As a Windows user, many times, you might want to change the user account type on Windows 11 system, for example, changing a standard account to an Administrative account to give the administrative privileges to the owner of that account.
In Windows 11, there are several ways to do that. In this post, we will discuss how to change a user account type from standard to administrative, or vice versa using Windows 11 Settings, Control Panel, Netplwiz Settings, and Command Prompt.
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What are the different Account types in Windows 11?
Based on the privileges and control they get, Windows User Accounts can be divided into the following types:
- Administrator: Administrators have complete access to the computer and can make any desired changes to it. Some changes may require these users to enter their password for confirmation (UAC prompt).
- Standard: Standard users can perform all tasks on the computer except making changes that will affect other users. If any application or task requires administrator-level access, windows will prompt using UAC, and the administrator account password has to be entered in order to proceed further.
- Guest: Guest users can only be a local account and are used for giving temporary access to work on existing installed apps. This user does not have access to install new apps and make any changes to the core system settings.
Change User Account Type in Windows 11
Note: You can change the account type in Windows 11 only through an Administrative account. Make sure to log in with an Administrator user account or know the credentials of an Administrator before applying the following methods.
Change Account Type from Windows 11 Settings
The simplest way to change the account type in Windows 11 is using Settings. Here are the steps to do that:
Click on Windows 11 Start button and select Settings.
Switch to the Accounts tab and select the Family and other users option.
Expand the user account name of which you want to change the type.
Click on the Change account type option next to Account options.
Chose the Administrator from the drop-down menu and click OK.
The account type would be changed from Standard to Administrator.
Change Account Type from Control Panel
Windows 11 also comes with the Control Panel tool to perform various system amendments like previous Windows OS versions. You can use it to Change the User Account Type. Here are the steps for that:
- On the windows search box, type Control Panel and click on its icon to launch it.
- Under the User Accounts category, click on Change account type.
- Choose the user name of the account of which you want to change the type.
- Click on Change the account type option.
- Choose the Administrative bullet point and click on Change Account Type.
Change Account Type using Netplwiz Run Command
The User Account type could also be changed using the Netplwiz run command that opens the user account management utility. Follow these steps:
- Use Windows + R keys combination to open the Run Command window.
- Type netplwiz in the command space and hit the enter key.
- Choose the account of which you want to change the type and click on Properties.
- On the next window, switch to the Group Membership tab, choose the account type, and click Apply.
Use Command Prompt to Change Account Type
Command Prompt has been used for making various simple to hardcore changes in Windows OS for a long time. On Windows 11, you can use the Command Prompt to change a user account type. To do that, follow these steps:
- On the windows search box, type the command prompt and run it as Administrator.
- Use the net user command to list out all the user accounts of the system.
- Note the account of which you want to change the type. For example, I am changing the account type of WindowsChimp New to Administrator from Guest/Standard.
- Use this command to change the account type: net localgroup Administrators “Account name” /add. Replace “Account name” with the chosen account name.
- The account type would be changed.
- To change the Administrator account to a Standard account, use this command: net localgroup Administrators “Account Name” /delete. Replace “Account name” with your account name.
Summing Up
This post listed the top ways to change a user account type from Standard to Administrator or vice versa. You can use any of these, whichever is working for you. Remember to use the Administrative account to make the changes, as the Standard user does not have the privilege to change the account type.
YES, you can have both Microsoft and Local Accounts on your Windows 11 and Windows 10 devices. Follow the steps listed in this post to create a Windows 11 local account.
There are several differences between a Microsoft and a local account. The major one is that the local account wouldn’t sync your data with other devices, whereas you can sync your data with other devices connected with the same Microsoft account. Other than that, a Local account does not require any email registration for log-in, whereas you need to register with an email to log in with a Microsoft Account.
Peter is an Electrical Engineer whose primary interest is tinkering with his computer. He is passionate about Windows 10 Platform and enjoys writing tips and tutorials about it.
