How to Give Yourself Administrator Rights in Windows 11

To make an account an administrator in Windows 11, sign in with an administrator account, open Settings > Accounts > Other users, select the account, choose Change account type, pick Administrator, and select OK. A standard user can’t give themselves administrator rights. Someone who already has them has to make the change.

Check Whether You’re Already an Administrator

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
2. Select Accounts, then Your info.
3. Look under your name. If it says Administrator, you already have full rights.

Change an Account to Administrator in Settings

1. Sign in with an administrator account.
2. Press Windows key + I and select Accounts, then Other users (Family & other users on some older versions).
3. Select the account you want to change.
4. Select Change account type.
5. In the Account type menu, choose Administrator, then select OK.
6. Have that person sign out and back in.

These steps match Microsoft’s guide to managing user accounts.

Change the Account Type With netplwiz

1. Press Windows key + R, type netplwiz, and press Enter.
2. Select the account and select Properties.
3. Open the Group Membership tab, select Administrator, and select OK.

Change the Account Type in Control Panel

1. Open Control Panel from Start.
2. Select User Accounts, then User Accounts again, then Manage another account.
3. Pick the account and select Change the account type.
4. Choose Administrator and select Change Account Type.

Make an Account an Administrator From Terminal

1. Right-click Start and select Terminal (Admin).
2. Run the command below, replacing Jane with the account’s user name. Keep the quotation marks if the name has a space.

net localgroup administrators "Jane" /add

In PowerShell, Add-LocalGroupMember -Group “Administrators” -Member “Jane” does the same thing, as described in Microsoft’s Add-LocalGroupMember reference. For a Microsoft account, use the name shown by the whoami command on that account.

Switch the Administrator to a Different Account

Windows won’t let you change the account you’re signed in with from the Other users page.

1. Make the other account an administrator with the steps above. If there’s no second account yet, create a local account first.
2. Sign out, then sign in to that account.
3. Open Settings > Accounts > Other users, select your original account, and change it to Standard User.

Always keep at least one administrator account on the PC, and make sure you know its password.

If Change Account Type Is Grayed Out

• You’re signed in with a standard account. Only an administrator can change account types.
• You’re trying to change the only administrator on the PC. Windows needs at least one administrator, so make another account an administrator first.
• The account is a child account in a Microsoft family group, or the PC is managed by work or school. Those settings are controlled elsewhere.

If No One Has Administrator Rights

If you can’t sign in to any administrator account, you can’t get administrator rights from inside Windows. Options are to recover the administrator account’s password (for a Microsoft account, at account.live.com/password/reset), or to reset the PC from the recovery screen. On work or school PCs, ask your IT department. If you only need admin rights for one app, you may just need to run it as administrator and enter an administrator’s password.

Change an Administrator on Windows 10

Using an existing administrator, open Settings > Accounts > Family & other users, select the intended user, and choose Change account type > Administrator > OK. Sign in to that account and verify it works before demoting the old administrator to Standard User. Keep a working administrator. See Microsoft’s account-management instructions.

Enable the Built-in Administrator for a Specific Support Task

This is the separate built-in account, not your usual account with an administrator role. Use an existing authorized administrator, keep another working administrator, and follow your support team’s reason for enabling it. It is not a way for a standard user to bypass permissions. On a managed PC, leave this to IT.

For the default English account named Administrator, open Terminal (Admin) and run net user Administrator to inspect it. If the name is different or the account is managed, ask the administrator rather than creating a similarly named user. Run net user Administrator * to set a strong private password at the hidden prompts, then net user Administrator /active:yes. Check that the command succeeds. Save work, sign out, choose the Administrator account, and use that password.

After the specific support task, sign back in with your usual working administrator and run net user Administrator /active:no in an elevated Terminal. Confirm success and retain your regular administrator. This disables the built-in account without deleting its profile. Microsoft documents the net user password and active controls and disabling the built-in account.

Use the Built-in Administrator Procedure on Windows 10

On Windows 10, use an existing authorized administrator and the complete built-in-account procedure above. To open its command window without relying on Windows Terminal being installed, search Start for Command Prompt, right-click it and choose Run as administrator, then approve the expected UAC prompt. Inspect the actual built-in account, set its private password with the hidden prompts, enable it, save work and sign out; select that account and authenticate to perform the specific support task. Afterward, return to your usual working administrator, reopen an elevated Command Prompt, disable the built-in account using the command above and confirm success. Keep your normal administrator working. This is separate from promoting a standard account and does not bypass missing administrator credentials; managed computers belong with IT.

Access the Built-in Administrator in the Windows 8 Layout

For the historical Windows 8 interface, use an existing authorized administrator and the complete built-in-account procedure above. Open the Search charm, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt > Run as administrator and approve the expected UAC prompt. Inspect the actual built-in account, set its private password through net user Administrator *, then enable it with net user Administrator /active:yes. Save work, sign out and select that account with its password. After the specific support task, return to your regular working administrator, reopen the elevated prompt and disable the built-in account with net user Administrator /active:no; verify success. Microsoft documents the password and active controls. Localized or renamed accounts can differ. Do not leave it enabled without a password or treat this as a bypass for a standard user or missing administrator credentials. Keep a normal administrator available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to use an administrator account every day?

It’s common on home PCs. User Account Control still asks before apps make system changes, which gives you a chance to stop something you didn’t expect.

Why can’t I change my own account type?

Windows only lets administrators change account types, so a standard account can’t promote itself.

What about the built-in Administrator account?

Windows has a hidden account named Administrator that’s turned off by default. Turning it on (with net user administrator /active:yes in an administrator Terminal) already requires administrator rights, so it isn’t a way for a standard user to get them. For everyday use, making your own account an administrator is simpler and safer.