Windows 10 is the latest operating system released by Microsoft. It remains one of the best Windows versions so far with its many cool features. However, it is not perfect; with all its awesomeness, you can encounter errors while using it. One such error is the "You need to sign in as an administrator to continue but there aren't any administrator accounts on this PC" issue. You are probably on this page right now because you are looking for how to resolve this. You have come to the right place!

We will show you how to fix the "You need to sign in as an administrator to continue but there aren't any administrator accounts on this PC" issue. This message appears when you are trying to boot your Windows 10 device but it refuses to load past the startup screen. When this problem occurs, you are unable to access Advanced Startup Options because you are stuck on this error message screen. Attempting to hard reboot your computer does not help either.

If you find yourself in the situation above, follow the steps described below to have it fixed. These recommended solutions have helped other users to resolve this error, and hopefully, you will find them helpful:

  1. Perform an Automatic Startup Repair
  2. Activate the Inbuilt Administrator Account
  3. Create an Administrator Account
  4. Execute an In-Place Upgrade

Let's take a look at each of these solutions in more detail.

Solution 1: Perform an Automatic Startup Repair

One solution to this error is to perform an automatic startup repair. Since you can't access Advanced Startup Options directly from your PC, you have to use Windows 10 installation media to perform a startup repair. Here is how to do this:

  • Download the latest available version of the Windows ISO onto your system.
  • After the ISO has successfully downloaded, the next step is to create a bootable USB or DVD drive and then boot your device into UEFI or BIOS mode. From there, you should select the USB tool that you have inserted into your PC as the first boot device. Then select the hard disk next. Rufus is a tool that can help you download the ISO easily.
  • If you boot from the USB drive, it will begin the Windows 10 installation. At this point, do not hit Next because doing this will end up installing Windows. Instead, from the first installation screen, locate and click on a link labeled "Repair your computer." This will boot your device into Advanced Recovery.
  • After you have entered the advanced troubleshooting window, click on Advanced Options, and then choose the Troubleshoot option. In the Advanced Options window, go to Startup Repair and click on it. Follow the instructions to complete the process.
  • The next window will show you the admin account alongside its name. Select it to verify the email linked to it and the account password. Completing the verification process successfully will launch the diagnostics tool, which will attempt to fix the issue that is causing the error in question.

If the solution above does not work, move to the next one below.

Solution 2: Activate the Inbuilt Administrator Account

If the first solution did not resolve the issue for you, do not worry. Another solution that you can try is to use Windows 10 installation media to activate the inbuilt administrator account. Here is how to do this:

  • Use your Windows 10 installation media to boot your PC.
  • As soon as the Windows setup wizard comes up, go to your keyboard and press the Shift + F10 This shortcut will take you to the Command Prompt.
  • Once the Command Prompt opens up, input the following command:

net user administrator /active:yes

  • After typing it in, press the Enter key on your keyboard to confirm your entry. This will activate the admin account.

This should resolve the issue. However, if the error persists, try the next solution.

Solution 3: Create an Administrator Account

To create a new administrator account under normal circumstances in Windows 10, you have to sign in to your Windows device as an administrator. Even if it is a regular user account, the individual has to have administrative rights. However, in situations where you are unable to sign in to your Windows 10 computer because of the "You need to sign in as an administrator to continue" error, you need to use another method.

Another technique you can use to create a new admin account is to open the Command Prompt through the sign-in screen. You can do this by using Windows 10 installation media. It involves the following steps:

  • The first move is to boot or start up your PC from the Windows 10 installation media. This will open up a new window.
  • As soon as the Windows Setup screen comes up, press the shortcut Shift + F10 on your keyboard. This will open the cmd.exe window.
  • At this point, you need to replace the exe file with the cmd.exe file. To do this, you should execute the following command lines one after the other:

move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\

copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe

Note: c stands for the system drive letter.

  • The next step is to run "wpeutil reboot". Then remove the Windows 10 installation media. Doing this will allow your computer to restart.

Your Windows 10 device will restart normally now that the installation disk is disconnected. When your PC gets to the sign-in screen, go to the lower-right corner of your screen and select the Ease of Access (EOA) icon. If the previous procedures have been executed successfully, clicking the EOA icon will open the Command Prompt.

  • At this point, you can now create a new admin account for your Windows 10 device. To do this, you need to run the following command lines one after the other. Replace the user_name part with any username of your choice:

net user user_name /add

net localgroup administrators user_name /add

Now, wait patiently for Windows to create a new administrator account. Look at the lower-left corner of the sign-in screen to see the newly created admin account. You can click on it to use it to sign in to your computer.

Note: Now that you have succeeded in creating a new admin account, you must restore the utilman.exe file. If you fail to do this, you will be unable to make use of the Utility Manager on the sign-in screen of your Windows 10 device. In addition, not restoring it allows other users to change your Windows 10 admin password by using the Command Prompt. They can also use it to make changes to your computer without your authorization.

In order to restore the utilman.exe file, you need to carry out the following steps:

  • Use the Windows 10 installation media to boot your device again.
  • As soon as the Windows Setup screen is displayed, go to your keyboard and press the shortcut Shift + F10. This will open up the Command Prompt.
  • The next step is to type in the command line below and then press the Enter key on your keyboard:

move c:\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe

  • After confirming the command line, the prompt Overwrite c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe? will appear. Select Yes and then press Enter to confirm.
  • Disconnect the installation media and then restart your Windows 10 computer.

If this does not resolve the error for you, go to the next solution.

Solution 4: Execute an In-Place Upgrade

The next solution is to carry out a Windows 10 in-place upgrade. This method requires using the Media Creation Tool.

It is called "in-place upgrade" because you can use it to upgrade your Windows 10 to the latest version without leaving your PC. It also means you do not need to use any ISO to perform this update. This method works best when you have a strong internet connection to download the necessary files.

Note: Before you follow the steps below, ensure that you have admin privileges and that you are signed in. Also, disconnect any external peripherals except for the keyboard, mouse, and LAN cable, which you need for the download. Finally, if you have any third-party applications such as antivirus tools or any security solutions, disable or uninstall them.

Another thing is to ensure you have a fully charged battery and a backup power source.

To execute an in-place upgrade, you need to do the following:

  • Download the Media Creation Tool for Windows 10. To do this, you need to go to the official Windows 10 download page. Scroll down the page a bit and then select the "Download tool now" Performing this action will download a file named MediaCreationTool<version-no>.exe. Keep in mind that the version number may vary depending on the latest release.
  • After the file has been downloaded successfully, double-click on it to launch the application. This exe file is what you need to download and install the latest Windows 10 files on your computer.
  • Now that the process has begun, read through the Microsoft license terms and click on Accept. This will take you to the "Getting Ready" screen. Patiently wait for it to analyze your computer and then present you with options. You will be required to choose from these two options:
  • Upgrade this PC now
  • Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC

To execute an in-place upgrade, click on the option "Upgrade this PC now". Then select Next to begin the download of the files. The time it will take to complete this successfully will depend on the speed of your internet connection.

  • Once the download has been completed successfully, you will have the option to keep your personal files or start all over with a clean system. Choosing to start with a clean slate will delete all your files. Since you are performing an in-place upgrade, we recommend that you keep your personal files. This will preserve your data after the problem has been resolved. There is no reason to lose your important files.
  • At this point, your PC will restart itself several times. Do not panic because it is upgrading your Windows 10 system to the most recent version. Wait for it to complete this process.
  • When the upgrade is complete, the login screen will be displayed. You will find that your account is available there.
  • You can now log in to your PC, after which the Privacy screen will come up. Choose the options that you want and then move to the Cortana window.
  • Cortana will guide you through the steps to change your language and make other choices. However, if you do not want to use this assistance, you can make the changes manually.
  • After you have successfully saved your choices, the in-place upgrade process is complete, and you can now enjoy your new and improved Windows 10.

The Windows 10 in-place upgrade method is the best option for installing the latest Windows version on your computer, especially when you are finding it difficult to download feature updates.

Prevent This Error from Reoccurring

Windows 10 is a great operating system. However, as you continue to use your computer, the system gets clogged up with junk files, broken or corrupt registry keys, and invalid registry entries. These factors create issues on your PC and can affect its functionality and speed. To keep your device functioning at its best and prevent errors such as "You need to sign in as an administrator to continue" from reoccurring, you need a tool like Auslogics BoostSpeed.

Auslogics BoostSpeed is a program designed to optimize your Windows 10 computer at just the click of a button. It scans your system for any hidden problems and gives you a report of what needs to be fixed.

It will then go ahead and resolve the issues while protecting your personal files to ensure that your device continues to run smoothly.

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It is software built to improve your system's stability and speed and even protect your privacy. As you surf through the internet, you enter your personal details and credit card passwords into different websites. This puts you at risk of having your information fall into the wrong hands, such as hackers. Auslogics BoostSpeed carries out regular checks to clear this information and ensure hackers cannot access it. The Deep Disk Cleaner feature checks to ensure temporary files are not slowing down your Windows 10 computer. It will remove these files while ensuring that essential system files remain untouched.

In addition, you do not need to worry about running diagnostics manually from time to time. You can simply schedule automatic system maintenance, and the tool will take over from there. It will improve your system's performance in real time and also scan your computer at the time of your choosing.

Conclusion

We hope these solutions helped to resolve the "You need to sign in as an administrator to continue but there aren't any administrator accounts on this PC" issue on your computer. If you have any questions or extra solutions you would like to share, kindly leave a comment in the comments section below.