6 Ways to Change the Administrator in Windows

While Windows usually sets the first user on a PC as the administrator, there are a variety of reasons and ways to change the administrator in Windows. Whether you’re adding new administrator-level users, want to promote a Standard user, or switch to a new administrator completely, this guide provides six ways to change the administrator in Windows. Just pick your favorite method and get started.

Note: to prevent non-administrators from simply promoting themselves to gain unauthorized access, Windows requires you to make changes from an existing administrator account.

Tip: not able to make changes in Windows because you received the “This Setting Is Managed by Your Administrator” error message? Read on to learn how to fix it

1. Using Windows Settings

When trying to learn how to change the administrator in Windows, the most straightforward way is in Windows Settings.

1. Open “Settings.”
2. Select “Accounts” in the left pane.

3. Select “Other users” in the right pane. This is called “Family & other users” in Windows 10.

4. Select the desired user from the list.
5. Press “Change account type.”

6. Select “Administrator” from the account type list and press “OK” to confirm.

You can easily demote an administrator account using the same method.

2. Via Control Panel

If you prefer changing settings from the Control Panel versus Settings, follow these steps:

1. Go to Start and search for “control panel,” then click “Open.”

2. Select “User Accounts.”

3. If you want to change your own account type, select “Change your account type.” For other accounts, select “Manage another account.”

4. Select the account you want to change, then “Change the account type.”

5. Select “Administrator” (or “Standard” if you’re demoting) and press “Change Account Type.”

3. With Command Prompt

If you don’t mind typing in a few commands, it’s easy to change Windows user accounts between Standard and Administrator. Let’s start by changing a Standard user to Administrator.

1. Press Win + R, type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.

2. Type the following to change the user account type to administrator:

net localgroup Administrators "User Account" /add

Replace “User Account” with the user account name. For Microsoft accounts, use the first five letters of the account’s email address. For example, for windowsuser@microsoft.com, the user account name would be “windo.” Remember, you can use Windows 11 without a Microsoft account.

3. Verify the change by typing:

net user "user name"

If you need to demote an administrator, the process is similar:

1. Enter the following command, replacing “User Account” with the account name:

net localgroup Administrators "User Account" /delete

2. Verify the change with:

net user "user name"

Helpful hint: confused between Command Prompt and PowerShell? We can help!

4. Use PowerShell

Windows 11 put PowerShell front and center over Command Prompt. In fact, later versions of Windows 10 even removed Command Prompt from the power user Start menu in lieu of PowerShell. If you also prefer PowerShell, this is how to change the Administrator in Windows 10 and 11:

1. Press Win + X and select “Terminal (Admin).” For Windows 10, select “PowerShell.”

2. Type the following at the prompt, replacing “user account” with the account name:

Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member "User Account"

Just like Command Prompt, the user name for Microsoft accounts is the first five letters of the account’s email address. You can also use -Member "MicrosoftAccount\emailaddress".

This promotes a Standard user to an Administrator. If you need to demote an account:

1. Open PowerShell and enter the following, replacing “User Account” with the account name:

Remove-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member "User Account"

2. This switches the account to a Standard user.

5. Use netplwiz

Another quick and easy method to change the administrator in Windows is with netplwiz. With this method, every user is listed, and you can change the user type back and forth as needed.

1. Press Win + R to open the Run box.
2. Enter “netplwiz” and click “OK.”

3. Select the desired user and click “Properties.”

4. Select the “Group Membership” tab and change the account type. Click “Apply.”

FYI: follow this guide to change the account and user name in Windows.

6. Via Computer Management

This method only works on Pro versions of Windows 10 and 11. If you have the Home version, like me, this option won’t be available. Follow these steps for changing the account in Windows 10 and 11.

You can use the third-party tool lusrmgmr to get the same results. For the purpose of this tutorial, I’m including the steps for both the Pro version of Windows and lusrmgmr. The screenshots are from lusrmgmr.

1. Open the Start menu and search for “Computer Management.” Select “Run as administrator.”

2. Expand “System Tools -> Local Users and Groups.”

3. Select “Users” to open the list of users in the center pane.

4. Right-click the user and select “Properties.” Click “Edit” for lusrmgmr.

5. Select the “Member Of” tab and click “Add.” If using lusrmgmr, click the “Group membership” tab and select “Add membership.”

6. Select “Advanced.”
7. Select “Find Now.”
8. Choose the “Administrators” group from the list. In lusrmgmr, the group list appears immediately. Choose “Administrators.”

9. Click “OK” to confirm your choice. In lusrmgmr, choose “Select.”
10. Click “OK” again to exit the window. You should then see the user listed as both a user and administrator.

You can also demote a user using the same process. However, you’ll be revoking the permission versus adding it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Crystal Crowder.

Crystal Crowder

Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.