How to activate administrator account windows 10

How to activate administrator account windows 10

To activate the Administrator account on Windows, run Command Prompt as Administrator from the Start Menu or Power User Menu, then enter "net user administrator /active: yes" into the window. You should disable the account again when you're done.

Many people familiar with prior versions of Windows are curious what happened to the built-in Administrator account that was always created by default. Does this account still exist, and how can you access it?

The account is created in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or Vista, but since it’s not enabled you can’t use it. If you are troubleshooting something that needs to run as administrator, you can enable it with a simple command.

Warning: The built-in Administrator account has a lot more privileges than a regular administrator account—privileges that can easily get you into trouble if you use it regularly. We recommend only enabling the built-in Administrator account if you are certain you need it to troubleshoot a specific problem and then disabling it when you are done. If you’re unsure whether you need it, you probably shouldn’t use it at all.

First, you’ll need to open a command prompt in administrator mode by right-clicking and choosing “Run as administrator” (or use the Ctrl+Shift+Enter shortcut from the search box).

Note that this works the same in all versions of Windows. Just search for cmd and then right-click on the command prompt icon in the Start menu or Start screen.

How to activate administrator account windows 10

If you are in Windows 10, 11, or 8.1, you can right-click on the Start button and choose to open a command prompt that way.

How to activate administrator account windows 10

Now type the following command:

net user administrator /active:yes

How to activate administrator account windows 10

You should see a message that the command completed successfully. Log out, and you’ll now see the Administrator account as a choice. (The below screenshot is from Windows Vista, but this also works on Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 7, and Windows 8.)

How to activate administrator account windows 10

You’ll note that there’s no password for this account, so if you want to leave it enabled you should change the password.

Disable the Built-in Administrator Account

Make sure you are logged on as your regular user account, and then open an administrator mode command prompt as above. Type the following command:

net user administrator /active:no

How to activate administrator account windows 10

The administrator account will now be disabled, and it will vanish from the login screen.

READ NEXT

  • › 175 Windows 7 Tweaks, Tips, and How-To Articles
  • › How to Circumvent “This App Has Been Blocked For Your Protection” to Install Apps In Windows 10
  • › How to Enter Task Manager as Admin on Windows 10 and 11
  • › How to Enable the Hidden Windows 7 Admin Account Using the Registry
  • › How To Create a Shortcut That Lets a Standard User Run An Application as Administrator
  • › What Does “Run as Administrator” Mean in Windows 10?
  • › How to Contact Instagram For Account Help
  • › How to Log Out of Netflix on Your TV

How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. Since we launched in 2006, our articles have been read more than 1 billion times. Want to know more?

July 10, 2022 updated by Leave a reply »

The built-in Administrator account is hidden & disabled by default in Windows. There is always a built-in Administrator account associated for every Windows installations. It’s a super administrator account that gives you some extra privileges over the normal administrator account. In this tutorial we’ll show you 4 ways to enable the built-in Administrator on Windows 11 / 10 / 8.

Method 1: Enable Built-in Administrator from Command Prompt

  1. Press the Windows key + X to open the Quick Access menu, and then select Command Prompt (Admin). If you’re running Windows 11, choose “Windows Terminal (Admin)” instead.

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

  2. In the Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter.
    net user Administrator /active:yes

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

  3. As soon as you execute the command, the super built-in Administrator account is enabled, and you can access it by switching the accounts.

Method 2: Enable Built-in Administrator from Computer Management

  1. After opening the File Explorer, right-click on “This PC” (or “This Computer”) on the left navigation pane, and then select Manage.

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

  2. When the Computer Management window opens, expand System Tools > Local Users and Groups > Users.

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

  3. In right-side pane double-click on Administrator account. It’ll open its Properties window. Uncheck the “Account is disabled” option.

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

    Click Apply and then OK.

Method 3: Enable Built-in Administrator Through Local Security Policy

  1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type secpol.msc and hit Enter.

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

  2. When the Local Security Policy window opens, expand Local Policies > Security Options. In right-side pane, double-click on the policy “Accounts: Administrator account status” and set it to Enabled.

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

    Click Apply and then OK.

Note: Local Security Policy Editor is not available on home editions of Windows.

Method 4: Enable Built-in Administrator without Logging In

All the above methods are fairly simple, but they work assuming you can still log on to Windows 10/8 with admin rights. What to do if you’re locked out of your computer? Follow the procedure described below and it allows you to activate the built-in Administrator account without logging in:

  1. Boot your problematic computer from Windows installation DVD. Make sure that your PC’s BIOS (UEFI) Setup is configured to boot from a DVD and that UEFI and Secure Boot are disabled.

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

  2. After booting into the DVD media, you’ll see the Windows Setup screen.

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

    Just press SHIFT + F10 to open a Command Prompt.

  3. In the Command Prompt, type the following commands one by one, press Enter after each. That will make a copy of the utilman.exe file, and then replace utilman.exe with cmd.exe. In most cases, Windows 10 or 8 is located on drive d:\. If that’s not your case, make sure you replace d:\ with the drive letter of the partition where Windows 10/8 is installed.

    copy d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe d:\
    copy /y d:\windows\system32\cmd.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

  4. Now type wpeutil reboot and hit Enter to reboot your computer. Eject the DVD media and let your computer boot from local hard drive.
  5. Wait until Windows boots to the login screen. Click the Ease of Access button in the lower-left corner of your screen.

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

    Since we replaced the utilman.exe with cmd.exe, a Command Prompt should open now.

  6. At the Command Prompt, type the following command to activate the built-in Administrator account:
    net user Administrator /active:yes

    How to activate administrator account windows 10

  7. Close the Command Prompt and reboot your computer. You can sign in to Windows 10/8 with the newly activated Administrator account.

  • Previous Post: How to Install / Uninstall OneDrive in Windows 10
  • Next Post: 2 Options to Change / Customize Date & Time Format in Windows 10

How do I activate my administrator account?

Select Start > Settings > Accounts ..
Under Family & other users, select the account owner name (you should see "Local account" below the name), then select Change account type. ... .
Under Account type, select Administrator, and then select OK..
Sign in with the new administrator account..

How do I unlock the administrator account on Windows 10?

Enable or Disable Administrator Account On Login Screen in Windows 10.
Select “Start” and type “CMD“..
Right-click “Command Prompt” then choose “Run as administrator“..
If prompted, enter a username and password that grants admin rights to the computer..
Type: net user administrator /active:yes..
Press “Enter“..

What do I do if my administrator account is disabled?

How to Fix the Disabled Administrator Account Issue on Windows 10.
Reboot the PC in Safe Mode. Safe Mode makes it easy to diagnose and fix most Windows problems. ... .
Use the Command Prompt. ... .
Use the Registry Editor. ... .
Use the Group Policy Editor. ... .
Use Windows PowerShell. ... .
Configure a Fresh User Account..

Why is my administrator account disabled Windows 10?

Windows 10 includes a built-in Administrator account that, by default, is hidden and disabled for security reasons. Sometimes, you need to perform a bit of Windows management or troubleshooting or make changes to your account that requires administrator access.