How to Change Administrator on Windows 10/11 (2026) – Complete Guide

Whether you’re setting up a new PC, handing a computer to someone else, or recovering from a locked-out account, knowing how to change administrator on Windows 10 and 11 is an essential skill. Windows gives you six different ways to do this — from a simple two-click path in Settings to command-line methods that work even when the GUI is inaccessible. This guide covers every method clearly, step by step, with notes on which approach works best for your specific situation.

What You Need to Know Before Changing the Administrator

A few important things to understand before you start. First, you must be logged in with an existing administrator account to change another account’s type — a standard user account cannot promote itself or anyone else. Second, changing an account to Administrator does not remove admin rights from any other account. If you want only one administrator on the PC, you’ll need to separately demote all other admin accounts to Standard User after promoting the new one. Third, the Built-in Administrator account (disabled by default) is different from regular administrator accounts — it has elevated privileges beyond even a normal admin and should be treated carefully.

Method 1: Change Administrator Using Settings (Easiest)

This is the fastest and most beginner-friendly method — no commands, no Control Panel. Works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Click Accounts in the left sidebar.
3. On Windows 10: click Family & other users. On Windows 11: click Other users.
4. Find the user account you want to promote and click on it to expand the options.
5. Click Change account type.
6. In the window that appears, click the Account Type dropdown and select Administrator.
7. Click OK to confirm.

The change takes effect immediately — no restart required. The user will have full administrator privileges the next time they log in or launch an app requiring elevation.

How to Demote an Administrator to Standard User

Follow the same steps above, but in step 6, select Standard User instead of Administrator. This is how you remove administrator rights without deleting the account entirely.

Method 2: Change Administrator Using Control Panel

The Control Panel method has been around since Windows XP and still works perfectly in Windows 10 and 11. Some users prefer it because it shows all accounts in one place and doesn’t require navigating through the Settings menu.

1. Press Windows + S and search for Control Panel. Open it.
2. Click User Accounts.
3. Click User Accounts again on the next screen.
4. Click Manage another account.
5. Select the account you want to change from the list.
6. Click Change the account type.
7. Select Administrator and click Change Account Type to confirm.

The change is applied right away. If you need to demote an account, follow the same steps but select Standard at step 7.

Method 3: Change Administrator Using Command Prompt

Command Prompt is the fastest method for IT administrators or anyone comfortable with the terminal. It’s also the best option when the Settings app or Control Panel is inaccessible. One command handles the entire change.

To Promote a User to Administrator:

1. Press Windows + S, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
2. First, list all user accounts on the PC by running:

net user

3. Note the exact username of the account you want to promote. Then run:

net localgroup Administrators "USERNAME" /add

Replace USERNAME with the actual account name. If the name has spaces, keep the quotation marks.

4. If the command succeeds, you’ll see: The command completed successfully. No restart needed.

To Demote an Administrator to Standard User:

net localgroup Administrators "USERNAME" /delete

This removes the account from the Administrators group, reverting it to a Standard User.

Important Note for Microsoft Accounts:

If the user is signed in with a Microsoft account (not a local account), replace USERNAME with the first five characters of the associated email address. For example, for john.doe@outlook.com, use “john.” in the command.

Method 4: Change Administrator Using PowerShell

PowerShell is the more modern command-line alternative to CMD on Windows. It uses slightly different syntax but achieves the same result, and it’s often preferred for scripting and automation tasks.

To Promote a User to Administrator:

1. Press Windows + S, type PowerShell, right-click it, and select Run as administrator.
2. To see all local user accounts, run:

Get-LocalUser

3. To add the user to the Administrators group, run:

Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member "USERNAME"

To Demote an Administrator to Standard User:

Remove-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member "USERNAME"

As with CMD, replace USERNAME with the exact account name, and use the first five characters of the email address for Microsoft accounts.

Method 5: Change Administrator Using Netplwiz

Netplwiz (User Accounts) is a legacy Windows tool that gives you a clean interface for managing all user accounts and group memberships in one place. It’s particularly useful if you want to manage multiple account types in a single session without navigating through multiple Settings pages.

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type netplwiz and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open it with administrator privileges.
3. Click Yes on the UAC prompt.
4. In the User Accounts window, select the account you want to change and click Properties.
5. Go to the Group Membership tab.
6. Select Administrator to promote, or Standard user to demote.
7. Click Apply, then OK.

The change is applied immediately. Netplwiz also lets you select Other under Group Membership if you want to assign the account to a specific group other than the standard Administrator or Users groups.

Method 6: Change Administrator Using Computer Management

Computer Management gives you the most granular control over local user accounts and group memberships. This is the method used by system administrators in enterprise environments, and it allows you to add accounts to multiple groups simultaneously. Note that this method is not available on Windows Home editions — only Pro, Enterprise, and Education.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Computer Management.
2. In the left panel, expand Local Users and Groups and click Users.
3. In the center panel, double-click the user account you want to change.
4. Go to the Member Of tab in the Properties window.
5. Click Add.
6. In the text field, type Administrators and click OK.
7. Back in the Member Of tab, you’ll see Administrators added to the list. Click OK to apply.

To Remove Administrator Rights via Computer Management:

1. Open the same Properties window for the account.
2. Go to the Member Of tab.
3. Select Administrators from the list and click Remove.
4. Click OK to save.

How to Change the Administrator Account Name

Changing the account type is different from changing the account’s display name. If you want to rename the administrator account — for example, to change “Admin” to your own name — here’s how:

For Local Accounts:

1. Open Control Panel > User Accounts > User Accounts.
2. Click Change your account name.
3. Type the new name and click Change Name.

For Microsoft Accounts:

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Your info.
2. Click Manage my Microsoft account — this opens your account page in a browser.
3. Sign in if prompted, click Edit name, enter the new name, and click Save.

How to Change Administrator When You’re Locked Out

If you’ve lost access to all administrator accounts on your PC, you still have options. The most reliable method for Windows 10 and 11 is to boot from Windows installation media (a USB drive with the Windows ISO) and use the recovery environment to enable the built-in hidden Administrator account or reset your password through the advanced recovery tools. Another option is to boot into Safe Mode — in some configurations, Windows Safe Mode enables the built-in Administrator account without a password, which you can then use to promote another account. This is an advanced topic — if you’re locked out and need help, Microsoft’s official account recovery at account.live.com/acsr is the right starting point for Microsoft accounts.

Which Method Should You Use?

• Settings: Best for everyday users who want a simple two-minute change with no commands.
• Control Panel: Good alternative to Settings with a familiar interface, especially on Windows 10.
• Command Prompt: Best when you need speed, or when the GUI is inaccessible. Great for IT pros.
• PowerShell: Best for scripting or batch changes across multiple accounts.
• Netplwiz: Good when you want to manage multiple accounts and group memberships in one interface.
• Computer Management: Best for fine-grained control and enterprise use. Windows Pro/Enterprise only.

Frequently Asked Questions