FIX: Lost Αdministrator rights after accidentally changing account type on Windows 10/11.

If you lost administrator rights on your Windows 10/11 device because you accidentally changed your account type from "Administrator" to "Standard User" or after a malware attack, then in this tutorial you will learn how to regain your administrator rights.

When you lose or do not have administrator rights on a Windows device, you are unable to perform essential tasks such as installing or removing software, changing system settings, managing user accounts, or running certain applications that require elevated privileges.

So, if you have a Windows 11/10 PC and you have lost admin rights for any reason, follow the two (2) effective solutions in this guide to restore admin rights to your account.

How to Recover Administrator Rights in Windows 10/11.

Method 1. Restore Lost Administrator Rights in Safe Mode.

1. Hold down the SHIFT key and go to Power and click Restart.

2. After restart, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings.

3. At the next screen, click Restart.

4. At the next screen press "4" on your keyboard to start Windows in Safe Mode.

5. After restarting, Windows will automatically log in to the Administrator account. (if this doesn't happen select/click the account on the Login screen).

6a. After entering Windows, press the Windows + R keys to open the Run command box.
6b. Now type netplwiz or netplwiz.exe and click OK.

7. Go to Advanced tab and click the Advanced button in Advanced user management.

8. In Local Users and Groups (lusrmgr), select Groups on the left and open Administrators on the right.

9a. Click Add.

9b. Type your Account/User login name (e.g. "John" in this example" and click OK.

9c. Now your account should be added as a member in Administrators group. Click OK to save the change.

10. Restart your computer, sign in to your account and you're done! Your administrator rights have been restored.

Method 2. Restore Admin Rights in Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

1. Follow the steps 1-4 in above method to launch the Startup Settings.

2. In Startup Setting screen press "6" on your keyboard to Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

3. After restart type the following command in Command Prompt windows and press Enter:

• netplwiz.exe

4. In the User Account Control (UAC) window/prompt leave the Administrator password blank and click Yes.

5. In User Accounts window, click on your account and then click Properties.

6. Now select the Group Membership tab, change the account type from Standard user to Administrator and click OK twice to apply the change and close all windows.

7. Now type the following command in command prompt and press Enter to restart your PC:

• shutdown /r

7. After a few seconds your PC will restart automatically. Sign in to your account and you're done!

That's it! Which method worked for you?
Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.

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Konstantinos Tsoukalas

Konstantinos is the founder and administrator of Wintips.org. Since 1995 he works and provides IT support as a computer and network expert to individuals and large companies. He is specialized in solving problems related to Windows or other Microsoft products (Windows Server, Office, Microsoft 365, etc.).

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