How to restore the built-in administrator from Microsoft account to local account?

Hi all,
I just updated to Windows 11 Pro a HP ZBook Fury 15 G7 laptop I just redeemed from my company and delivered with a "clean" installation of Windows 10 Pro with the sole account of built-in administrator.
While peeking around in the new Windows 11, I did a great stupid thing: I absent-mindedly changed the built-in administrator account I was using from local account to my Microsoft account.
The problem popped up immediately after, when I tried creating a normal User account with my Microsoft account, as it's safe to do for daily use: the system prevented me from doing so because there was already an account connected to my Microsoft account!
My request is very simple: is there a way to restore back the built-in administrator account to local account, so that I can proceed to create a new User account linked to my Microsoft account?
Thank you so much in advance!

Settings >Accounts switch to use local account.

Thank you Jockey, nice try... but, as I noticed horrified immediately after switching the built-in administrator account from local to my Microsoft account, there's no such option in the Accounts setting windows for the built-in administrator

There's a Hidden Administrator in Windows that usually is never unhidden except when having major issues and does not have a password.

After setting up a Microsoft Account with Admin rights I like to add a New User as a Local Account with Admin rights, name at least one character different and not an E-Mail name. Then I Sign out [right-click of the Start button] then reboot to get both Users on the screen and pick which I want to use. It's also possible to be logged in as Local and remove any other visible account. Sign out, or log off, is different from Reboot which only brings same user back.

The hidden administator account is meant to be a troubleshooting tool only and not to be used as one's daily used account. It is hidden for a reason. I say all that for anyone who reads this thread as it seems you are aware of why it should not be used. Since there is no peronal data on the machine I suggest you do a reset using the "remove everything" option. This willl put the machine back into OOBE condition, recreates the hidden account, and will allow your to set up your account during OOBE.

Hi, welcome.

When you install Windows, Windows creates a user account and by default it is an Admin account.
The Admin account and the Built-In Administrators account are two separate accounts.
The Built-In Administrators account does not show by default
The Admin account created by Windows after install, does.
Note: You cannot change the Built-in account to a local account

This is how you access the Built-In Administrators account — with some information on how to manipulate the Built-In Administrators account.



Also

• Add Microsoft Account in Windows 11
• Add Guest Account in Windows 11
• Add Microsoft account to Local account for Hybrid account in Windows 11
• Change User Account Name in Windows 11
• Change Account Picture in Windows 11
• Enable or Disable Account in Windows 11
• Check Account is Local Account or Microsoft Account in Windows 11
• Check Account is Administrator or Standard User in Windows 11
• Update Security Questions for Local Account in Windows 11
• Enable or Disable Use of Security Questions for Local Accounts in Windows 11

open command prompt as admin and run
and post a screenshot

Also - try this reg mod
.https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-do-i-change-the-primary-microsoft-account/f2023740-c720-4126-81d6-5d22fd9dae0d

Diabolus said:

Hi all,
I just updated to Windows 11 Pro a HP ZBook Fury 15 G7 laptop I just redeemed from my company and delivered with a "clean" installation of Windows 10 Pro with the sole account of built-in administrator.
While peeking around in the new Windows 11, I did a great stupid thing: I absent-mindedly changed the built-in administrator account I was using from local account to my Microsoft account.
The problem popped up immediately after, when I tried creating a normal User account with my Microsoft account, as it's safe to do for daily use: the system prevented me from doing so because there was already an account connected to my Microsoft account!
My request is very simple: is there a way to restore back the built-in administrator account to local account, so that I can proceed to create a new User account linked to my Microsoft account?
Thank you so much in advance!

Click to expand...

same thing happened to me (was using the built-in admin after a motherboard swap, and logged into my microsoft account in the activation troubleshooter, which converted the built-in)

be logged in as another admin (you can create one: run compmgmt.msc, expand local users and groups, open users, right click and new > user, fill in info, and then close that wizard, but then double-click that new account, "member of" tab, and add in administrators--now you have another local admin account)

run regedit

expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SAM

right click on SAM (the one under SAM; i.e. Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM\SAM), and select Permissions

select Administrators check the Allow box for Full Permissions, and OK

hit F5 (to refresh the registry, and be able to expand)

expand SAM > Domains > Account > Users, and select 1F4 (i.e. Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM\SAM\Domains\Account\Users\000001F4)

leave (Default), F, ForcePasswordReset, SupplementalCredentials, UserTile, and V, and right click anything else and delete

restart your computer

but still log in to the other admin account one last time, then compmgt.msc > local users and groups > users, then right click on your built-in admin and "set password" (hello pin cleared that out when you converted to an MS account)

then log back in as that built-in admin with said password (and its domain in "netplwiz" will be back to the machine's hostname, not "microsoftAccount"); and, you can then freely convert any other added local account to be your microsoft account (leaving that built-in local account as it should be: not tied to online)

That's impressive.
People have been reporting this problem and failing to solve it for a decade. Reinstalling Windows had been thought to be the only 'solution'.
In the threads I saw, the cause was thought to be that the Built-in Admin had been enabled & was logged in to whilst updating from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and had subsequently been converted to an MSAccount-linked one at some unknown stage [probably by accident as stated in your explanation].

hunter3740 said:

right click anything else and delete

Click to expand...

I'm wondering what an equivalent solution for Windows Home might be.
Please would you show me or tell me what was in that Registry Key that needed to be deleted.
I think the equivalent Registry path for Windows Home would be that shown in Enable or Disable Built-in Administrator Account - ElevenForumTutorials Option 5 Step 8 but that does not show any entries that match what you said would need to be deleted.



Here's hoping,
Denis

Hi, I am also struggling to change the builtin Administrator from logging in to a MS Account to a Local Account on one of my VMs. This thread is one of the most comprehensive discussions I have found. There is also a thread from 2024 that has extensive instructions. But, STILL, I have not been able to accomplish this change. It seems that MS is turning the screws tighter and tighter to force Windows user to use an MS Account. (I'll save the rants for another forum.)

So here I am, looking for another fix. On my system for the builtin Admin, there is no option to change to a local account. The Registry Key described above doesn't exist.

So I'm checking if I've missed some post that has the solution. All help is welcome. Thanks a bunch.

P.S. I've been here many time in the past, but recently created a new account.

hunter3740 said:

same thing happened to me (was using the built-in admin after a motherboard swap, and logged into my microsoft account in the activation troubleshooter, which converted the built-in)

be logged in as another admin (you can create one: run compmgmt.msc, expand local users and groups, open users, right click and new > user, fill in info, and then close that wizard, but then double-click that new account, "member of" tab, and add in administrators--now you have another local admin account)

run regedit.....

Click to expand...

Try3 said:

That's impressive.
People have been reporting this problem and failing to solve it for a decade. Reinstalling Windows had been thought to be the only 'solution'.

Click to expand...

@Kari will find this solution interesting. He's one of those that investigated this issue a decade ago, when this loophole first appeared with Windows 10.

Kari said:

I have now replicated your situation and can confirm the loophole in Windows 10 you have accidentally found. I installed Windows 7, activated the built-in administrator account and removed all other user accounts. I then upgraded to Windows 10 which after the upgrade naturally had only this one user account, the built-in administrator account.

This allowed me to connect the built-in administrator account in Windows 10 to a Microsoft account and use Windows Store to download apps. Notice that because the default restrictions, this is normally not possible; when the built-in admin account is used as it should, not as a sign-in account to Windows but solely for administrative tasks it is not possible to use most of the Windows Apps with it (Store, Edge and so on), and it cannot be converted to a Microsoft Account.

The loophole you found, activating the built-in admin in previous version and then upgrading to Windows 10 using it seems to override all default security restrictions on the said built-in admin account, making it possible to connect it to a Microsoft account. However, as this is meant never to happen, once you have converted the built-in admin account to a Microsoft account, it is no longer possible to convert it back to a local account. It is absolutely impossible, that is why the Your account page does not even show the Sign in with a local account instead option

Click to expand...

How to remove Microsoft Account from the Hidden Administrator - Windows 10 Help Forums - post #10