Your computer's Administrator account allows you to adjust system settings and make changes to the filesystem. Regardless of your operating system, you can change the administrator account password using the command line. In Windows, the Administrator account is disabled by default, and will need to be enabled if you want to use it.
Windows
Understand the different types of administrator accounts.
Windows creates a disabled Administrator account automatically in all versions of Windows after XP. This account is disabled for security reasons, as the first personal account you create is an administrator by default. The following method will detail enabling the disabled Administrator account and then setting a password for it.
- If you want to change your personal administrator account’s password, open the Control Panel and select the “User Accounts” option. Select your personal administrator account and then click “Create a password” or “Change your password”.
Press the .
⊞ Win You should see “Command Prompt” appear in the list of search results.
Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator”.
Type .
net user administrator /active:yes ↵ Enter This will enable the Administrator account on the computer. The most common reason for activating the Administrator account is to perform automation work without having to deal with the User Access Control message appearing every time a system setting is changed.
Type .
net user administrator * ↵ Enter This will allow you to change the Administrator password.
Type the password you want to use.
Characters will not appear as you type. Press ↵ Enter after typing the password.
Retype the password to confirm it.
If the passwords do not match, you’ll have to try again.
Type .
net user administrator /active:no ↵ Enter This will disable the Administrator account. It is not recommended to keep the Administrator account active when you’re not using it. Once you’ve set your password and performed any actions you need to as the Administrator, disable it through the Command Prompt.
OS X
Understand the process.
You can use Single User Mode to reset the administrator password for your Mac in case you have forgotten it. You don’t need administrator access to perform this procedure.
Reboot the computer and hold .
⌘ Command+S If you continue to hold these keys as the computer boots, you will be taken to the command line.
Type .
fsck -fy ⏎ Return This will scan your hard drive for errors, which may take a few minutes. It is required in order to proceed.
Type .
mount -uw / ⏎ Return This allows you to make changes to the filesystem.
Type .
passwd Administrator ⏎ Return You can change the password for any user account by entering the user account name instead of “Administrator”.
Enter your new password twice.
You’ll be prompted to enter your new password and then enter it again to confirm it. You won’t see the password as you’re typing.
Type .
reboot ⏎ Return This will reboot your computer and load OS X as normal. Your Administrator account will now use the new password.
Linux
Understand the risks before proceeding.
Linux is designed so that you can perform administrator tasks without actually logging in as the administrator, or “root”, user. As such, it is highly recommended that you use the sudo command to perform actions that require root access instead of logging in as root. Since you can use sudo combined with your own user password to make root changes, you don’t actually need to set a root password. If you do want to set one, read on.
Open the Terminal.
You’ll be changing the password through the Terminal, which can be opened from the task bar or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T.
Type .
sudo passwd ↵ Enter You will be prompted for your user password.
Enter your new root password.
After entering your user password, you’ll be prompted to create the new root password. You’ll be prompted to enter it twice to confirm it. You won’t see the password on the screen as you type it.