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 10 and Windows 8/7, have another built-in Administrator account, what 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.
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 P@$$w0rd
Net user administrator activate:yes
You will get a message: The command completed successfully. (Where P@$$w0rd has been taken as an example password)
Switch 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.
In 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.
You can also use our Ultimate Windows Tweaker for Windows 10 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 10.
