I accidently changed the admin account to an owner account and I can't get into it anymore.

Anonymous
2025-03-09T00:47:55+00:00

Hi,

I changed my account from admin to owner and when I tried to log in after turning it off, the only account shown to log into the computer was the other account on the computer that didn't have admin access. I have tried various things but I can't change anything because there is no admin account anymore. It seemed like when I changed it to an owner it deleted my account, but when I tried my fingerprint, it recognized it but said that my account needed to be elevated. The weird thing is that my account still isn't listed as an option to sign in, so I don't know what it did. My files are still on the computer, but I can't get into them because again, I don't have admin access. My logic for changing the account was that ownership should be higher than admin, but I guess not. It seems like it sent the computer into an infinite loop that locks the users out of changing anything. All of my stuff is backed up, so I tried to do a factory reset, but it kept saying that I needed admin access to do so.

Thanks for any help,

Robert Hildebrand

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Recovery and backup

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EmilyS726 264.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2025-03-09T01:20:46+00:00

Hello,

If it doesn't have admin at all, there's a way to recover admin access.

Hold down Shift key while you choose Windows restart, then go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings, click on restart, then choose option 4.

When prompted for password, leave it blank and enter.

When you are in safe mode, hold down windows + r keys, type in netplwiz and press enter.

Then double click on your username, go to Group Membership tab, make it admin.

Restart, log back into your user. You should now have admin access.

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  1. EmilyS726 264.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-03-09T16:20:48+00:00

    You are welcome. If all is good, feel free to mark the answer for this thread, or let me know if you need anything else from me.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-03-09T16:18:09+00:00

    Thanks, that fixed it!

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