/src/IpcClient.h
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 #include <QObject>
 #include <QAbstractSocket>
 
+#include "AppConfig.h"
+
 class QTcpSocket;
 class IpcReader;
 
@@ -33,7 +35,7 @@ public:
 	virtual ~IpcClient();
 
 	void sendHello();
-	void sendCommand(const QString& command, bool elevate);
+	void sendCommand(const QString& command, ElevateMode elevate);
 	void connectToHost();
 	void disconnectFromHost();
 
diff --git a/src/gui/src/MainWindow.cpp b/src/gui/src/MainWindow.cpp
index 727f2dfb..b28a46ed 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/MainWindow.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/src/MainWindow.cpp
@@ -536,7 +536,14 @@ void MainWindow::startSynergy()
 		// is switched; this is because we may need to elevate or not
 		// based on which desk the user is in (login always needs
 		// elevation, where as default desk does not).
-		args << "--stop-on-desk-switch";
+		// Note that this is only enabled when synergy is set to elevate
+		// 'as needed' (e.g. on a UAC dialog popup) in order to prevent
+		// unnecessary restarts when synergy was started elevated or
+		// when it is not allowed to elevate. In these cases restarting
+		// the server is fruitless.
+		if (appConfig().elevateMode() == ElevateAsNeeded) {
+				args << "--stop-on-desk-switch";
+		}
 #endif
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/gui/src/SettingsDialog.cpp b/src/gui/src/SettingsDialog.cpp
index fbe81f2a..f3deebba 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/SettingsDialog.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/src/SettingsDialog.cpp
@@ -36,8 +36,7 @@ static const char networkSecurity[] = "ns";
 SettingsDialog::SettingsDialog(QWidget* parent, AppConfig& config) :
 	QDialog(parent, Qt::WindowTitleHint | Qt::WindowSystemMenuHint),
 	Ui::SettingsDialogBase(),
-	m_AppConfig(config),
-	m_SuppressElevateWarning(false)
+       m_AppConfig(config)
 {
 	setupUi(this);
 
@@ -53,14 +52,13 @@ SettingsDialog::SettingsDialog(QWidget* parent, AppConfig& config) :
 	m_pCheckBoxAutoHide->setChecked(appConfig().getAutoHide());
 
 #if defined(Q_OS_WIN)
-	m_SuppressElevateWarning = true;
-	m_pCheckBoxElevateMode->setChecked(appConfig().elevateMode());
-	m_SuppressElevateWarning = false;
+       m_pComboElevate->setCurrentIndex(static_cast<int>(appConfig().elevateMode()));
 
 	m_pCheckBoxAutoHide->hide();
 #else
 	// elevate checkbox is only useful on ms windows.
-	m_pCheckBoxElevateMode->hide();
+	m_pLabelElevate->hide();
+	m_pComboElevate->hide();
 #endif
 
 	if (!PluginManager::exist(networkSecurity)) {
@@ -81,7 +79,7 @@ void SettingsDialog::accept()
 	appConfig().setLogToFile(m_pCheckBoxLogToFile->isChecked());
 	appConfig().setLogFilename(m_pLineEditLogFilename->text());
 	appConfig().setLanguage(m_pComboLanguage->itemData(m_pComboLanguage->currentIndex()).toString());
-	appConfig().setElevateMode(m_pCheckBoxElevateMode->isChecked());
+       appConfig().setElevateMode(static_cast<ElevateMode>(m_pComboElevate->currentIndex()));
 	appConfig().setAutoHide(m_pCheckBoxAutoHide->isChecked());
 	appConfig().saveSettings();
 	QDialog::accept();
@@ -147,24 +145,6 @@ void SettingsDialog::on_m_pComboLanguage_currentIndexChanged(int index)
 	QSynergyApplication::getInstance()->switchTranslator(ietfCode);
 }
 
-void SettingsDialog::on_m_pCheckBoxElevateMode_toggled(bool checked)
-{
-	if (checked && !m_SuppressElevateWarning) {
-		int r = QMessageBox::warning(
-			this, tr("Elevate Synergy"),
-			tr("Are you sure you want to elevate Synergy?\n\n"
-			   "This allows Synergy to interact with elevated processes "
-			   "and the UAC dialog, but can cause problems with non-elevated "
-			   "processes. Elevate Synergy only if you really need to."),
-			QMessageBox::Yes | QMessageBox::No);
-
-		if (r != QMessageBox::Yes) {
-			m_pCheckBoxElevateMode->setChecked(false);
-			return;
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 void SettingsDialog::on_m_pCheckBoxEnableCrypto_toggled(bool checked)
 {
 	m_AppConfig.setCryptoEnabled(checked);
diff --git a/src/gui/src/SettingsDialog.h b/src/gui/src/SettingsDialog.h
index 8ab2e1e0..ea30ac32 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/SettingsDialog.h
+++ b/src/gui/src/SettingsDialog.h
@@ -46,11 +46,9 @@ class SettingsDialog : public QDialog, public Ui::SettingsDialogBase
 		AppConfig& m_AppConfig;
 		SynergyLocale m_Locale;
 		CoreInterface m_CoreInterface;
-		bool m_SuppressElevateWarning;
 
 	private slots:
 		void on_m_pCheckBoxEnableCrypto_toggled(bool checked);
-		void on_m_pCheckBoxElevateMode_toggled(bool checked);
 		void on_m_pComboLanguage_currentIndexChanged(int index);
 		void on_m_pCheckBoxLogToFile_stateChanged(int );
 		void on_m_pButtonBrowseLog_clicked();