In Windows XP and the earlier Windows versions, there was only one Administrator account, and most single users used it as their main account. But Windows Vista and later, i.e., Windows 11/10 and Windows 8/7, have another built-in Administrator account, which may be referred to as a secret hidden super built-in Administrator account. It is hidden & turned off by default, and is similar to the ‘root’ account in Unix.

The use of the Administrator account is being phased out in Windows Vista, and there’s seldom a need to use it, instead of another administrator account. On installation of Vista, the Administrator account is disabled; but if you upgrade from Windows XP and Administrator is the only active local administrator account, then Administrator remains enabled. In this situation, it is placed in Approval Mode, for purposes of UAC. Since it is not subject to UAC prompts and runs with full administrative privileges, it’s rather risky, to run it on a regular basis. Any application could then have full control of the computer.

So I suggest using it sparingly, only when you need to perform several administrative and don’t want to be bothered by UAC prompts. Initially, this ‘super’ Administrator account does not have a password, a serious vulnerability for a full-fledged administrator account. Best to assign a strong password to this account at the earliest opportunity.

Disable or Enable built-in Administrator account

To enable, activate, or turn on this built-in Administrator account, type CMD in the search box. CMD will appear at the top. Right-click on it to ‘Run as administrator’.

To enable this built-in Administrator account, type this command & hit Enter:

Net user administrator /active:yes

To disable this built-in Administrator account, type this command & hit Enter:

Net user administrator /active:no

If you decide that you need a password for the administrator’s account that you are going to activate or if you are unable to activate it with a blank password run the following commands:

Net user administrator [email protected]$$w0rd

Net user administrator activate:yes

You will get a message: The command completed successfully. (Where [email protected]$$w0rd has been taken as an example password)

TIP: This post will help you if the Administrator Account has been disabled.

Switch the user and log on using this password.

Alternatively, you may also type secpol.msc in the search box and hit Enter. This will bring up the Local Security Policy.

On the left side click on Local Policies > Security Options. Now on the right side, you will see the first entry as Accounts:Administrator account – Disabled.

Right-click on it > Click Properties > Enable. Close.

Reboot.

TIP: You can also use our Ultimate Windows Tweaker to easily enable or disable this built-in Administrator Account.

And why would you want to operate this account?

You don’t want to be ‘annoyed’ by UAC.
This ‘super’ administrator account has elevated privileges. This means that you can run CMD with unrestricted access to the command line.
You need to carry out some serious troubleshooting.
You have locked out your main account by accident, and you want a backdoor entry.

Learn to create a new hidden Administrator User Account in Windows. You can also delete the inbuilt Administrator Account.