How to make a user an administrator in Windows

User accounts created in Windows 10 come in two forms: standard and administrator (or admin). Although the functionality remains the same for both types of users, administrator accounts will have extended access to certain options.

This access includes administrator-approved permissions that allow users to change various settings. In fact, administrators can install applications on computers, while standard users can only launch them. For these reasons, having more than one administrator can be very useful if you have a Windows 10 PC with multiple users.

In this article, you will learn four methods to turn a standard user into an administrator in Windows 10.

How to Make a User an Administrator in Windows 10

The first method you can use to make a user an administrator in Windows 10 will be using the "Settings" menu. Here are the steps for this method:

1. Go to the “Start Menu” and open “Settings”.
   
2. Go to “Accounts”
   
3. You will see different sections on the left side of the window; choose “Family and other people”.
   
4. On the right side of the window, locate the user you want to designate as an administrator under “Other people”.
   
5. Select "Change account type".
   
6. In the drop-down list that appears, choose “Administrator”.
   
7. Press the "OK" button and close "Settings".
   

The second method is to access the “Control Panel”. Here is what you will need to do to make a user an administrator via this utility:

1. Bring up the "WinX Menu" by right-clicking the "Start Menu" button or pressing Win Logo + X on your keyboard.
   
   • If for some reason you can't find the option in the "WinX Menu", just open the "Start Menu" and type "Control Panel".
2. Once you find "Control Panel", click on it to open the corresponding window.
   
3. Under "User Accounts", select "Change account type".
   
4. Find the user you want to designate as an administrator and click on it.
   
5. On the left side, select "Change account type".
   
6. Choose "Administrator" in the account options.
   
7. Press the "Change account type" button.
   

For the third method, you will need to enter the "User Accounts" settings. You can do this by following these steps:

1. Press Win Logo+R to launch the "Run" dialog box.
   
2. Enter "netplwiz" and press OK.
   
3. A window will open with user account settings; find the user you want to give admin permission to.
   
4. After selecting the correct user, press “Properties”.
   
5. From the tabs at the top, select "Group Membership".
   
6. Choose "Administrator" and click the "OK" button.
   

Finally, you can use the "Command Prompt" to change a standard user to an administrator. Use the following steps for this method:

1. Open the “WinX Menu”.
2. From the menu, launch “Command Prompt (Admin)”.
   
3. In the administrator command prompt, type “net localgroup Administrators AccountName /add“. When entering this line, replace "AccountName" with the actual username.
   
4. Press "Enter" and wait for the command to execute.
5. Once you see the confirmation message "Command completed successfully", you can exit "Command Prompt".
   

Using any of these four methods will allow you to turn any standard user into an administrator in Windows 10.

While these methods allow you to perform the desired action for users sharing the same computer, the techniques will be different if you want to make a user a local administrator on a network.

In the following sections, we will explain how to make domain and network users local administrators.

How to make a domain user a Windows 10 local administrator

There are three ways to make a domain user a local administrator in Windows 10.

The first method is to use the “lusrmgr.msc” command:

1. Access the user's computer through a remote connection or through direct physical access.
2. Display the "Run" menu by pressing "Win Logo+R".
   
3. Type “lusrmgr.msc” and press “OK”.
   
4. Locate "Local Users and Groups".
   
5. Enter the “Administrators” menu.
   
6. Find the user account you want to grant administrator rights to and add it to the "Administrators" group.
   

The second method uses "restricted groups", while the third uses "secure local administrators". However, both methods are much less straightforward than the first. As they would require more extensive configurations, we recommend using the first method provided.

How to make a network user a local administrator Windows 10

There are several commands you can use to make a network user a local administrator in Windows 10. In the "Run" dialog box, you can use the "lusrmgr.msc" command described above or the "compmgmt.msc" ordered.

Both commands can be accessed through the "Run" dialog box, which you can launch by pressing Win Logo + R.

Using the “lusrmgr.msc” is described in the previous section. Here is how to use the “compmgmt.msc” command:

1. Launch the "Run" menu and type the command.
   
2. Once you click "OK", the "Computer Management" window will open.
   
3. In the left menu, navigate to "System Tools".
   
4. Click on “Local Users and Groups”, then on “Groups”.
   
5. You will see a list of groups on the right side; select "Administrator".
   
6. Right-click on the "Administrator" group and select "Add to Group".
   
7. Confirm your choice and choose “Add”.
   
8. Locate the "Enter the object names to select" box.
   
9. Enter the username in the box and click “OK”.
   

You can also use "Command Prompt" to add users to the administrator group. Here's how:

1. Launch "Command Prompt" as an administrator.
   
2. Type “net localgroup Administrator AccountName /add” where you will replace “AccountName” with the username.
   
3. Press "Enter", wait for the confirmation message and exit "Command Prompt".
   

Easily grant admin rights to users

Having more than one administrator on a system or network can make many processes much easier. With others having access to crucial settings and options, your network won't have to depend on your constant availability.

Now that you know how to make any user an administrator in Windows 10, sharing administrator rights — as well as responsibilities — with others will be much easier.

Did you manage to make another user an administrator in Windows 10? What method did you use?

Let us know in the comment section below.