administrative issue

Question

I am trying to change my accounts administrative access but cant because it wont even let me put in my administrative password the only option i have when it asks if i would like to allow it to make changes is no

Answer 1

Hi Pierce Wyenandt,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

When Windows shows a User Account Control prompt with only the “No” option and doesn’t ask for an administrator password, it usually means there isn’t an administrator account available on the device to approve the change.

Windows can only display Yes (or request a password) if at least one administrator account exists. If all accounts on the device are standard users, Windows has no credentials to elevate the request, so the prompt shows No only.

Here are some possible checking steps that you can try in this situation:

1, Check for another administrator account

• Open Settings > Accounts
• Select Other users
• Look for an account labeled Administrator
• If one exists, sign in with that account and make the change.

2, Restore administrator access (for personal devices) if no administrator account is listed:

This lets you set up a new administrator account while keeping personal files.

• Open Settings > System > Recovery
• Select Reset this PC
• Choose Keep my files

If this device was set up or managed by an organization, administrator access may be restricted. In that case, the device owner or IT support team can help with next steps.

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Answer 2

The behavior indicates that the account currently in use does not have administrator rights, or User Account Control (UAC) is blocking elevation so the prompt only allows selecting No.

Try these steps in order:

1. Sign in with an administrator account
   • Sign out of the current account.
   • On the Windows sign-in screen, choose another account that is known to be an administrator and sign in with that.
   • If no other account appears, restart the PC and try again. If still no admin account is available, contact whoever originally set up the PC or the organization admin, as only an administrator can grant or restore admin rights.
2. Use an admin account to change your account type
   • While signed in as an administrator, open Control Panel.
   • Go to User Accounts.
   • Select User Accounts again, then Manage another account.
   • Select the affected account and change it to Administrator.
3. Ensure UAC prompts can be accepted
   • Sign in with an administrator account.
   • Open Control Panel.
   • Select Security and Maintenance, then expand Security.
   • Make sure User Account Control is turned On.
   • When UAC prompts appear ("Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?"), choose Yes so changes can be applied.
4. If settings remain greyed out or prompts still cannot be accepted
   • This usually means the current user is not an administrator or an administrator has restricted changes via policy.
   • In that case, only an administrator (local or organization IT admin) can sign in and adjust permissions or policies.

If there is no way to sign in with any administrator account on the PC, recovery requires help from whoever manages the device or, in an organization, the IT/tenant administrator.

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References:

• Windows Firewall settings are greyed out
• Administrative privileges required or error code 0-1005 or 0-2005 when installing Office