In Windows 10, you can have two different types of user accounts on your computer. The first one is Administrator, which is generally the first account you create after purchasing your computer. This account type will give you full control of your system, which includes changing global settings, installing apps, executing administrator-level commands in the Command Prompt, and pretty much everything. Meanwhile, the other one is the Standard account type that gives you restricted privileges. For example, you can use apps but cannot install a new one. Moreover, although you can make changes in settings, it can’t affect the other accounts.
But sometimes, you might need to change your user account type from Standard to Administrator to perform a certain task on your PC. Thankfully, there are multiple ways to change the Administrator on your device. In this article, we will show you five ways to change Administrator in Windows 10. So, let’s begin.
1. Use the Settings App to Change Administrator in Windows 10
One of the most intuitive ways to change the Administrator on your Windows 10 device is to use the Settings app. But first, you need to log in to the Administrator account of your computer to use this method. Once you’re done logging in, follow these steps below:
- Press the “Windows + I” keys on your keyboard and open the “Settings” app.
- Next, once the “Settings” window pops up, click on the “Account” option.
- Now, on the left panel, click on “Family & other users.”
- After that, click on the user account of your choice, either under “Your family” or “Other users.”
- Next, click on the “Change account type” button. If a new menu pops up asking if you want to let the “Settings’ app make changes,” select “Yes,” and you will move to the “Change account type” menu.
- Now, select the “Administrator” option and then click on the “OK” button.
And you’re done. You have successfully changed your favorite user account to Administrator.
2. Change Administrator via Computer Management
Follow these steps below to change Administrator on your computer using the Computer Management app:
- Click on the “Search Bar” of your computer and type “Computer Management.”
- Now, click on the top result and open the “Computer Management” app.
- Click on the “Local Users and Groups” option on the left panel, and then click on “Users” in the middle section of the window. This will open up a list of available user accounts on your computer.
- Next, double-click on the user account of your choice from the list.
- Once the “Properties” window pops up, click on the “Member Of” tab.
- Now, click on the “Add” button, and this will open the “Select Groups” window.
- Type “Administrator” in the blank text box and click on the “OK” button.
- Next, you will return to your “User Properties” window. Now, click on the “OK” button, and your chosen user account will change to an Administrator.
3. Use Control Panel
To change Administrator in Windows 10 through Control Panel, follow these steps:
- Type “control panel” in the “Search Bar” and click on the top result to open up the “Control Panel” window.
- Next, click on the “User Accounts” option.
- In the next window, click on “User Accounts” once again and then click on the “Manage another account” option.
- Now, your available user accounts will appear under the “Choose the user account you would like to change” text. Next, select a user account of your choice and double-click on it.
- On the next menu, click on “Change the account type.”
- Next, click on the “Administrator” option and then click on the “Change account type” box.
Now, your selected user account will become an Administrator.
4. Change Administrator in Windows 10 Through the Netplwiz Command
If the methods above seem too complicated, and you want an easier method instead, you can use the “Netplwiz” command to change Administrator on your PC. Here’s how you can do it:
- Press the “Windows + R” keys on your keyboard and open the “Run” command box.
- Next, type “netplwiz” in the text box of “Run” and press the “Enter” key. Once you do this, the “User Accounts” window will pop up.
- Next, click on the user account of your choice under “Users for this computer” and click on the “Properties” button.
- On the next window, click on the “Group Membership” tab.
- Next, select the “Administrator” option and then click on the “OK” button.
Once you complete the steps above, the user account of your choice will have the authority of an Administrator account.
5. Try Using the Command Prompt
If the methods above feel like too much work, and you’re comfortable using the command prompt, you can change your favorite user account to Administrator with one simple command.
To do it:
- Type “cmd” in the “Search Bar,” and the “Command Prompt” option will show up as the top result.
- Now, right-click on the “Command Prompt” option and select “Run as Administrator.”
- Once you get into the command prompt, type the “net localgroup Administrators “UserAccountName” /add” command, and press the “Enter Key.” (Here, replace the “UserAccountName” with the name of the user account of your choice.)
Once you follow the steps shown above, it will successfully change your selected user account to an Administrator in Windows 10.