How to Make Yourself an Administrator on Any Windows System

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: April 4, 2022 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to give yourself administrator privileges on a Windows computer. In order to do this, the computer in question must currently be logged into an administrator account. If this is the case, you can enable a hidden "Administrator" account that you can then use to give yourself administrator privileges at any time. You can also enable administrator privileges for your personal account if you're able to access the User Accounts menu through another administrator account or the hidden one.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Enabling the Hidden Administrator Account

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1
Open Start
. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
- In order for this method to work, you must currently be logged into an account with Administrator privileges.
- If you're attempting to give another account on this computer administrator privileges, skip to the third part.
2
Type in command prompt. Doing so will prompt the Command Prompt program to appear at the top of the Start window.

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3
Right-click
Command Prompt. A drop-down menu will appear.
- If you don't have a right mouse button, use two fingers to click or tap the trackpad—or press the far-right corner of the trackpad button—in lieu of right-clicking.
4
Click Run as administrator. It's in the drop-down menu.
5
Click Yes when prompted. Doing so will prompt Command Prompt to open in administrator mode.
6
Enable the hidden administrator account. Type:
net user administrator /active:yes into Command Prompt, then press ↵ Enter.
- From now on this computer, you'll have the option of opening the Administrator account at any time by using Safe Mode.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Accessing the Hidden Administrator Account

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1
Restart your computer into the Advanced Options menu. To do so, open Start
, click Power
, and then hold down ⇧ Shift while Windows restarts.
- You can release ⇧ Shift once you arrive at the Advanced Options screen.
2
Click Troubleshoot. It's the wrench-shaped icon on the Advanced Options screen.
3
Click Advanced options. You'll see this option near the bottom of the screen.
4
Click Startup Settings. It's on the right side of the screen. Doing so opens a list of potential restart options.
5
Click Restart. This is near the bottom of the list.
6
Press 4. Doing so selects "Safe Mode" as your restart option and restarts your computer into Safe Mode. This process can take several minutes.
7
Click the Administrator tab. It should be in the lower-left corner of the screen. Doing so will log you into the Administrator account.
- You may have to click the Administrator tab several times to get it to open.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Changing Standard User Account Privileges

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1
Press ⊞ Win+R. This will open the "Run" text box. If you're using the Administrator account with Safe Mode, this is the best way to open the "Run" box since the Start menu doesn't always work.
- If you're currently logged into a different user's administrator account, you can click Start instead.
2
Type in netplwiz and press ↵ Enter. This will open the User Accounts window.
- If you typed this into Start, click netplwiz at the top of the Start window instead.
3
Select your personal account. Click on your personal account's name or username. If you're on a communal computer, you may have to scroll down to find the proper account.
4
Click Properties. It's in the lower-right corner of the window. A new window will open.
5
Click the Group Membership tab. You'll find this at the top of the new window.
6
Check the "Administrator" box. It's in the middle of the window.
7
Click OK. This option is at the bottom of the window.
8
Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will apply your account changes.
9
Restart your computer. When your computer finishes restarting, you should be out of Safe Mode and your account should now have administrator privileges.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I do this with Windows 8?

Community Answer

This is also possible on Windows 8, but requires you have admin rights to enable the Administrator account in case the "real" admin demotes your account to a standard account. Keep doing this every time your account is demoted, and the admin may wonder if you know his/her password (if he/she has one). The admin may start to get angry if he/she can't find out how you're getting your admin rights back constantly. Still, keep any knowledge of the Administrator account in your head. Also, delete this page from your browser history if possible in case the admin checks your browser history every now and then.
Question

I tried to follow the steps and to put in cmd, but it said "Access denied". What do I do?

Community Answer

This might be because you don't have administrator rights, which are required in order to successfully enter the command into the system through cmd. If you try to click "Run as administrator", a UAC (User Account Control) prompt will pop up asking for you to enter an admin account's password. Unless you know this password, there's currently not a way you can do this with a standard user account. There's a way you can disable the UAC prompts, and that is by following along with this video and doing what the "guy" does.
Question

How is this done on Windows 8.1?

Daniel

Community Answer

You need to have enabled the hidden administrator account on a normal admin account. If you happen to be on a standard account when attempting the admin "stuff," just dig into Safe Mode, get on the hidden administrator account, and follow the steps in the article.