Hello Philip,
The message you're seeing—“You need elevation”—indicates that the action you're trying to perform requires administrator-level permissions. If your account is not recognized as an administrator, or if the system is managed by an organization or pre-configured image, you may be restricted from making changes.
Here Are Recommended Steps to Regain Administrator Access
1. Confirm Your Account Type
Go to Settings > Accounts > Your Info
Check if your account is listed as Administrator
If it says Standard User, you’ll need an admin account to make changes
2. Use Built-in Administrator Account (if available)
Open Command Prompt as Administrator
Run: cmd net user administrator /active:yes
Log out and sign in to the Administrator account
From there, you can elevate your business account to administrator: cmd net localgroup administrators "YourUsername" /add
3. If You’re Locked Out of Admin Access If none of the accounts have admin rights or you're unable to reset the device:
You may need to perform a clean installation of Windows using a bootable USB drive
During setup, create a new local administrator account
Instructions: Create Installation Media
4. Devices Managed by Organization If the devices were pre-configured by a vendor or enrolled in an organization’s domain:
You may need to contact the vendor to remove device management policies
Check Settings > Accounts > Access work or school to see if the device is linked to a domain or MDM
- A hard reset or factory reset typically requires admin credentials if the device is protected by BitLocker or organizational policies.
- If you're unable to proceed, we recommend contacting Microsoft Support directly at support.microsoft.com/contactusfor guided assistance.
If this guidance proves helpful, feel free to click “Accept Answer” so we know we’re heading in the right direction 😊. And of course, I’m here if you need further clarification or support.
T&B,
Domic.