How to regain admin access from standard account on Windows 11

On Windows 11, if you lose access to your administrator account, you can still regain elevated access, and in this guide, I’ll show you how to complete this task.

If you have a computer and accidentally deleted your administrator account, and now you only have a standard user account, you won’t be able to perform elevated tasks, such as making system changes, advanced configurations, or creating another account.

In the past, I’ve been asked about this issue many times, and there is actually a workaround that involves renaming a few system files from the Windows 11 installation, which allows you to access the Command Prompt as an administrator from the Lock Screen. You can then enable the hidden default “Administrator” account to regain admin access to change the account type from “Standard User” to “Administrator.”

In this guide, I’ll show you how to reset a forgotten password and recover your account on Windows 11.

Warning: You will be making system changes to your computer that could prevent the operating system from booting. It’s assumed you know what you’re doing and that you have already created a full backup of your system.

Regain admin access from a standard account on Windows 11

To access Windows 11 as an administrator with a Standard User account, follow these steps:

Start the computer with Windows 11 USB bootable media.

Quick note: To start your device with an installation media, you may need to change the UEFI settings. This process usually requires pressing one of the function keys (F1, F2, F3, F10, or F12), the ESC, or the Delete key. However, you should visit your PC manufacturer’s support website for more accurate instructions.
Use the “Shift + F10” keyboard shortcut on the Setup page to open Command Prompt.
Type the following command to move from the X:Sources folder to the root folder of your Windows 11 installation and press Enter:
```
C:
```
In the command, I use C: because it’s usually the drive letter used to access the hard drive after booting the device from USB, but you may need to try different drive letters to find the correct one. You can confirm the location using the dir command. You’re in the correct location if the result shows the “Program Files” and “Windows” folders. Usually, the drive will appear with the D: letter.
Type the following command to navigate to the System32 folder and press Enter:
```
Cd Windows\System32
```
Type the following commands to replace the Utility Manager button with direct access to Command Prompt from the Sign-in screen and press Enter (on each line):
```
ren utilman.exe utilman.exe.bak 
ren cmd.exe utilman.exe
```
Type the following command to restart the computer normally and press Enter:
```
wpeutil reboot
```
In the Sign-in screen, click the Accessibility button in the bottom-right corner to open Command Prompt.
Type the following command to enable the built-in Administrator account on Windows 11, and then press Enter:
```
net user Administrator /active:yes
```
Click the Power button in the bottom-right corner and select the Restart option.
In the Sign-in screen, select the Administrator account.
Open Start.
Search for Computer Management and click the top result to open the app.
Expand the Local Users and Groups branch.
Expand the Users branch.
Right-click the account and select the Properties option.
Click the “Member of” tab.
Click the Add button.
Click the Advanced button.
Click the Find Now button.
Select the Administrators group to make the Standard User an administrator.
Click the OK button.
Click the OK button one more time.
Click the Apply button.
Click the OK button.
Sign out from the Administrator account.
Sign back in using your account that is now part of the “Administrator” group.
Restart the computer using the Windows 11 USB bootable media again.
Use the “Shift + F10” keyboard shortcut on the Setup page to open Command Prompt.
Type the following command to move to the root folder of the Windows 11 installation and press Enter:
```
C:
```
Type the following command to navigate to the System32 folder and press Enter:
```
Cd Windows\System32
```
Type the following commands to replace the Utility Manager button with direct access to Command Prompt from the Sign-in screen and press Enter (on each line):
```
ren utilman.exe cmd.exe 
ren utilman.exe.bak utilman.exe
```
Type the following command to restart the computer normally and press Enter:
```
wpeutil reboot
```

Once you complete the steps, you can regain access to Windows 11 as an administrator.

Although it’s not a requirement, you should consider disabling the default “Administrator” account from the “Properties” page using the “Computer Management” console.

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