It may possible that somehow your Windows computer is no longer working as an administrator account. If that’s how you’re dealing with your computer, you can manually Enable or Disable the Elevated Administrator account in Windows 10 by following this in-depth guide properly.
To be precise, a standard user account is an unelevated restricted user account that can be a local or Microsoft account from a member of the Users group. It can help to protect your Windows 10 system by preventing someone from making any system-level changes so easily who uses the computer. Otherwise, anyone can easily change internal settings or access important programs or data without any permission.
Whenever you’re signed into a standard Windows account, you can easily do most things with an administrator account. Whereas if a user tries to do something that requires elevated user access such as administrator rights, Windows will display a UAC (Users Account Control) prompt for the standard user to enter the administrator password to grant permission.
Also Read
User Accounts in Windows 10: Overview
Talking about the Administrator account in Windows 10, the hidden built-in local administrator account is an elevated account for the system administrator. This type of account can either a local account or a Microsoft account from a member of the Administrators group.
Members of the Administrators group can run apps with elevated permissions without requiring the Run as Administrator option. An administrator account has full control of the files, data, programs, directories, services, etc. An administrator account can create other local users, assign user rights or controls, change the owner of items, assign permissions, etc.
In that case, the UAC prompt will appear and you’ll have to select Yes or No to grant access. Talking about the built-in ‘Administrator’ account, the hidden built-in default local Administrator account can also be an elevated account in Windows 10. It’s basically the same as an administrator account that we’ve mentioned above without the UAC prompt.
That means the default built-in Administrator account won’t be prompted by UAC. The built-in Administrator account can’t be removed or locked out. However, it can be renamed or disabled easily. So, it’s not recommended to use the built-in Administrator account for daily usage. You should mostly disable the built-in Administrator account if not required.
Enable or Disable Elevated Administrator account in Windows 10
Here we’ve shared a couple of methods to easily enable and disable elevated admin account below.
1. Using Command Prompt
Steps to Enable Elevated Admin account:
- Make sure you’re signed in to your administrator account first.
- Now, open an elevated command prompt. To do so: press Windows key > Type cmd and right-click on Command Prompt from the search result > Select Run as administrator > If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to allow the permission.
- Once the command prompt window appears, copy-paste the following command line and hit Enter to execute it: [If you’ve admin name, replace administrator with the name]
net user Administrator /active:yes
This will enable the elevated ‘Administrator’ account in Windows easily.
Enable Elevated Admin account with Password:
- Make sure you’re signed in to your administrator account first.
- Now, open an elevated command prompt. To do so: press Windows key > Type cmd and right-click on Command Prompt from the search result > Select Run as administrator > If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to allow the permission.
- Once the command prompt window appears, copy-paste the following command line and hit Enter to execute it: [If you’ve set a password for your admin account, replace it with the password text]
net user Administrator password /active:yes
- You’re done.
Disable Elevated Admin Account:
- Make sure you’re signed in to your administrator account first.
- Now, open an elevated command prompt. To do so: press Windows key > Type cmd and right-click on Command Prompt from the search result > Select Run as administrator > If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to allow the permission.
- Once the command prompt window appears, copy-paste the following command line and hit Enter to execute it: [If you’ve admin name, replace administrator with the name]
net user Administrator /active:no
- You’re done. Enjoy!
2. Using PowerShell Command
- Make sure you’re signed in to your administrator account first.
- Now, press Windows + X keys to open the Quick Start Menu.
- Click on Windows PowerShell from the list.
- If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to allow the permission.
- Next, input the following command and hit Enter to execute it:
Enable-LocalUser -Name "Administrator"
- Once done, close PowerShell, and restart your PC.
3. Using Local Users and Groups
Note: The “Local Users and Groups” is available in the Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Enterprise, and Windows 10 Education editions only.
- Make sure you’re signed in to your administrator account first.
- Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- Type lusrmgr.msc and hit Enter to open Local Users and Groups.
- From the left pane, click on the Users folder.
- Now, double-click on the Administrator option from the right window.
Steps to Enable Elevated Admin Account:
- Uncheck the Account is disabled checkbox.
- Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
Steps to Disable Elevated Admin Account:
- Check the Account is disabled checkbox.
- Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
4. Using Local Security Policy
Note: The “Local Users and Groups” is available in the Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Enterprise, and Windows 10 Education editions only.
- Make sure you’re signed in to your administrator account first.
- Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- Type secpol.msc and hit Enter to open Local Security Policy.
- Now, click on the Local Policies folder from the left pane.
- Click on the Security Options folder under the Local Policies folder.
- From the right window, double-click on Accounts: Administrator account status.
Steps to Enable Elevated Admin Account:
- From the Local Security Settings option, make sure to click on Enabled.
- Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
Steps to Disable Elevated Admin Account:
- From the Local Security Settings option, make sure to click on Disabled.
- Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
5. Using Command Prompt while Boot
If you’re unable to sign in to your Windows 10 system using the Microsoft account, then you can follow this method.
- First of all, boot Windows from the Windows 10 installation media USB or a recovery drive. [Important]
- Now, open a command prompt at boot by pressing Shift + F10 keys together.
Please Note: If you don’t have a Windows 10 installation media USB or a recovery drive, you can use the Advanced Startup option from a Hard Reboot*. You’ll find this method below.
- Once the command prompt window opens, type regedit and hit Enter.
- From the Registry Editor interface, click on the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key.
- Click on File > Click on Load Hive.
- From the Load Hive dialog box, open the respective drive where you’ve installed Windows 10. [Such as C:/ drive]
- Now, browse to this location – C:\Windows\System32\config
- Select the SAM file > Click on Open.
- In the Load Hive option, type REM_SAM > Click on OK.
- From the left pane of the Registry Editor interface, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\REM_SAM\SAM\Domains\Account\Users\000001F4
- Now, open the 000001F4 key > Double-click on the F binary value to modify it.
Steps to Enable Elevated Admin Account:
- In the first column of line 0038, change 11 to 10 > Click on OK.
- Close the Registry Editor and the command prompt window.
- Click on Continue to reboot in Windows 10 again.
Steps to Disable Elevated Admin Account:
- In the first column of line 0038, change 10 to 11 > Click on OK.
- Close the Registry Editor and the command prompt window.
- Click on Continue to reboot in Windows 10 again.
*Boot Advanced Startup Options using a Hard Reboot
- First of all, press and hold the Power button on your PC until it powers off completely.
- Now, press the Power button again on your PC to turn it on.
- Make sure to repeat the same steps 1 and 2 mentioned above until you see the Windows logo screen or Please wait during boot. Normally, it may take a repeat 3 times to do so.
- Once the Please wait or Windows logo appears on the screen, you’ll see a Recovery screen.
- Click on the See advanced repair options button.
- Now, go to the command prompt window by pressing Shift + F10 keys at boot.
- Then you can follow the respective steps afterward.
That’s it, guys. We hope you’ve found this in-depth guide on Enable or Disable Elevated Administrator account in Windows 10 helpful. For further queries, you can comment below.