Changing the administrator on Windows grants a user account elevated privileges — allowing software installation, system configuration, and management of other accounts.
You can change the administrator via the Windows Settings app, the Control Panel, or the Command Prompt — all three methods work on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Quick Answer
Open Settings ? Accounts ? Family & other users, click the account you want to promote, select Change account type, set it to Administrator, and click OK.
How to Change the Administrator on Windows
Method 1: Via the Windows Settings App
The Settings app is the recommended way to manage user account types — it shows all accounts clearly and lets you change any of them to Administrator in a few steps.
Step 1: Press Win + I to open Settings, go to Accounts, then select Family & other users to see all accounts on the machine.
Step 2: Click the user account you want to make administrator, then click the Change account type button that appears below the account name.
Step 3: In the dialog that opens, change the Account type dropdown from Standard User to Administrator, then click OK to apply the change.
Method 2: Via the Control Panel
Control Panel’s User Accounts section provides an alternative way to change account types — useful if the Settings app is restricted or not accessible on your machine.
Step 1: Open Control Panel, click User Accounts, then select Change account type to open the Manage Accounts window.
Step 2: Click the user account you want to promote to administrator in the Manage Accounts list.
Step 3: Select Change the account type from the left-side options, then choose Administrator and click Change Account Type to confirm.
Method 3: Via the Command Prompt
The Command Prompt lets you add any existing user account to the Administrators group with a single command — the fastest method when you prefer the terminal.
Open Command Prompt as Administrator, then run the command below — replace NewUser with the exact username of the account you want to promote.
net localgroup Administrators NewUser /add
To verify the change took effect, run net localgroup Administrators — the account name should now appear in the list of members of the Administrators group.
To remove a user from the Administrators group (demote to Standard User), use the same command with /delete instead of /add at the end of the line.
Bonus: Change the Administrator Username
To rename an administrator account on Windows, open Control Panel ? User Accounts and click Change your account name to rename your own admin account.
To rename another administrator’s account, use Manage other accounts instead — select the account, choose Change the account name, type the new name, and save.
When to Change the Administrator Account
Change the administrator when setting up a new PC for another user, when an existing admin is leaving and their replacement needs full system access going forward.
It is also useful when you need to grant a standard user temporary admin rights for software installation, then revoke those rights again once the task is done.
Important: The built-in Windows Administrator account is disabled by default and should stay that way — it has the highest risk profile and should never be used as a daily account.
Related Guides
These Windows account management and system guides cover related tasks you may need when managing users and permissions on a Windows machine.