How to Change Administrator to Standard User and Vice Versa in Windows 11?

Windows operating system by default offers two types of user accounts. One is a standard user with limited authorization and the other is administrator with full access. As an administrator, you can change file permissions of other users and manage all aspects of user account control. Though, having multiple administrator accounts is possible in a computer, it is good idea to have a single admin to manage other standard users effectively. In this article, we will explain various options available in Windows 11 to change administrator to standard user. You can follow the same procedures to convert standard users to administrators if required.

Standard Vs Administrator User

Remember, changing user account type will add or remove the corresponding privileges. For example, if you change an administrator user to a standard user, then the user will lose permissions like running apps in admin mode, changing file permissions, modify security settings, etc. Windows needs at least one administrator in the system. If you are the only administrator, then it is not possible to change the account type of your own account. However, when you have multiple administrators on the system, it is possible to change your own account from administrator to standard user.

Remember, Windows will not show any indication for a standard user. You will see a “Local Account” indicating an account is using a local username and password with standard user privileges. For an administrator, you will see an exclusive mentioning of “Administrator” in addition to “Local Account”. You may see similar indications while using Microsoft account for login.

There are multiple ways to change the account type in Windows 11.

1. Change Account Type from Settings App

The first option is to use the Settings app for this purpose. We will change a standard user account to an administrator.

• Press “Win + X” keys to open the power user menu and select “Settings” from the list.
• When you are in Settings app, go to “Accounts” section.
• Go to “Family & other users” section and check under “Other users” heading.

• Find the account you want to change and click on it to expand the options.
• Click “Change account type” button showing against “Account options”.

• On the pop-up that appears, click the “Account type” dropdown and select “Administrator” option.
• Click “OK” button to apply your changes.
• Changes will be applied immediately without any prompt or warning and you can see the account type changed to “Administrator”.

2. Change Account Type from Control Panel App

The next option is to use the Control Panel for changing account type. Now, we will change the administrator back to standard user.

• Generally, Control Panel is not visible in Start menu as Microsoft is pushing the use of Settings app. So, click on the search icon in taskbar to search and find the app.

• When you are in Control Panel, click the “View by” dropdown and select “Category” option to view the options clearly.
• Click on “User Account” link from the list.

• On the next screen, click on “Change account type” link.

• You will see a list of user accounts available on your system and click the account for which you want to change the type.

• Click on “Change the account type” link on the next screen.

• Select “Standard User” option and click “Change Account Type” button.

• You will see the account is changed instantly to standard user without any warning.

3. Change Account Type from User Accounts

The next option is to use “User Accounts” dialog and change the type from account properties.

• Press “Win + R” keys to open Run prompt.
• Type netplwiz or netplwiz.exe in the text box and press “OK” button to open User Accounts dialog.

• Select the account and click on “Properties” button.

• Select “Standard User” or “Administrator” and click “OK” button to change the account type.

• Unlike Settings and Control Panel apps, you will find a “Other” option in “User Accounts” section. You can select “Other” and choose one of the additional account types like Device Owners, Guests, Remote Desktop Users, etc. After selecting the type, you can see the description showing applicable privileges for that type to understand better.

4. Change Account Type from Command Prompt

If you like to use command line interface, then using Command Prompt is the way for you.

• Click the search icon in taskbar and type “cmd” in the search box.
• Find Command Prompt app from the results and select “Run as administrator” option.

• If you don’t remember the username to change, type net user in the command prompt and press enter key. This will show all the users available in your system. However, it will not show the account type, we recommend using Settings app or Control Panel to view accounts with their type if required.

• For changing the standard user to administrator, type the following command and press enter key. Make sure to change the username from WebNots to correct name as you need. You should see a success message showing “The command completed successfully”.

net localgroup administrators "WebNots" /add

• For changing an administrator account to a standard user, type the following command and press enter key. Again, make sure to change the username as you need. This will delete the user account from standard users group and move it to administrators group

net localgroup administrators "WebNots" /delete

5. Change Account Type from PowerShell

Instead of Command Prompt, you can use Windows PowerShell app for changing account type in Windows 11.

• Search and open Windows PowerShell app in admin mode.
• For changing from standard user to administrator, type the following command by changing the username.

add-localgroupmember -group "administrators" -member "WebNots"

• You will not see any confirmation message but the account will be instantly changed.

• For changing from administrator to standard user, type the following command by changing to correct username. Press enter key to instantly change the account type.

remove-localgroupmember -group "administrators" -member "WebNots"

Final Words

You can use one of the above explained methods to change user account type. Out of all methods, using Settings app is the most convenient way of changing user account type from administrator to standard user and vice versa in Windows 11. However, if you want to assign other than standard or administrator, then you can use “User Accounts” option for that purpose.