How to Enable Default Administrator Account on Windows 11
There are a number of ways with which you can enable the default administrator account in a Windows 11 PC. This account is disabled by default mostly because it is not required, and so poses a security threat if left unhidden. However, experienced users, system administrators, or at times even normal users need to use this account to troubleshoot issues with the Windows 11 PC, or manage system settings. In those cases, they can use these methods to enable the default Administrator account on Windows 11.
Method 1: Enable Default Administrator Account on Windows 11 Using Command Prompt
The Command Prompt tool is a powerful utility in every Windows user’s arsenal. It can be used to do a lot of customizations in Windows 11 including enabling the default Admin account.
1. Login to your Windows 11 PC using an account which has Administrator privileges.
2. Click on Start, then search for CMD. Once you have found it, click on the option that says Run as administrator.
3. That should open an elevated Command Prompt window. Type in the below command to check if the default Admin account is present in your Windows 11 PC. Remember to press Enter after typing it.
net user
4. Once you have checked that the account is present, use the below command to enable it from the Command Prompt.
net user “Administrator” /active:yes
5. If, for some reason, the default Admin account is named something else, simply replace the word Administrator with the new name in the previous command.
6. In order to deactivate the account, you can use the below command.
net user “Administrator” /active:no
Method 2: Using Windows 11 Power Shell tool
Method 2: Enable Default Administrator Account on Windows 11 Using PowerShell Utility
Like Command Prompt, the Windows 11 Power Shell is a powerful tool that can be used to enable the default Admin account on your Windows 11 PC.
- Click on Start and this time, instead if searching for CMD, search for PowerShell. Once you have found it, click on the option that says Run as administrator.
2. That will open a Windows Power Shell window. Here, you need to type in the following command to first check if the default Administrator account is present in your Windows 11, and its name.
get-localuser
3. Now that you know that the account exists but is not enabled, use the below command in the PowerShell window to enable it.
Get-LocalUser -Name “Administrator” | Enable-LocalUser
4. Once you are done working on that account, you can once again open a PowerShell window and use the below command to disable it once again.
Get-LocalUser -Name “Administrator” | Disable-LocalUser
Method 3: Enable Default Administrator Account on Windows 11 with Windows 11 Computer Management tool
In case you are not comfortable using the Command Prompt or the PowerShell in Windows 11 where you have to type in cryptic commands and you are more comfortable using GUIs, you can use the Computer Management tool to enable to Admin account. However, this applies only for Windows 11 Pro editions.
1. Click Start and search for Computer Management. Once found, click on Run as administrator.
2. Expand the option for Local Users and Groups from the left side of the pane.
3. Below it you’ll find 2 folders; Users, and Groups. Click on Users.
4. Now you should see all the user accounts present on your Windows 11 PC on the right side of the pane. From the list, locate the disabled Admin account, and right click on it.
5. Then from the context menu that pops up, click on Properties.
6. This should open the Administrator Properties dialogue box. From the General tab here, uncheck the option that says Account is disabled. Click Apply and then OK. That’s it!
7. Now if you need to disable the account once again, open this Administrator Properties dialogue box and check the Account is disabled option to disable the account.
Bonus Method: When you have forgotten the password for the Disabled Admin account
This method is useful if you have forgotten the password for the disabled Administrator account. Otherwise, even if you enable it, you will not be able to login to that account. Using this method, you can not only change the password for the disabled Admin account, but you can also change the password for any other user account on your Windows 11 PC.
1. Go ahead and enable to Windows 11 disabled Administrator account on your Windows 11 PC using any of the methods discussed above.
2. Open an elevated Command Prompt window by click on Start, then searching for CMD, and clicking on the option Run as administrator from the results.
3. Once you can view the Command Prompt window, type in the below command to reset the password of the Admin account. Remember to replace new_password with the password of your choice.
net user Administrator new_password
4. If you want to use this command to reset the password for any other account, simply replace Administrator in the previous command with the respective account name.
You can use any of the above methods to enable the default Admin account on your Windows 11 PC. However, if you want to use the GUI method even after using Windows 11 Home, you can do a little Google search to check how to enable the Local Users and Groups options on your PC, you can follow that, and then the method above to enable the Admin account.
