The Two Ways to Change Administrator Status
You can change who has administrator rights on Windows 10 in two ways: promote a standard user account to administrator, or demote an administrator account to standard user. Both happen in the Settings app under Accounts, and neither requires you to know the current administrator's password—only that you are already logged in as an administrator yourself.
The process takes about two minutes. You will need to open Settings, navigate to the Accounts section, find the user you want to change, and toggle their account type. If you are trying to add administrator rights to a new account you just created, that account must already exist on the computer before you can change its permissions.
If you are locked out of the computer entirely and cannot log in as any administrator, you will need a different approach—see the Frequently Asked Questions section below.
Key Takeaways
- You must already be logged in as an administrator to change another account's administrator status.
- Open Settings, go to Accounts, select the user you want to change, and click "Change account type" to switch between Administrator and Standard User.
- Changes take effect when ready, but the user may need to log out and back in to see all permission changes reflected in their programs.
- Demoting the only administrator account on the computer is possible but risky—Windows will warn you before you do it.
- If you forget the administrator password and cannot log in, you will need a password reset disk or a second administrator account to regain access.
How to Promote a Standard User to Administrator
Open the Settings app by pressing the Windows key and typing "Settings," then pressing Enter. Click on Accounts in the left sidebar. You will see a list of all user accounts on the computer under "Other people" or "Your info," depending on which account you are logged into.
Find the account you want to promote and click on it. A panel will open showing that account's details. Look for the line that says "Account type" and click the button labeled Change account type. A small window will appear with two options: Administrator and Standard User. Select Administrator, then click OK.
The change happens when ready. The user does not need to restart the computer, but they may need to log out and log back in before they can install programs or change system settings. If they are currently logged in, they will see a notification the next time they try to perform an action that requires administrator rights.
How to Demote an Administrator to Standard User
The process is identical to promoting a user, but in reverse. Open Settings, go to Accounts, click on the administrator account you want to demote, and click Change account type. Select Standard User and click OK.
Windows will warn you if you are about to demote the only administrator account on the computer. This warning appears because a computer with no administrator accounts becomes very difficult to manage—you will not be able to install updates, change system settings, or add new accounts without restoring administrator rights to someone. If you see this warning and you are sure you want to proceed, click the warning to continue.
After demotion, the account will no longer be able to install programs, change network settings, or modify other user accounts. They can still use the computer normally for browsing, email, and running programs that are already installed.
What Happens When You Change Administrator Status
Administrator accounts can install software, change system settings, create or delete user accounts, and access files in protected system folders. Standard user accounts can run programs that are already installed and access their own files, but they will see a prompt asking for an administrator password whenever they try to do something that affects the whole computer.
If a standard user tries to install a program, they will see a dialog box that says "User Account Control" and asks them to enter an administrator password. If they do not know the password, the installation will fail. This is a security feature—it prevents malware from installing itself without someone with full system access knowing about it.
When you change an account from standard to administrator, that person gains the ability to make these changes without asking anyone else. When you change an account from administrator to standard, they lose that ability when ready, even if they are currently logged in.
If You Created a New Account and Need to Make It Administrator
New accounts are created as standard users by default. To make a new account an administrator, you must first create the account, then follow the promotion steps above. You cannot set a new account to administrator status while you are creating it.
To create a new account, open Settings, go to Accounts, and click Other people on the left sidebar. Click Add account and follow the prompts. You can create a local account (one that exists only on this computer) or a Microsoft account (one that syncs across devices). Once the account exists, you can promote it to administrator using the method described in the "How to Promote a Standard User to Administrator" section above.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The most common mistake is trying to change an account's administrator status while logged in as that account. You cannot demote yourself from administrator—Windows will not let you. If you need to remove administrator rights from your own account, you must first create a second administrator account, log into that account, and then demote your original account.
Another mistake is demoting the only administrator on the computer and then forgetting the password to any remaining administrator account. If this happens, you will not be able to change settings, install programs, or create new accounts. You will need a password reset disk or physical access to the computer's hard drive to regain control. To avoid this, always keep at least one administrator account with a password you remember.
Do not assume that making someone a standard user will prevent them from accessing files on the computer. Standard users can still see and open files in shared folders and in the Documents folder. If you need to restrict access to specific files, you will need to use file permissions, which is a separate process from changing administrator status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change administrator status without restarting the computer?
Yes. The change takes effect when ready. The user may need to log out and log back in to see all permission changes reflected in their programs, but a full restart is not required.
What if I forgot the administrator password and cannot log in?
If you created a password reset disk when you set up the account, you can use it to reset the password. Insert the disk, click "Reset password" on the login screen, and follow the prompts. If you did not create a reset disk, you will need a second administrator account on the computer, or you will need to reinstall Windows.
Will changing administrator status delete the user's files?
No. Changing administrator status does not affect the user's files, documents, or installed programs. It only changes what permissions they have to modify the system itself.
Can a standard user change themselves back to administrator?
No. A standard user cannot change their own account type. Only an administrator can make that change. If a standard user needs administrator rights, they must ask someone with an administrator account to promote them.
What if the account I want to change does not appear in Settings?
The account must have logged in to the computer at least once before it will appear in the Accounts list. If you just created the account, log into it once, then log back into your administrator account and try again. If the account still does not appear, restart the computer and check again.