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. Admin rights are also what let you disable Windows Defender Antivirus on Windows when a trusted installer is blocked.
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. The same elevated prompt is where you would use the sfc command on Windows to fix corrupt files.
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. When handing the machine over entirely, it is often cleaner to factory reset Windows 10 first.
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.