Windows 10 microsoft account and local account

1

I got a new laptop and while setting it up, it asked microsoft account. So I gave my microsoft account. Now I could use the laptop using that account for regular browsing and other activities. But the problem is when I am trying to execute some commands, it says I am not administrator or I need to run the cmd as administrator.

What I don't get is, I am logging into the windows using microsoft account. I see a folder in C:/Users/. Now am I a local user or a admin user?

Microsoft account creates a local user by default for windows?

Why do I need to run command prompt as an administrator for some commands? Am I not admin for my own system? If not, who am I while using the system? Microsoft account user or local user?

newbie

Posted 2019-10-13T18:34:17.433

Reputation: 133

Question was closed 2019-10-15T05:16:33.523

Do you have this problem with all commands or some? Give examples. – harrymc – 2019-10-13T18:52:30.757

"Microsoft account creates a local user by default for windows?" This question has nothing to do with domain vs local accounts; it's to do with standard vs administrator accounts. :) – Mr Ethernet – 2019-10-13T18:54:14.133

I ran across this problem when i executed "pip install <packagename>" command. I have installed python for "all users" and so it was installed in C:/Python3.7/. – newbie – 2019-10-14T05:50:31.803

Answers

0

The first Windows Account (Vista and above) is a member of the Administrator's group. Check that but it will be if this was the first user.

That said, some programs still require approval to run (I have several here) so if you are being challenged for a few - no issue.

This is true (and the same) for a Microsoft Account and a Local Account. They work the same way

John

Posted 2019-10-13T18:34:17.433

Reputation: 5 395

0

To get you out of this situation of not having an administrator account, the following procedure is used when a local administrator loses his rights and may also work in your case. You will be creating a new local account and giving it administrator permissions, then you can login using this new account as administrator.

  • Open Settings > Accounts > Family & other users
  • Click Add someone else to this PC
  • Click I don't have this person’s sign-in information
  • Click Add a user without a Microsoft account
  • Type a user name and click Next to add a new local account (non-admin)
  • Press Win+R and in the Run dialog type cmd and hit Enter
  • In the Command Prompt type shutdown /r /o and press Enter
  • After Windows 10 restarts, in the "Choose an option" screen, click Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings and then click Restart
  • On the "Startup Settings" screen, press 4 to enable Safe mode
  • After Windows 10 starts into safe mode:
    • Open Control Panel
    • Go to User Accounts > Manage another account
    • Select the new local account you added and click Change the account type
    • Select Administrator and click Change Account Type to change the account from a standard user to an administrator
  • Restart into normal mode and sign-in with the new Administrator account.

For more details with screenshots see the article
Lost Administrator Rights in Windows 10, What to Do.

harrymc

Posted 2019-10-13T18:34:17.433

Reputation: 306 093

That's an excellent answer to a problem the user does not have. He never lost admin rights. He created the first account on a brand new computer, so he must be an admin. You can't just randomly "lose" them. The user is seeing the User Account Control popup and is assuming that he isn't an administrator. He never says he can't run commands, only that he needs to run them as an administrator. It's clearly User Account Control. – Mr Ethernet – 2019-10-13T20:14:11.070

@wrecclesham: I'm not sure of this. It's logical, but logic doesn't always work in Windows. I haven't managed to find any documentation about what the local permissions are for first login from a Microsoft account, so the "must" part is unproven. Until I find some more information, which Microsoft made no effort to furnish, I don't take this for a given. – harrymc – 2019-10-13T20:20:49.637

1My money's on him either running commands that need to be run in an elevated Command Prompt in a regular one or he's seeing UAC and assuming that his account doesn't have admin rights. – Mr Ethernet – 2019-10-13T20:23:30.053

@wrecclesham: Perhaps so. My answer is intended to help the poster out of a situation, which perhaps he got himself into by revoking his own Administrator permissions, or by falling into another Microsoft trap. – harrymc – 2019-10-13T20:26:33.513

1@newbie - I have put together hundreds of computer over many years for clients. Unless you purposely removed yourself, the first user is a member of Administrators. True 100% of the time for me – John – 2019-10-13T20:28:45.080

If you attempt to convert your own admin user account to a standard user account when no other admin accounts exist, via the GUI, Windows doesn't allow you to do it, so I would be interested to know how a newbie could do that by mistake! – Mr Ethernet – 2019-10-13T20:29:09.447

Agree. Never happened to me. – John – 2019-10-13T20:30:31.910

I didn't lose my admin rights. I just didn't have admin rights when I'm executing particular commands. – newbie – 2019-10-14T05:45:03.907

My doubt is am i admin or not? If yes, Why do i need to run cmd as administrator? If no, how can i just run commands by opening cmd as administrator? – newbie – 2019-10-14T05:52:34.730

Although your account may be administrator, the commands that you run are executed with reduced permissions as a security measure. For most commands this is enough, but commands that affect the operating system require to specify elevation, meaning "Run as administrator", so they are not executed with reduced permissions. – harrymc – 2019-10-14T07:17:53.683

"how can i just run commands by opening cmd as administrator? " Right click on Start and select Command Prompt (Admin) – John – 2019-10-14T20:48:06.400

@John: Agreed, it's difficult to lose administrator permissions, but posters here have managed it. – harrymc – 2019-10-15T05:20:09.980

I find that this post is a duplicate and have to mark it so. A pity for such a nice answer. – harrymc – 2019-10-15T05:21:16.900

Asked: 2019-10-13T18:34:17.433

Viewed: 565 times

Active: 2019-10-13T19:12:20.473