If you have lost your admin rights in Windows 11 or Windows 10, you will not be able to run any program as an administrator on your computer or make any administrative-level changes to it. So, in this article, we have curated a couple of solutions to resolve the issue of lost administrator rights in Windows PC. These solutions are also helpful in case you forgot Windows password.
Fix: Lost Admin Rights in Windows 11/10
You can gain your administrator rights back on Windows 11 or 10 by carrying out the four solutions given below:
- System Restore
- Enable Hidden Admin Account to Change
- Check Domain Restrictions
- Modify Security Descriptors and NTFS File System Permissions
You can also use these methods if you forgot laptop password, but all these methods must be executed in Advanced Recovery.
After trying each method, check if the lost administrator rights on Windows 11 or 10 issues are resolved or no longer exist.
1] System Restore
One of the most straightforward ways to fix anything is System Restore. It will take your PC back to a previous state, where everything worked as expected. Follow the detailed guide on how to perform System Restore.
Note: To do System Restore, you must create System Restore. In case you haven’t, do it once the issue is resolved. It will be helpful the next time you forget the administrator password.
Read: How to check if you have admin rights in Windows
2] Enable Hidden Admin Account to Change
In this method, you can switch the admin account you have issues with to normal and then make it admin. If you are a system administrator, you can enable or disable the administrator account using Security Policy. It is a valuable program for managing Windows security policy settings.
Local Security Policy is not accessible in Windows 11 Home Edition.
- Click the Windows + R keys to open the Run box and copy and paste the following command, and press Enter:
secpol.msc
- This will open the Local Security Policy window. Click on the Local Policies to expand it. Next, click Security Options. On the right pane, you will find a list of policies; from there, right-click the Account: Administrator account status option and choose Properties from the context menu.
- In the Local Security Setting tab, select Enabled. To save the changes, click Apply and OK. On the login screen, the new administrator account should be accessible for usage.
The users can convert the old admin account to a standard account before making it admin. That will bring things back to normal.
3] Check Domain Restrictions
Domain Administrators can use this policy option to guarantee that only specific authorized users are permitted to join groups such as the Administrators group. This is how you check domain restrictions:
- Open Group Policy and navigate to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Restricted Groups.
Any user who is a member of the Restricted Groups will lose Administrator account rights. So, one must go to the Restricted Groups folder and remove the user from here.
4] Modify Security Descriptors and NTFS File System Permissions
In this method, you can run the ICACLS command and see whether it resolves the issue. This command-line tool allows you to change security descriptors and NTFS file system permissions. This is how you modify security descriptors and NTFS file system permissions:
Hold down the Shift key and press the Power button simultaneously to restart your PC. You will be taken to the Advanced Menu options. Click Troubleshooting > Windows Terminal here. To reset permissions, use the following command in the terminal box that appears:
cd /d c:\\ icacls \* /T /Q /C /RESET
ICACLS will reset the permissions of all directories, files, and subfolders. The permissions will be fixed after a few minutes, depending on the number of files.
Why Am I Not an Admin
Users who have lost their administrator rights have only one account on their PC: the administrator account. You may experience trouble utilizing Windows Apps, creating new or altering Windows configuration settings in Control Panel, using Snap-ins, and other issues due to losing admin rights.
So, to operate your Windows PC without interruptions, you must regain administrator rights. You can follow the guidelines given in the article for that. If nothing else works, you might want to try a System Refresh or Reset.
How Do I Find Out Who My Administrator Is on Windows PC
In the User Accounts window, click on the User Accounts link. Your account name, account icon, and description will be listed on the right-hand side of the User Accounts window. If the word “Administrator” is in anyone’s account description, it’s an admin account.
How to Check Who Is the Administrator in Cmd?
Please open the Command Prompt or PowerShell and enter the command “net localgroup administrators”. This will display any Administrator accounts. Once you find that, you can also ask the other admin to fix your account in case you have lost admin rights on Windows.
