The answer is 'Yes! The default Administrator account is still created in Windows Vista and later OS but its disabled by default for security purposes.' Many times you might want to enable it for troubleshooting purposes or to get rid of the annoying UAC prompts while tweaking your system. How to enable ‘Administrator’ account using Computer Management. Alternatively, you can also use Computer Management to enable the built-in Administrator account on Windows 10 using these steps: Open Start. Search for Computer Management and click the top result to open the experience. Expand the Local Users and Groups branch.
- Enable Administrator Account Windows Vista Without Logging In
- Enable Administrator Account Windows Vista 10
by Martin Brinkmann on November 12, 2014 in Windows - Last Update: February 28, 2019 - 230 comments
When you install Windows 10 anew on a PC or run it for the first time if it comes pre-installed with the computer, you create the first user account during that process.
This is the main account on the system and configured to be an administrator account by default, but it is not the only one that is created during that process.
Windows 10 creates two additional user accounts automatically which are both inactive by default. They are:
- Guest account
- Administrator account
Enable Administrator Account Windows Vista Without Logging In
The first is a guest account which Microsoft designed for users who access the device but don't have a permanent account on it.
Guest accounts are severely limited as it is not possible to install software or hardware, or modify system settings.
The administrator account
The second account that you find preinstalled on any Windows 10 device is the Administrator account.
It is also inactive by default and needs to be enabled before it can be used. While not required at all, it is often used for troubleshooting or administrative purposes when it is enabled.
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A core difference between the administrator account of the user and the built-in administrator account is that the former receives UAC prompts while the latter does not. The first user account that is created by the actual user of the system on first start is an unelevated administrator account while the built-in Administrator account an elevated account.
It is relatively easy to enable or disable accounts on Windows 10 devices provided that you sign in with your admin account. You cannot make user account changes if you sign in with a regular account and don't have access to an admin account on the system.
The process involves running a series of commands from an elevated command line prompt. It is not possible to activate the default Administrator account on Windows 10 devices using the account related options found in the Settings application as default accounts are not listed there.
Enable the Administrator account
To enable the Windows 10 administrator account do the following (note: this works in older versions of Windows as well):
- Tap on the Windows-key. This should open the start menu or bring you to the Start Screen interface depending on how Windows 10 is configured on the system.
- Type cmd and wait for the results to be displayed.
- Right-click on the Command Prompt result (cmd.exe) and select 'run as administrator' from the context menu. Alternatively, hold down the Shift-key and the Ctrl-key before you start cmd.exe.
- Run the command net user to display a list of all user accounts on the system. You should see Administrator listed as one of the accounts.
- To activate the inactive administrator account, run the command net user administrator /active:yes
- Windows returns 'The command completed successfully' if the operation was successful. Check the spelling and that you are in an elevated command prompt interface if you get error messages.
- If you want to enable the guest account as well run the command net user guest /active:yes
Verify that the account is activate by running net user administrator from the command line prompt. Check 'account active' to verify the status of the account.
Change the password of the admin account
The administrator account is active after you run the commands mentioned above which means that you can sign in to the system using it. It is not password protected by default which means that anyone with local access to the system can use it to sign in to it. While that is comfortable, it may also be a security risk.
It is highly recommended to protect it with a password. This can also be done on the command line:
- Type net user administrator * and hit enter.
- You get a password prompt. Type the desired password and again when you are asked to type it a second time for confirmation.
Disable the administrator account
To disable accounts at any time, use the following command:
- On an elevated command prompt: net user administrator /active:no
Other commands of interested are:
- Net user administrator - Displays information about the user account on the command line.
- Net user username /delete - Deletes username on the system. This does not work with built-in accounts.
Tip: if you are running Windows 8, check out this guide which walks you through the procedure on this version of Windows.
Note: The following two methods work as well but they are only available on professional and Enterprise versions of the Windows 10 operating system.
Using Local Users and Groups
Windows users who prefer to work on user interfaces instead of the command prompt may use the built-in tool Local Users and Groups to manage accounts.
- Activate the Start menu on the system.
- Type lusrmgr.msc and select the result that is returned to you.
- Left-click on 'Users' in the left sidebar. You get a list of all accounts of the local system on the right.
- Right-click on Administrator and select Properties from the context menu.
- Remove the checkmark from 'Account is disabled' on the Administrator Properties window and click apply, then ok.
Enable Administrator Account Windows Vista 10
The method activates the Administrator account on the Windows 10 machine.
Using Security Policies
The second option to change the status of the built-in Administrator account on Windows 10 devices is to use Security Policies:
- Activate the Start Menu.
- Type secpol.msc and select the result to load the Local Security Policy.
- Go to Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options.
- The policy 'Accounts: Administrator account status' determines whether the local Administrator account is enabled or not. Check the 'Security Setting to see if it is disabled or enabled.
- Double-click on the policy and select 'Enabled' to enable the account.
- Select ok and close the Local Security Policy.
How to enable the hidden Windows 10 administrator account
Description
The guide walks you through the steps of enabling the hidden administrator account in the Windows 10 operating system.
Author
Ghacks Technology News
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AdvertisementIn Windows Vista we made numerous changes to our user account model. Standard users are now the default user type for new accounts created after initial setup. The Power Users group is effectively deprecated. In addition, we’ve made it much easier to run as a standard user and even administrators run with limited Windows privileges and user rights by default. But people often ask us, “What about the built-in administrator account? Isn’t it a security risk to have an administrator account with no password?” Yes, in some cases this administrator account could be used to circumvent other security mechanisms. For example, parental controls could not be effective if the child could simply login with the built-in administrator account and do whatever they want, including disabling the Parental Controls.
In Windows Vista RC1 we will have completed a series of changes to disable the built in administrator account under most circumstances. These changes apply to the default administrator account named Administrator, which is created during setup.
- The built-in administrator account is disabled by default in Windows Vista on new installations.
- If Windows Vista determines during an upgrade from Windows XP that the built-in Administrator is the only active local administrator account, Windows Vista leaves the account enabled and places the account in Admin Approval Mode. The built-in administrator account, by default, cannot log on to the computer in safe mode. Please see the following sections for more information.
- On non-domain joined computers, when there is at least one enabled local administrator account, safe mode will not allow logon with the disabled built-in administrator account. Instead, any local administrator account can be used to logon. If the last local administrator account is inadvertently demoted, disabled or deleted, safe mode will allow the disabled built-in administrator account to logon for disaster recovery.
- On domain joined computers, the disabled built-in administrator account cannot logon in safe mode. By default a user account that is a member of the Domain Admins group can log on to the computer to create a local administrator if none exists. If the domain administrative account had never logged on before, then the computer must be started in Safe Mode with Networking since the credentials will not have been cached. Once the machine is disjoined, it will revert back to the non-domain joined behavior depicted previously.
Be aware that disabling the built-in administrator account means that it is important that you do not forgot the user name and passwords for the other administrator accounts on that PC. If you do, you may end up a in a situation where you are unable to make further admin changes to your PC—or even event not be able to login at all. To make sure that happens we recommend the follow tips for home users:
- Use the Forgotten Password wizard via the User Accounts Control Panel to create a password reset disk for your account. Store this disk or removable USB device in a safe place.
- Create a password hint for your account.
- Write down your username and password and store it in a safe location.
Note: as we move closer to RTM we will be posting another related blog to address the built-in administrator management in the enterprise.
Darren Canavor, Program Manager, Windows Security Core