How to Get Administrator Privileges on Windows 10?

Trying to make system changes to your PC but don’t know how to get administrator privileges on Windows 10? You’re not alone. Although almost every Windows user knows about the blue & gold shield-shaped icon that states “Run as administrator,” most of them don’t know what it actually means. By clicking on this icon, you can get administrative privileges on Windows 10. 

These privileges will allow you to install new programs, change Windows passwords, change Windows languages, & make other system-level changes to your PC. So, how to gain administrator access Windows 10? Let’s learn how to activate & deactivate these administrative rights on Windows 10 PCs.

Do you have a particular question about how to get administrator privileges on Windows 10? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the black arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page. 

How to Login as Administrator in Windows 10?

When you install the Windows 10 OS on your PC, the OS creates a default admin account on your system. However, this account will stay hidden until you unhide it. Once you unhide this admin account, you can use it just like any other account on your PC. 

The key difference between a regular user account and an admin account is that the latter gives users all the permissions they need to make system changes to the PC. To log in to your PC via an admin account in Windows 10, you first need to activate the hidden admin account. Here’s how you can do that: 

1. Open the desktop on your computer 
2. Right-click on the icon that says “This PC” 
3. Select “Manage”
4. The Computer Management utility page will open 
5. On this page, select “Local Users and Groups” Under “Local Users and Groups,” select “Users” (check the left sidebar) 
6. Here, you’ll find an account titled “Administrator” (check in the right panel) 
7. Right-click on the account 
8. Select the option titled “Properties”
9. In the “Properties” box, untick an option titled “Account is disabled” 

Unticking the “Account is disabled” will unhide your PC’s built-in admin account. Now, to get admin access Windows 10, log out of your PC & then log back in. While logging back in, you’ll notice the admin account on your PC. Select this account to log in to your PC with administrative privileges. 

Another way to get administrative privileges on Windows 10 is to create your own admin account. To set up a new administrator account on your Windows 10 PC, take the following steps:

1. Open the Settings menu on your PC 
2. Head to Accounts 
3. Enter “Family & other users” 
4. Select the option titled “Add someone else to this PC” 
5. On the next menu that appears, select the option titled “I don’t have this user’s sign in info” 
6. Then, select the option titled “Add a user without a Microsoft account” 
7. Enter new login info

Once you finish the signup process, a new account will be created. This account will be configured as per the info entered by you. Log out of your existing account. Log back in via the newly-created account. Suppose you want to gain administrative privileges without creating a new account. In that case, you can simply upgrade your current account to an admin account: 

1. Launch the Control Panel page on your PC 
2. Under “User Accounts,” select the option titled “Change account type”

1. Review the accounts list on your screen
2. Select the account you want to give administrative privileges to 
3. Select “Change the account type” 
4. Choose Administrator 

Save the changes by clicking on the “Change Account Type” option. Now, your regular user account has administrative privileges. 

How to Grant Administrator Permission in Windows 10 Using Shortcuts?

Using simple shortcuts to give administrator permission in Windows 10 can save you a lot of time. Here are all the shortcut techniques you need to know:

Shortcut #1. Obtaining Administrative Privileges Using Command Prompt

1. Open “Run” (Press [Windows] + [R] on your keyboard)
2. Type “cmd” (no caps) 
3. Press the following keys simultaneously: [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Enter]
4. Type the following command “net user administrator /active: yes”

Congratulations, you’ve successfully activated the admin account on your PC. To deactivate the administrator account, take the same steps. But, this time, use the following command in the last step: “net user administrator /active: no”. Here’s a helpful video guide on this process:

Here’s another shortcut for gaining Windows 10 administrator privileges using Windows PowerShell:

1. Press [Windows] + [X] simultaneously to open the context menu 
2. Select the option titled “Windows PowerShell (Administrator)”
3. Enter the following command: “net user administrator /active: yes”
4. Your admin account is now active

To deactivate your admin account, take the same steps. But use the following command instead: “net user administrator /active: no.” There’s another way to get admin access Windows 10. This method only works on Windows 10 Pro or higher devices:

1. Open “Run” (Press [Windows] + [R] on your keyboard)
2. Type “cmd” (no caps) on the Run page 
3. Press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Enter] simultaneously 
4. Type the following command: “lusrmgr.msc”
5. On the page that opens, look for an option titled “Local Users and Groups”
6. Under this option, find & select “Users” (look on the left side of the screen)
7. Inside “Users,” find and select an option titled “General”
8. Uncheck the option titled “Account is disabled” 
9. Click “Apply”

The Windows 10 admin account is now activated.

How do I Get Administrator Rights on My Computer Through the User Management Tool?

You can get admin access Windows 10 via the user management tool as well. Just take the following steps:

1. Through the Start menu, open “Administrative Tools” (you can also open this page through the Control Panel)
2. Select the entry for Computer Management
3. Open the folder titled “Local Users and Groups;” if you can’t find this folder, type the following command in the search box: lusrmgr.msc 
4. Open the folder titled “Users”
5. Double-click the Administrator account
6. Uncheck the “Account Is Disabled” option 
7. Click “Apply”

Congratulations: you’ve unlocked the admin account. To disable this account via the user management tool, take the following steps: 

1. Open the “Local Users and Groups” page
2. Double-click on the Administrator account
3. Select the box titled “Account Is Disabled” & click “Apply” 

After making system changes to my Windows 10 PC, I always disable the Admin account. That’s because I don’t want unauthorized users to gain access to my admin account. You should do the same every time you activate the Administrator account on your PC! 

Credits: Thanks for the photo to Canva.

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