When you first install Windows 10 or 11, it will guide you through creating a user account, be it a local or Microsoft account. Generally, this account will have administrator rights. Along with the account you create, there are several other user accounts in Windows 10.
Some user accounts are enabled by default. And some accounts are disabled by default. One such account is the hidden administrator account.
The administrator account is disabled by default. If you want to, you can enable the hidden administrator account.
In general, the hidden administrator account is only used for troubleshooting purposes. One of the best things about the built-in administrator account is that you will not see a UAC (User Access Control) prompts while making system changes or installing programs. The hidden administrator account is more powerful than your regular administrator account.
So, be careful while using it.
Table of contents:
- Advanced user settings
- Command Prompt
- Local security policy
Warning: only enable the hidden administrator account to troubleshoot your system. After your work, do not forget to disable the administrator account.
1. Enable Hidden Admin Account from Advanced User Settings Console
Windows has a built-in advanced user settings console to manage various settings related to users and groups. This is one of the easiest ways to turn on the admin account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
1. You can use a simple Run command to open the advanced user settings tool. Press Win + R, type lusrmgr.msc in the empty field, and click on the “Ok” button. You can also search for the same in the Start menu.
2. The above action will open the Local Users and Groups window. This is the advanced user settings tool. Here, select the “Users” folder on the left panel. Next, double-click on the “Administrator” option appearing in the middle panel.
3. In the user properties window, uncheck the checkbox “Account is disabled.” Unchecking means you are enabling the administrator account.
4. Click on the “Apply” and “Ok” buttons to save the changes.
That is it. You’ve enabled the hidden administrator account in Windows 10 & 11.
To access the new administrator account, click on the user account picture in the Start menu or the Windows 10 or 11 login screen.
If you want to disable the administrator account, select the “Account is disabled” checkbox in step 3.
2. Command to Enable Administrator Account
If you don’t want to go through all the hoops and menus, you can use the good old Command Prompt to enable an administrator account in Windows 10 & 11. The best thing about this method is that you can do it with a single-line command—no need to open obscure tools and click multiple buttons.
1. To enable the administrator account, you need to have admin privileges. So, search for Command Prompt in the start menu, right-click on it, and select the “Run as administrator” option. In Windows 11, open you can also open Windows Terminal as admin and open Command Prompt in it.
2. Next, copy the below Command, paste it in the Command Prompt, and hit Enter. Right-click in the Command Prompt window or use the regular “Ctrl + V” keyboard shortcut to paste the Command.
net user administrator /active:yes
3. After executing the Command, you will see the “command completed successfully” response.
You can access the administrator account from the start menu or the login screen.
If you want to disable the administrator account, execute the below Command. Of course, the Command works both in Windows 10 and Windows 11. If you are wondering, the below Command is similar to the above one. The only change is that we replaced “yes” with “no.”
net user administrator /active:no
3. Enable Hidden Administrator Account from Local Security Policy Console
Local Security Policy console allows you to configure advanced security settings. You can easily use the Local Security Policy to enable the hidden admin account. Generally, unless you are a network administrator, you’ll never use this tool to manage the day-to-day Windows security settings.
However, it is pretty safe to use if you know what you are doing. For instance, I’ve recently shown you how to change the network name in Windows 10 using the Local Security Policy console.
1. To open the Local Security Policy tool, press Win + R, type secpol.msc And click on the “Ok” button. You can open the same by searching for it in the Start menu.
2. In the Local Security Policy window, go to “Local Policies > Security Options” on the left panel. Find and double-click on the “Accounts: Administrator account status” policy on the right panel.
3. In the policy properties window, select the radio option “Enabled.” Next, click on the “Apply” and “Ok” buttons to save changes.
That is it. The hidden administrator account is enabled as soon as you save the changes. You can log into the administrator account from the start menu or login screen.
If you want to disable the admin account, select the “Disabled” radio option in step 3.
If you like this article, check out how to reset local account passwords, change security questions in Windows 10 and enable PIN security in Windows 10.