How to change account to administrator on Windows 11

To change an account type to Administrator on Windows 11, open Settings > Accounts > Other users, select the account, click on “Change account type,” choose “Administrator,” and click “OK.”
You can also use Command Prompt and PowerShell commands.

If you have to change an account from “Standard User” to “Administrator,” you can complete this task from the Settings app, Command Prompt, or PowerShell, and in this guide, I will teach you how on Windows 11.

On Windows 11, you typically use one of the two account types, the “Administrator” or “Standard User.” The Administrator type belongs to the “Administrators” and “Users” groups, and it offers unrestricted access, meaning that users can change global settings, install apps, and run elevated commands.

The Standard User type belongs only to the “Users” group, which means limited access to the device. The user can still run applications and change settings, but they can’t change global settings, install apps, or run elevated commands.

Although it’s recommended that you use a Standard User account to work with Windows 11, sometimes you may have reasons to switch to an Administrator account. If you must change the account type, you can do this in at least three ways.

In this guide, I will teach you the steps to change the account type from Standard User to Administrator on Windows 11.

Change account type to administrator on Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can change the account type to make a user an administrator from the Settings app, PowerShell, or Command Prompt.

It’s important to note that you have to be signed in with a different administrator account to change the account type. You cannot change your standard account while you’re signed in to it.

Settings app method

To change the account type to Administrator on Windows 11, use these steps:

Sign in (as admin) on Windows 11.
Open Settings.
Click on Accounts.
Click the Other Users tab.
Select the account under the “Other users” section and click the “Change account type” button.
Select the Administrator option.
Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the account will have unrestricted access to change settings, install apps, and run elevated commands.

Command Prompt method

To make a user account administrator from Command Prompt, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run administrator option.
Sign in with an account that has administrator privileges.
Type the following command to list the available users and press Enter:
```
net user
```
Type the following command to add the account to the Administrators group and press Enter:
```
net localgroup Administrators "ACCOUNT-NAME" /add
```

After you complete the steps, sign out and sign back into the account to apply the changes. Then, start using the account as an administrator.

PowerShell method

Alternatively, you can also use PowerShell to make a Standard User account an Administrator. You can do this while you are signed in as a Standard User.

To change the account type to Administrator through PowerShell, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to list the available users and press Enter:
```
Get-LocalUser
```
Type the following command to change the account type to “Administrator” and press Enter:
```
Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member "ACCOUNT-NAME"
```
In the command, change the “ACCOUNT-NAME” with the name of the account. The quotation marks are only necessary if there is a space in the name.

Once you complete the steps, the Standard User account will become an Administrator account.

Update June 19, 2024: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.