How to Enable Hidden Administrator Account in Windows 11

On Windows 11, the first user account you create has administrator rights. On any subsequent accounts, you can either make it an administrator or a standard user account. A user account with administrator rights can install applications and make advanced system changes.

Generally, as long as you have sufficient rights, you can make any user an Administrator. However, did you know that Windows 11 has a default hidden administrator account that is disabled by default? If you are wondering, the difference between the default Administrator account and a regular admin account is that the former account doesn’t have to deal with UAC (User Access Control) pop-ups. This means the hidden administrator account is pretty useful when you want to make a lot of changes to the system and install drivers or applications, such as when you first install Windows.

The good thing is that while the default administrator account is disabled, it is pretty easy to enable. In this quick and easy guide, I will show you two methods to enable the built-in administrator account in Windows 11. Let’s get started.

Quick navigation links:

• Command to enable the hidden administrator account • Enable the hidden administrator account from lusrmgr.msc

Before You Start

• Your current user account must have administrator rights to enable the built-in administrator account.

Enable Hidden Administrator Account Using the Local Users and Groups Tool

You can turn on the hidden administrator account in Windows 11 using lusrmgr.msc tool. Here is how.

Important note: The lusrmgr.msc tool is not available in Windows 11 Home edition. If you are using Windows 11 Home edition, please follow the second method.

1. Press the “Windows key + R” shortcut to open the Run dialog.
2. Type “lusrmgr.msc” and click “OK“.
3. Select the “Users” folder.
4. Double-click on the “Administrator” user.
5. Uncheck the “Account is disabled” checkbox.
6. Click the “Apply” and “OK” buttons.
7. With that, the hidden admin account is enabled.

Command to Enable Hidden Administrator Account

Whether you are using Windows 11 Home or Pro, you can use the net user command to quickly enable or disable the hidden administrator account. All you have to do is execute a command, and Windows will do the work for you. Here’s how:

1. Open the Start menu by pressing the “Windows key”.
2. Search for “Command Prompt“.
3. Right-click on the result.
4. Select “Run as administrator“.
5. Execute “net user Administrator /active:yes” in the command window.
6. Close the command window.
7. With that, the hidden administrator account is enabled.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

The first thing you need to do is open the Command Prompt window as an administrator. To do that, open the Start menu, search for “Command Prompt“, right-click on the result, and select the “Run as administrator” option.

Next, we need to know the status of the hidden administrator account. To do that, run the “net user Administrator” command. After that, you should see “No” next to the “Account active” status heading. If it says “Yes”, then you don’t have to do anything, as the default admin account is already enabled.

Now, execute the command below to enable the hidden administrator account in Windows 11.

net user Administrator /active:yes

After executing the command, close the Command Prompt window and restart the computer. You can now select the hidden administrator account on the lock screen and select it to log in.

Disable the Hidden Administrator Account

To disable the hidden administrator account, follow the steps below.

1. Open Command Prompt as admin.
2. Execute “net user Administrator /active:no” in the command window.
3. Close the command window.
4. With that, the hidden administrator account is disabled.

That is all. It is that simple to enable or disable the hidden administrator account in Windows 11. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.