7 Effective Methods to Verify Administrator Privileges in Windows 11

Step 1: Utilize the Task Manager Tool

To check your admin status using the Task Manager, follow these steps:

1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
2. Select the Users section from the left-side navigation panel.
3. Locate your account name under the User column.
4. If your account has admin privileges, the label Administrator will appear alongside it.

Pro Tip: If you see multiple accounts listed, check for the Administrator status next to your name.

Step 2: Navigate through the Settings App

You can also ascertain your admin status through the Windows Settings:

1. Click on the Start menu and type Settings.
2. Click on the Settings app that appears in the Best match section.
3. Navigate to the Accounts section in the left-side panel.
4. Your logged-in account will be displayed on the right side.
5. Below your account name, the account type will state Administrator.

Pro Tip: If using another account, check under Other Users to see admin statuses for all users.

Step 3: Check via the Control Panel

To use the Control Panel for this check:

1. Press Windows + S to open Windows Search.
2. Type Control and select the Control Panel icon.
3. Select the User Accounts option from the list.
4. If necessary, click the Category drop-down arrow near View by and choose Small icons.
5. In the User Accounts menu, click the Change your account type hyperlink.
6. If your account type is listed as Administrator and the Change Account Type button is greyed out, you are indeed logged in as an admin.

Pro Tip: If you want to manage other users, select the Manage another account link from the User Accounts page.

Step 4: Explore Windows File Explorer

Another method to verify your admin status involves File Explorer:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Right-click the C: drive (or the Windows installation drive) and select Properties.
3. Go to the Security tab in the Properties window.
4. Find your user account in the Group or user names list.
5. Select the account labeled as Administrator and review the Permissions for Administrators table.
6. If the options for Full Control are checked, you are logged in under an admin account.

Pro Tip: Look out for multiple entries of your username; only one will reflect admin rights.

Step 5: Access the Computer Management Tool

To leverage the Computer Management Tool in verifying admin rights, do the following:

1. Open Windows Search by pressing Windows + S.
2. Type Computer Management and select it from the search results.
3. Click on Local Users and Groups in the left panel.
4. Double-click on the Groups section to see a comprehensive list of groups.
5. Right-click on Administrators and select Properties.
6. If your username appears in the Members list, you have administrator privileges.

Pro Tip: Familiarizing yourself with the Computer Management Tool can help in managing user accounts more efficiently.

Step 6: Use the Local Users and Groups Command

You can check admin permissions using the Local Users and Groups command:

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type lusrmgr.msc and press Enter.
3. The Local Users and Groups window will appear.
4. Double-click the User directory on the left.
5. Double-click your username and navigate to the Member Of tab.
6. If the Administrators group is listed, your account holds administrator rights.

Pro Tip: This method provides a clear view of all user memberships and can assist in account management.

Step 7: Employ Windows Command Line Interfaces

Checking administrator access can also be conducted through various command line interfaces:

Using Command Prompt

1. Launch Command Prompt from the Start menu.
2. Copy and paste this command into the console:

net user

3. Replace with your actual username and press Enter.
4. Look for Local Group Memberships in the displayed details.
5. If Administrators is listed, your account has admin rights.

Pro Tip: This command is also great for checking other accounts’ statuses using their usernames.

Using PowerShell

1. Right-click the Start menu icon and choose Terminal.
2. Type the following PowerShell script and press Enter :

Get-LocalUser -Name $env:USERNAME | Select-Object Administrator

3. This check will specify if the currently logged-in user is an admin.

Pro Tip: Replace the username in the following command to check other users:

Get-LocalUser -Name " " | Select-Object Administrator

View All User Accounts

1. Run this script to view all user accounts and their types:

# Get all local user accounts $users = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_UserAccount -Filter "LocalAccount=True" # Define account types based on group membership foreach ($user in $users) { $userType = "" # Check if the user is an administrator $isAdmin = Get-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators"| Where-Object { $_. Name -eq $user. Name } if ($isAdmin) { $userType = "Administrator" } # Check if the user is a guest $isGuest = Get-LocalGroupMember -Group "Guests"| Where-Object { $_. Name -eq $user. Name } if ($isGuest) { $userType = "Guest" } # If not admin or guest, assume standard user if (-not $userType) { $userType = "Standard" } # Output the user name and account type [PSCustomObject]@{ 'UserName' = $user. Name 'AccountType' = $userType } }

2. This script is adaptable and relevant for all Windows 11 and 10 systems.

Pro Tip: Expect a Paste Anyway prompt within PowerShell when pasting long commands.

How can I switch to an administrator account on Windows 11?

What if I don’t see the option to change account type?