Get administrator rights - how it works

In Windows you need administrator rights in many everyday situations, such as installing new software. Here we show you how to get it.

The administrator rights

If you use your Windows computer with only one user account, you automatically have administrator rights. Even if there are several users, there must always be an administrator - usually the one who set up the PC for the first time. Multiple users can also have administrator rights.

The temporary right

If your user account is not an administrator account, you can still install a new program. Windows will ask you for a user with administrator privileges before installing. If he then enters his password once, you are now also briefly authorized to carry out administrator activities.

Get administrator rights permanently

If you want to finally obtain administrator rights, you must convert your account into an administrator account.

1. Open the control panel. Here you select the item "User accounts" (the wording varies depending on the Windows version).
2. Now select "User Accounts" to change your own account or "Add / Remove User Accounts" to access other accounts.
3. In the next dialog, select "Change account type" and select "Administrator account". If you do not yet have administrator rights, another administrator must enter his password here again.
4. In the following dialog, the conversion of the selected account into an administrator account is confirmed. You now have all the necessary rights to install software or change PC settings, for example.

Read how to open the Control Panel in Windows in the next article.

Video tip: Activate administrator account in Windows 10